# error in mypkg setup command: 'python_requires' must be a string containing valid version specifiers; Invalid specifier: '>=3.7.*'

- **ID:** `python/setuptools-invalid-python-requires`
- **Domain:** python
- **Category:** config_error
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 80%

## Root Cause

The python_requires field uses a wildcard pattern that is not a valid PEP 440 specifier; wildcards are only allowed as '==' or '!=' prefixes.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| 3.x | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **** (98% success)
   ```
   python_requires='>=3.7,<4'
   ```
2. **** (95% success)
   ```
   python_requires='>=3.7,!=3.7.0'
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — Quoting does not change PEP 440 validation; the specifier is still invalid. (90% fail)
- **** — Allows installation on unsupported interpreters, leading to runtime SyntaxErrors. (50% fail)
- **** — Older setuptools may accept it, but modern pip rejects the metadata during install. (70% fail)