pypa/hatch

PEP723: Using `--system-site-packages`

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#1963 opened on Apr 28, 2025

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 (0 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (4,451 stars) (240 forks)batch import
good first issueneeds investigation

Description

This may be more general issue, but how would we define that we want the venv to have --system-site-packages passed? For hatch frontend, maybe the closest would be to add

[tool.hatch.envs.default]
system-site-packages = true

and similarly for each frontend? Would adding that be accounted for in hatch run?

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
toolingdeveloper experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of Python virtual environmentsFamiliarity with Hatch's configuration filesKnowledge of TOML format
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65
Research direction
This issue requests adding a `system site packages` configuration option for virtual environments created by Hatch. To implement, start by examining the current virtual environment creation logic in `src/hatch/env/core.py` or similar files. Look at how configuration is parsed from `pyproject.toml` under `[tool.hatch.envs.*]`. A new boolean field should be added to the environment settings and passed to the `venv` creation commands. Consider following the pattern of existing options like `pypi` or `python`. There are no linked pull requests or comments yet, so this is a good first feature to implement.