Python 3.13 Support: MediaPipe Fails to Build and No Wheels Available

[abhiikxiusongit]

🚀 Overview

MediaPipe currently does not provide pre-built wheels for Python 3.13, and attempting to build from source results in multiple errors related to Bazel, pybind11, and ABI changes introduced in CPython 3.13.

I am trying to contribute and help make MediaPipe compatible with Python 3.13, but the build fails consistently on Windows 11.

This issue summarizes the exact environment, steps, errors, and possible fixes.

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🖥️ Environment

• OS: Windows 11 (64-bit)
• Python Version: 3.13.5
• MediaPipe Version: 0.10.x (latest main branch)
• Bazel/Bazelisk Version: Latest (auto-managed by Bazelisk)
• Compiler: MSVC (Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022)
• CMake: Installed
• pip packages: numpy, protobuf, opencv-python, pybind11 (latest)

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📦 Steps to Reproduce

1. Clone the repo:

   git clone https://github.com/google/mediapipe
   cd mediapipe

2. Set Python 3.13 paths:

   set PYTHON_BIN_PATH=C:\Path\To\Python313\python.exe
   set PYTHON_LIB_PATH=C:\Path\To\Python313\Lib\site-packages

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install --upgrade numpy protobuf opencv-python pybind11

4. Run Bazel build:

   bazel build -c opt mediapipe/python:mediapipe

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❌ Actual Behavior

Build fails with errors such as:

• pybind11 internal API mismatch with CPython 3.13
• ABI-breaking changes in Python header files
• Bazel C++ toolchain incompatibility
• Missing or incompatible build rules for Python 3.13

Since Python 3.13 made notable changes to the interpreter API, C-extension build failures are expected.

I can provide full logs if needed.

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✔️ Expected Behavior

• MediaPipe should compile successfully against Python 3.13
• OR provide official wheels on PyPI (cp313)
• OR provide guidance on required patches

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🙋 Contribution Offer

I am actively trying to build a working wheel for Python 3.13 and am willing to:

• Submit patches
• Test builds
• Help update Bazel rules
• Help document Python 3.13 migration

Any guidance from maintainers about the correct approach would be extremely helpful.

I will also provide a GitHub repository containing:

• Full build logs
• Applied patches
• Custom wheel
• Demo script

---

📝 Additional Notes

Python 3.13 will become a widely adopted version soon, and MediaPipe is used heavily in academic and production contexts. Adding compatibility early will prevent user issues when 3.13 becomes default.

Thank you for considering this!

[HarishPermal]

Hi @abhiikxiusongit ,

Thanks for reaching out and for the detailed environment info. We are currently tracking Python 3.13 support in issue #5708.

I'll close this one as a duplicate so we can keep the conversation in one place. Please feel free to post your build logs and contribution offers on the original thread

[google-ml-butler]

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