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macOS venv creation via copy fails #707
Description
❯ python3.13 -m venv --copies venv --clear
Error: Command '['/Users/bgabor8/git/github/virtualenv/venv/bin/python3.13', '-m', 'ensurepip', '--upgrade', '--default-pip']' died with <Signals.SIGABRT: 6>.
❯ venv/bin/python
dyld[94922]: Library not loaded: @executable_path/../lib/libpython3.13.dylib
Referenced from: <4C4C4407-5555-3144-A1FE-AA5FDFE2B24E> /Users/bgabor8/git/github/virtualenv/venv/bin/python
Reason: tried: '/Users/bgabor8/git/github/virtualenv/venv/lib/libpython3.13.dylib' (no such file)
fish: Job 1, 'venv/bin/python' terminated by signal SIGABRT (Abort)
Only happens on macOS, not Linux and Windows. Works when using symlink mode, unclear if related to #381
(This breaks the virtualenv test suite at https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/actions/runs/16404089042/job/46347551787?pr=2904)
Activity
geofft commentedon Jul 23, 2025
I think this is indeed the same as #381, we're currently linking libpython statically on Linux but not macOS (#636).
But I think this is genuinely a bug in virtualenv and venv: if run against an interpreter that dynamically links libpython,
--copiesneeds to copy libpython, or runpatchelf/install_name_toolor equivalent, or not exist. Note that Apple chose the last option for their builds of Python.gaborbernat commentedon Sep 23, 2026
Closing, as the fix belongs in virtualenv and venv rather than here. Thanks for tracking it down.