`pip config set` causes error when PIP_CONFIG_FILE="/dev/null"

[Toldry]

Description

Run:

export PIP_CONFIG_FILE="/dev/null"
pip config set global.foo bar

Causes error:

ERROR: Fatal Internal error [id=2]. Please report as a bug.

Expected behavior

Should give a more meaningful error message such as "Cannot set configuration variables when PIP_CONFIG_FILE="/dev/null".

pip version

23.0.1

Python version

3.9.2

OS

MacOS

How to Reproduce

export PIP_CONFIG_FILE="/dev/null"
pip config set global.foo bar

Output

ERROR: Fatal Internal error [id=2]. Please report as a bug.

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow the PSF Code of Conduct.

[B1n4ryR41nb0w]

@Toldry, are you working on this? Can I pick this up?

[Toldry]

@murluki I'm not working on this, I just reported it

[xRokco]

I get the same with any value for PIP_CONFIG_FILE. Does this feature just not work at all?
pip 24, python 3.11.4 on MacOS (or within a container running the official Python 3.11 Docker image)

PIP_CONFIG_FILE=pip.conf pip3 config set global.extra-index-url test
ERROR: Fatal Internal error [id=2]. Please report as a bug.

[notatallshaw]

PIP_CONFIG_FILE=pip.conf pip3 config set global.extra-index-url test

That doesn't look like a real file path, there should probably be a better error, but it looks like you're supplying invalid data.

[xRokco]

That doesn't look like a real file path

In what way does it not look like a real file path?

Do you prefer this?

➜ PIP_CONFIG_FILE=/Users/username/pip.conf pip config set global.extra-index-url test
ERROR: Fatal Internal error [id=2]. Please report as a bug.

[notatallshaw]

From your orriginal message I thought you were saying the value of PIP_CONFIG_FILE is pip.conf pip3 config set global.extra-index-url test. Now I understand that was your entire shell command.

I'm able to produce the same error my pointing PIP_CONFIG_FILE to an empty pip.conf, this seems to be the same error as described here: #11700 (comment)

Workaround appears to be use PIP_CONFIG.

[xRokco]

PIP_CONFIG is just completely ignored by pip. I can't find any reference to it in any docs, so I guess pip isn't looking for it at all. May as well be setting the env var FOO_BAR. I believe that comment is mistaken.

➜ cat pip.conf      

~ using ☁️ bastion-sso via 🐍 system 
➜ PIP_CONFIG=pip.conf pip config set global.extra-index-url test                        
Writing to /Users/username/.config/pip/pip.conf

~ using ☁️ bastion-sso via 🐍 system 
➜ cat pip.conf 

~ using ☁️ bastion-sso via 🐍 system 
➜ cat ~/.config/pip/pip.conf
[global]
extra-index-url = test

[notatallshaw]

Oh yeah, you're right, I misread the output.

[kennethd-uh]

I've just run into this as well:

$ PIP_CONFIG_FILE=~/.pip/pip.conf pip config --user set global.keyring-provider subprocess
ERROR: Fatal Internal error [id=2]. Please report as a bug.
$ cat ~/.pip/pip.conf 
[global]
index-url = http://localhost:8080/root/pypi/+simple/

$ ls -l ~/.pip/pip.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 kenneth kenneth 63 Apr 18 21:05 /home/kenneth/.pip/pip.conf

strace looks like it is failing @ write:

geteuid()                               = 1000
access("/home/kenneth/.cache/pip", W_OK) = 0
newfstatat(AT_FDCWD, "/home/kenneth/.pip/pip.conf", {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=63, ...}, 0) = 0
getpid()                                = 1274847
ioctl(2, TCGETS, {c_iflag=ICRNL|IXON|IUTF8, c_oflag=NL0|CR0|TAB0|BS0|VT0|FF0|OPOST|ONLCR, c_cflag=B38400|CS8|CREAD, c_lflag=ISIG|ICANON|ECHO|ECHOE|ECHOK|IEXTEN|ECHOCTL|ECHOKE, ...}) = 0
ioctl(0, TIOCGWINSZ, {ws_row=51, ws_col=211, ws_xpixel=0, ws_ypixel=0}) = 0
ioctl(2, TCGETS, {c_iflag=ICRNL|IXON|IUTF8, c_oflag=NL0|CR0|TAB0|BS0|VT0|FF0|OPOST|ONLCR, c_cflag=B38400|CS8|CREAD, c_lflag=ISIG|ICANON|ECHO|ECHOE|ECHOK|IEXTEN|ECHOCTL|ECHOKE, ...}) = 0
ioctl(0, TIOCGWINSZ, {ws_row=51, ws_col=211, ws_xpixel=0, ws_ypixel=0}) = 0
ioctl(2, TCGETS, {c_iflag=ICRNL|IXON|IUTF8, c_oflag=NL0|CR0|TAB0|BS0|VT0|FF0|OPOST|ONLCR, c_cflag=B38400|CS8|CREAD, c_lflag=ISIG|ICANON|ECHO|ECHOE|ECHOK|IEXTEN|ECHOCTL|ECHOKE, ...}) = 0
ioctl(0, TIOCGWINSZ, {ws_row=51, ws_col=211, ws_xpixel=0, ws_ypixel=0}) = 0
ioctl(2, TCGETS, {c_iflag=ICRNL|IXON|IUTF8, c_oflag=NL0|CR0|TAB0|BS0|VT0|FF0|OPOST|ONLCR, c_cflag=B38400|CS8|CREAD, c_lflag=ISIG|ICANON|ECHO|ECHOE|ECHOK|IEXTEN|ECHOCTL|ECHOKE, ...}) = 0
ioctl(2, TCGETS, {c_iflag=ICRNL|IXON|IUTF8, c_oflag=NL0|CR0|TAB0|BS0|VT0|FF0|OPOST|ONLCR, c_cflag=B38400|CS8|CREAD, c_lflag=ISIG|ICANON|ECHO|ECHOE|ECHOK|IEXTEN|ECHOCTL|ECHOKE, ...}) = 0
write(2, "\33[31mERROR: Fatal Internal error"..., 78ERROR: Fatal Internal error [id=2]. Please report as a bug.
) = 78
rt_sigaction(SIGINT, {sa_handler=SIG_DFL, sa_mask=[], sa_flags=SA_RESTORER|SA_ONSTACK, sa_restorer=0x7fb29201a050}, {sa_handler=0x678c70, sa_mask=[], sa_flags=SA_RESTORER|SA_ONSTACK, sa_restorer=0x7fb29201a050}, 8) = 0

[ichard26]

PRs welcome to improve the error reporting to clearly state what went wrong (insufficient write permissions or writing is straight up not allowed for X path).