python / python/cpython

ensurepip has no --break-system-packages option

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#118,384 21 comments 2 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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stdlib topic-ensurepip type-bug
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Bug report

Bug description:
$ python3 -m ensurepip --upgrade                                                                                                                                                                                   
error: externally-managed-environment
...
You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.
$ python3 -m ensurepip --upgrade --break-system-packages
python -m ensurepip: error: unrecognized arguments: --break-system-package

So it needs the --break-system-packages option or the error message should not tell me to use it.

CPython versions tested on:

3.12

Operating systems tested on:

Linux

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start at the python -m ensurepip entry point and inspect how its command-line arguments and externally managed environment error are handled. Find the existing ensurepip tests, then verify that --break-system-packages is accepted and that the reported guidance is consistent with the supported option.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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