python module_error ai_generated true

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'

ID: python/setuptools-missing-distutils

Also available as: JSON · Markdown · 中文
80%Fix Rate
88%Confidence
0Evidence
2024-04-02First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
3.12 active — — —
3.13 active — — —

Root Cause

Python 3.12 removed the stdlib distutils module. Packages or setup.py scripts that import distutils (directly or via old setuptools) fail unless setuptools provides the distutils shim.

generic

中文

Python 3.12 移除了标准库 distutils 模块。直接导入 distutils（或经由旧版 setuptools）的包或 setup.py 会失败，除非 setuptools 提供 distutils 兼容层。

Workarounds

  1. 85% success 
    pip install --upgrade 'setuptools>=68'
# setuptools injects a distutils shim via SETUPTOOLS_USE_DISTUTILS=local
  2. 70% success 
    export SETUPTOOLS_USE_DISTUTILS=local
pip install <pkg>
  3. 78% success 
    pyenv install 3.11.9 && pyenv local 3.11.9
pip install <pkg>

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. 95% fail

    distutils was a stdlib module, never a PyPI package; the install fails.

  2. 95% fail

    No such distribution exists.

  3. 80% fail

    Very old setuptools is incompatible with Python 3.12 in other ways.