ERROR: Can not perform a '--user' install. User site-packages are not visible in this virtualenv.

[guettli]

Environment data

Version: 1.49.3
Commit: 2af051012b66169dde0c4dfae3f5ef48f787ff69
Date: 2020-10-02T17:56:11.027Z
Electron: 9.2.1
Chrome: 83.0.4103.122
Node.js: 12.14.1
V8: 8.3.110.13-electron.0
OS: Linux x64 5.4.0-48-generic snap

Steps to reproduce:

python3 -m venv myenv
cd myenv
. bin/activate
code .

Then in vscode I get asked if I would like to install pylint. I click on "yes".

The the error happens (this code was created/executed by vscode):

guettli@yoga15:~/projects/myenv$ source /home/guettli/projects/myenv/bin/activate
(myenv) guettli@yoga15:~/projects/myenv$ /home/guettli/projects/myenv/bin/python /home/guettli/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2020.9.114305/pythonFiles/pyvsc-run-isolated.py pip install -U pylint --user
ERROR: Can not perform a '--user' install. User site-packages are not visible in this virtualenv.

Expected behaviour

Since the interpreter is in a virtualenv, it would make sense to avoid --user.

[karthiknadig]

I can repro this.

[jkirk]

As described in vscode#43347 setting python.globalModuleInstallation": true (Python: Global Module Installation) works for me as workaround.

[guettli]

Pip can install software in three different ways:

1. At global level. I would avoid it
2. At user level
3. At virtualenv level. This is (at least for me) the preferred one.

I don't think "python.globalModuleInstallation": true is a good solution.

Virtualenv is great, and disk space is cheap.

[kevr]

Pip can install software in three different ways:

1. At global level. I would avoid it

2. At user level

3. At virtualenv level. This is (at least for me) the preferred one.

I don't think "python.globalModuleInstallation": true is a good solution.

Virtualenv is great, and disk space is cheap.

It can install in two ways: global or at the user level. It's just that virtualenvs put you in a new root for python, so you end up installing globally. However, it would be nice if it was detected that the user was using a virtualenv, with modifiable flags, so we could change the default value of that parameter depending on the case.

[jwalahe]

#14327
I was trying to upgrade 'pip' in my virtual environment. I got the same error.

One quick fix is :

1. Go to the pyvenv.cfg file in the Virtual environment folder
2. Set the include-system-site-packages to true and save the change
3. Reactivate the virtual environment.
   This should work!

[jeffmaddocks]

#14327
I was trying to upgrade 'pip' in my virtual environment. I got the same error.

One quick fix is :

1. Go to the `pyvenv.cfg` file in the Virtual environment folder

2. Set the `include-system-site-packages` to `true` and save the change

3. Reactivate the virtual environment.
   This should work!

worked perfectly for me, thanks!

[medo962006]

#14327
I was trying to upgrade 'pip' in my virtual environment. I got the same error.

One quick fix is :

1. Go to the `pyvenv.cfg` file in the Virtual environment folder

2. Set the `include-system-site-packages` to `true` and save the change

3. Reactivate the virtual environment.
   This should work!

worked perfectly for me, thanks!

'Great!

[ucaslyy]

Pip can install software in three different ways:

1. At global level. I would avoid it

2. At user level

3. At virtualenv level. This is (at least for me) the preferred one.

I don't think "python.globalModuleInstallation": true is a good solution.
Virtualenv is great, and disk space is cheap.

It can install in two ways: global or at the user level. It's just that virtualenvs put you in a new root for python, so you end up installing globally. However, it would be nice if it was detected that the user was using a virtualenv, with modifiable flags, so we could change the default value of that parameter depending on the case.

Great! It works properly. thanks！

[JReeGene]

#14327
I was trying to upgrade 'pip' in my virtual environment. I got the same error.

One quick fix is :

1. Go to the `pyvenv.cfg` file in the Virtual environment folder

2. Set the `include-system-site-packages` to `true` and save the change

3. Reactivate the virtual environment.
   This should work!

worked perfectly for me, thanks!

This also worked for me. Thanks a lot!

[m666m]

same problem in my vscode 1.47.3，pylance。
use “ pip install xxx ” successed。

In virtualenv, don't use "pip install xxx --user"

[bitsnaps]

#14327
I was trying to upgrade 'pip' in my virtual environment. I got the same error.

One quick fix is :

1. Go to the pyvenv.cfg file in the Virtual environment folder
2. Set the include-system-site-packages to true and save the change
3. Reactivate the virtual environment.
   This should work!

It didn't work for me!
I was trying to git commit -m "..." using python v3.8.11 and cloud vscode.

[PrayogaBoedihartoyo]

#14327 I was trying to upgrade 'pip' in my virtual environment. I got the same error.

One quick fix is :

1. Go to the `pyvenv.cfg` file in the Virtual environment folder

2. Set the `include-system-site-packages` to `true` and save the change

3. Reactivate the virtual environment.
   This should work!

this work for me. .
thanks

[rashidmahmoodsyed]

For me, it was the python version issue. I was using using a version not supported by Pycaret yet. I created a clean new virtual env using supported Pycaret and it worked right away

[Guemann-ui]

Just run cmd as administrator

[ferneyvanegas]

#14327 I was trying to upgrade 'pip' in my virtual environment. I got the same error.

One quick fix is :

1. Go to the pyvenv.cfg file in the Virtual environment folder
2. Set the include-system-site-packages to true and save the change
3. Reactivate the virtual environment.
   This should work!

It works perfect for me! Thanks!!

[dishang-trilogy]

#14327 I was trying to upgrade 'pip' in my virtual environment. I got the same error.

One quick fix is :

1. Go to the pyvenv.cfg file in the Virtual environment folder
2. Set the include-system-site-packages to true and save the change
3. Reactivate the virtual environment.
   This should work!

How do you freeze it after the install?

pip install -r requirements.txt
pip freeze

The freeze is not picking up the packages from requirements.txt

[TahirMurtaza]

@guettli Using sudo before command fixes the issue:
sudo pip install package-name

[guettli]

@guettli Using sudo before command fixes the issue: sudo pip install package-name

thank you for trying to help. In this case I have a conrete goal.

At the top of this issue:

python3 -m venv myenv
cd myenv
. bin/activate
code .

I want packages to get installed in my virtualenv, not at root-level via sudo.