# ERROR: Cannot uninstall 'pkg'. It is a distutils installed project and thus we cannot accurately determine which files belong to it which would lead to only a partial uninstall.

- **ID:** `python/pip-cannot-uninstall`
- **Domain:** python
- **Category:** system_error
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 80%

## Root Cause

The package was installed with distutils (or old setup.py install), and pip cannot track its files for clean removal.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| 3.5 | active | — | — |
| 3.6 | active | — | — |
| 3.7 | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **** (80% success)
   ```
   pip install --ignore-installed pkg
   ```
2. **** (70% success)
   ```
   rm -rf /path/to/site-packages/pkg* /path/to/site-packages/pkg-*.egg-info
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — Pip doesn't have a --force uninstall; it will still fail. (90% fail)
- **** — Risky and may leave residual files. (40% fail)