uv pip install --target flags says to add --system

[PatrickAlphaC]

Running the following:

uv pip install requests --target ./

Results in:

error: No virtual environment found; run `uv venv` to create an environment, or pass `--system` to install into a non-virtual environment

However, I think this is incorrect. I am giving the pip install a target so it shouldn't want to be installed with --system?

[ReinforcedKnowledge]

If I may add on your issue:

uv init --package try_pip_install_target
cd try_pip_install_target
uv add numpy
cd ..
uv pip install --target try_pip_install_target requests

Gives the same error.

error: No virtual environment found; run `uv venv` to create an environment, or pass `--system` to install into a non-virtual environment

But:

cd try_pip_install_target
uv pip install --target ./ requests

Works.

So doing uv pip install --target <target-path> where <target-path> is a sub-directory or unrelated directory won't work even if that directory contains a venv. But doing it inside a directory that contains a venv works.

So either the command was not designed to mirror pip install and in that case maybe the documentation is not clear enough, and I guess in that case, probably, this is a command made for workspaces.

Or it was designed to mirror pip install but doesn't work correctly.

Or I'm misunderstanding some subtle detail 😅

[charliermarsh]

I need to refresh my memory here, but I agree that at minimum it's confusing.

[charliermarsh]

This has come up enough times that I'll look into changing it:

• Why is a venv needed when doing uv pip install --target ? #3348
• uv pip install --target inconsistencies #6198