Python or pip command not found

April 30, 2026 · View on GitHub

Playbook ID: python-command-not-found Category: build Severity: medium Tags: python, pip, executable, missing, environment

What this failure means

The python or pip command is not available in the CI environment's PATH.

Common log signals

python: command not found
python3: command not found
pip: command not found
pip3: command not found
bash: python: command not found
bash: pip: command not found
/usr/bin/env: 'python': No such file or directory
/usr/bin/env: 'python3': No such file or directory

Diagnosis

The CI job tried to run python, python3, pip, or pip3 but the command was not found. This usually happens when:

  • The base image does not include Python (e.g., node:alpine, debian:slim without python3).
  • Python is installed but not in the default PATH.
  • The wrong Python version is referenced (e.g., python vs python3).
  • A virtual environment is activated but the interpreter is missing.

This is distinct from a generic missing executable because Python is a fundamental runtime for many build and test workflows.

Fix steps

  1. Install Python in the CI environment:

    Ubuntu/Debian:

    apt-get update && apt-get install -y python3 python3-pip

    Alpine:

    apk add --no-cache python3 py3-pip

    CentOS/RHEL:

    yum install -y python3 python3-pip

  2. Check the available Python executable and adjust the command:

    which python3
python3 --version

  3. Use python3 instead of python if the base image only provides python3.

  4. In GitHub Actions, use the actions/setup-python action to ensure a specific Python version:

    - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
  with:
    python-version: '3.12'

  5. If using a Docker image, switch to an image that includes Python, such as python:3.12-slim or node:20 (includes Python for node-gyp).

  6. For pip, ensure it is installed with Python or install it separately:

    python3 -m ensurepip --upgrade

Validation

  • python3 --version prints a version without "command not found".
  • pip3 --version or python3 -m pip --version shows pip is available.
  • Re‑run the failing step and confirm Python/pip commands succeed.

Likely files to inspect

  • .github/workflows/*.yml
  • .gitlab-ci.yml
  • Dockerfile
  • requirements.txt
  • pyproject.toml

Run Faultline

faultline analyze build.log
faultline explain python-command-not-found
faultline workflow build.log --json --mode agent

Search phrases this page answers

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  • /usr/bin/env: 'python3': No such file or directory
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  • faultline explain python-command-not-found
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Generated from playbooks/bundled/log/build/python-command-not-found.yaml. Do not edit directly — run make docs-generate.