# ERROR: This package requires pip version 21.0 or higher, but you have 20.0.2

- **ID:** `python/pip-install-error-requires-pip-version`
- **Domain:** python
- **Category:** install_error
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 80%

## Root Cause

The package uses a pyproject.toml with build-system requirements that specify a minimum pip version, and the installed pip is too old to understand the metadata format.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| 3.7 | active | — | — |
| 3.8 | active | — | — |
| 3.9 | active | — | — |
| 3.10 | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **** (98% success)
   ```
   Upgrade pip: python -m pip install --upgrade pip.
   ```
2. **** (90% success)
   ```
   If upgrade fails due to permissions, use --user: python -m pip install --user --upgrade pip.
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — Old pip cannot parse the pyproject.toml correctly, leading to build failures. (85% fail)
- **** — Requires downloading and modifying the package, and may still fail due to other incompatibilities. (75% fail)