# Linux distro patches to \`sysconfig\` are changing \`pip install --prefix\` outside virtual environments

**URL:** <https://discuss.python.org/t/linux-distro-patches-to-sysconfig-are-changing-pip-install-prefix-outside-virtual-environments/18240>\
**Category:** Packaging\
**Created:** [August 15, 2022, 6:53pm UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/linux-distro-patches-to-sysconfig-are-changing-pip-install-prefix-outside-virtual-environments/18240 "2022-08-15T18:53:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 28

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**Author:** ![FFY00](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discuss.python.org/ffy00/32/4007_2.png) [@FFY00](https://discuss.python.org/u/FFY00)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/linux-distro-patches-to-sysconfig-are-changing-pip-install-prefix-outside-virtual-environments/18240/28 "2023-04-04T15:16:40Z")

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I think it’s not only `sysconfig`, but the `site` initialization too. We are aware of the issue, and working on it. Here are some of the relevant CPython issues:

- [Allow Python distributors to add custom site install schemes · Issue #88142 · python/cpython · GitHub](https://github.com/python/cpython/issues/88142)
- [Make the interpreter paths initialization more consistent · Issue #98947 · python/cpython · GitHub](https://github.com/python/cpython/issues/98947)

Some related good news, I got some time from $dayjob to work on the new sysconfig API proposal (rough initial draft: [sysconfig-build-compilation.md · GitHub](https://gist.github.com/FFY00/a77e7235716089bcb31c2a8e54d838ba)). While that doesn’t necessarily fix the issue at hand, I think it will make that much easier, by taking this use-case in account in the API design.

Note: I didn’t read the whole thread, only skimmed it, so it is possible I have missed something.

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_[View the full topic](https://discuss.python.org/t/linux-distro-patches-to-sysconfig-are-changing-pip-install-prefix-outside-virtual-environments/18240)._