pyproject.toml’s dependency list specifies compatibility: we expect the program to run with versions that satisfy constraints.
If you want to specify an exact version as a validated configuration for a reproducible build with guaranteed functionality, well, that’s what the lock file is for.
In serious projects, I usually write that dependency section by hand so that I can specify the constraints that match my needs (e.g., what is the earliest version receiving security patches or the earliest version with the functionality I need?). In unserious projects, I’ll leave the constraints off entirely until a breakage is discovered in practice.
If `uv` is adding things with `==` constraints, that’s why upgrades are not occurring, but the solution is to relax the constraints to indicate where you are okay with upgrades happening.