[FR] Throw clear error when empty files are specified as scripts via a setup.py

What's the problem this feature will solve?

Looks like when empty python files are specified as scripts, they are skipped when being moved to the build directory. But, then when pip wants to copy over the script into the bin, it cant find it and throws the error error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory:

Describe the solution you'd like

When I specify an empty file as a script, I want an error to throw saying that specifying an empty file as a script is not allowed.

Alternative Solutions

No response

Additional context

Minimal example:

setup.py

from setuptools import setup

setup(
    name='test',
    scripts=["foo/bar.py", "foo/empty.py"],
)

Install attempt and error

% pip install .
Processing /Users/test/test
  Preparing metadata (setup.py) ... done
Building wheels for collected packages: test
  Building wheel for test (setup.py) ... error
  error: subprocess-exited-with-error
  
  × python setup.py bdist_wheel did not run successfully.
  │ exit code: 1
  ╰─> [10 lines of output]
      running bdist_wheel
      running build
      running build_scripts
      creating build
      creating build/scripts-3.7
      copying and adjusting foo/bar.py -> build/scripts-3.7
      warning: build_scripts: foo/empty.py is an empty file (skipping)
      
      changing mode of build/scripts-3.7/bar.py from 644 to 755
      error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'build/scripts-3.7/empty.py'
      [end of output]
  
  note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
  ERROR: Failed building wheel for test
  Running setup.py clean for test
Failed to build test
Installing collected packages: test
  Running setup.py install for test ... error
  error: subprocess-exited-with-error
  
  × Running setup.py install for test did not run successfully.
  │ exit code: 1
  ╰─> [10 lines of output]
      running install
      running build
      running build_scripts
      creating build
      creating build/scripts-3.7
      copying and adjusting foo/bar.py -> build/scripts-3.7
      warning: build_scripts: foo/empty.py is an empty file (skipping)
      
      changing mode of build/scripts-3.7/bar.py from 644 to 755
      error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'build/scripts-3.7/empty.py'
      [end of output]
  
  note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
error: legacy-install-failure

× Encountered error while trying to install package.
╰─> test

note: This is an issue with the package mentioned above, not pip.
hint: See above for output from the failure.

This error requires me to understand the file movement process and put 2 and 2 together. I would rather have an error that stated something isn't allowed.

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow the PSF Code of Conduct

Reproduce the setup.py example and trace the build_scripts step shown in the installation output, focusing on how empty script files are handled before they are copied into the build directory. Done means an empty file listed in scripts produces a clear, intentional error instead of the later missing-file failure.