python module_error ai_generated true

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils' During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred: ImportError: cannot import name 'distutils' from setuptools

ID: python/setuptools-distutils-removed

Also available as: JSON · Markdown · 中文
80%Fix Rate
89%Confidence
0Evidence
2024-01-05First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
3.12 active — — —

Root Cause

Python 3.12 removed distutils from the standard library; setuptools' shim (`setuptools._distutils`) is not active because setuptools is too old or the environment shadows it.

generic

中文

Python 3.12 从标准库中移除了 distutils；由于 setuptools 过旧或环境遮蔽，setuptools 的垫片（setuptools._distutils）未生效。

Workarounds

  1. 90% success 
    Upgrade setuptools to a version that provides the distutils shim: `pip install --upgrade 'setuptools>=68'`.
  2. 70% success 
    Set the env var `SETUPTOOLS_USE_DISTUTILS=stdlib` is wrong for 3.12; instead ensure `SETUPTOOLS_USE_DISTUTILS=local` and that setuptools is imported before distutils.

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. 98% fail

    No such package exists on PyPI; distutils was bundled, not a standalone distribution.

  2. 90% fail

    Not possible without recreating the venv; the interpreter version is fixed.