# ERROR: Invalid version: '1.0.0-beta' - Must start with a number

- **ID:** `python/packaging-version-parsing-failure`
- **Domain:** python
- **Category:** data_error
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 80%

## Root Cause

The version string does not conform to PEP 440, e.g., using non-numeric prerelease tags.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| 3.8 | active | — | — |
| 3.9 | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Use a valid PEP 440 version string** (95% success)
   ```
   Change to '1.0.0b1' or '1.0.0-beta.1' (but '1.0.0b1' is preferred).
   ```
2. **Use packaging.version.Version with a corrected string** (95% success)
   ```
   Run: from packaging.version import Version; v = Version('1.0.0b1')
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **Adding a leading 'v' like 'v1.0.0-beta'** — PEP 440 requires versions to start with a digit, not a letter. (90% fail)
- **Using underscores instead of dashes** — Underscores are not valid separators in PEP 440 versions. (80% fail)