Resurrecting an old thread to cross-link a new discussion: https://discuss.python.org/t/updating-pep-376-making-record-optional-in-installed-dist-info/
Rather than adding a new file to indicate that an installation is externally managed, PEP 627 instead proposes that external management be indicated by leaving out the RECORD file from the installed dist-info directory. This actively makes life easier for system package managers, so it’s an approach they have strong incentives to adopt.