marty@Marty-PC:~/git/exllama$ pip install numpy
error: externally-managed-environment

× This environment is externally managed
╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install
    python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to
    install.
    
    If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,
    create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.
    Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make
    sure you have python3-full installed.
    
    If you wish to install a non-Debian packaged Python application,
    it may be easiest to use pipx install xyz, which will manage a
    virtual environment for you. Make sure you have pipx installed.
    
    See /usr/share/doc/python3.12/README.venv for more information.

note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.

I get this error every time I try install any kind of python package. So far, I always just used the --break-system-packages flag, but that seems, well, rather unsafe and breaking.

To this day, I see newly written guides, specifically for Linux, which don’t point out this behaviour. They just say [...] And then install this python package with 'pip install numpy'

Is this something specific to my system, or is this a global thing?

  • treadfulEnglish
    1·
    7 hours ago

    If you want access to it at system-level, you can use pip install --user .... If you run scripts as your user it’ll be as if it was installed as a system package.

    Only use that if it’s something you use to manage your system. If you’re using this as a development environment, use venvs.