pip list --outdated throws an AssertionError

[nvie]

When I run pip list --outdated, I get this:

$ pip list --outdated
Exception:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/Users/nvie/.virtualenvs/foo/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/basecommand.py", line 122, in main
    status = self.run(options, args)
  File "/Users/nvie/.virtualenvs/foo/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/commands/list.py", line 74, in run
    self.run_outdated(options)
  File "/Users/nvie/.virtualenvs/foo/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/commands/list.py", line 83, in run_outdated
    for dist, remote_version_raw, remote_version_parsed in self.find_packages_latests_versions(options):
  File "/Users/nvie/.virtualenvs/foo/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/commands/list.py", line 119, in find_packages_latests_versions
    installed_packages = get_installed_distributions(local_only=options.local, include_editables=False, skip=self.skip)
  File "/Users/nvie/.virtualenvs/foo/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/util.py", line 387, in get_installed_distributions
    and editable_test(d)
  File "/Users/nvie/.virtualenvs/foo/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/util.py", line 377, in <lambda>
    editable_test = lambda d: not dist_is_editable(d)
  File "/Users/nvie/.virtualenvs/foo/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/util.py", line 347, in dist_is_editable
    req = FrozenRequirement.from_dist(dist, [])
  File "/Users/nvie/.virtualenvs/foo/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/__init__.py", line 231, in from_dist
    assert len(specs) == 1 and specs[0][0] == '=='
AssertionError

I don't know where this is coming from. pip freeze just shows a list of packages as expected, no issues or weird things going on there.

What should I add to help resolve/debug this issue?

[Dapid]

I found the same issue. The error is thrown when it reaches a library intalled from a git repository.

In the log

/bin/pip run on Fri Jan  3 12:14:14 2014
Found command 'git' at '/bin/git'
Running command /bin/git config remote.origin.url
git@github.com:Dapid/pywt.git
Running command /bin/git rev-parse HEAD
5cb9b82e54698a0db9c398e1575e71f107cfcb9a

Running command /bin/git show-ref
8d99479dd20cf82612ff3efcb071b418704c1872 refs/heads/backup-master
affc30ad810ba19b7439bd477e6501644fd707eb refs/heads/fix-functions
... [other blobs]
Exception:

[dstufft]

Is this new in 1.5 or did it occur in 1.4 as well?

[nvie]

I just confirmed this also occurs on pip 1.4.

[andrewgross]

I saw a similar issue with pip freeze on older pip versions pip 1.1 and 1.4. I resolved my issue by locking setuptools to =<7.0.

[xavfernandez]

Certainly a #1093 duplicate, could be closed.