How do I install `stashapp-tools` on Manjaro Linux?

[Early-Reflection-291]

I’m trying to install the stashapp-tools Python package on Manjaro Linux and running into trouble. Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

• Using pip install --user stashapp-tools gives me an error about an “externally-managed-environment,” and advises using pacman -S or a virtual environment instead.

❯ pip install --user stashapp-tools
error: externally-managed-environment

× This environment is externally managed
╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try 'pacman -S
    python-xyz', where xyz is the package you are trying to
    install.

    If you wish to install a non-Arch-packaged Python package,
    create a virtual environment using 'python -m venv path/to/venv'.
    Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip.

    If you wish to install a non-Arch packaged Python application,
    it may be easiest to use 'pipx install xyz', which will manage a
    virtual environment for you. Make sure you have python-pipx
    installed via pacman.

note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.

• I tried pipx install stashapp-tools, but it says “No apps associated with package stashapp-tools,” and suggests that pipx is for apps, not libraries.

❯ pipx install stashapp-tools
Note: Dependent package 'charset-normalizer' contains 1 apps
  - normalizer

No apps associated with package stashapp-tools. Try again with '--include-deps' to include apps of dependent packages,
which are listed above. If you are attempting to install a library, pipx should not be used. Consider using pip or a
similar tool instead.

• Running pipx install stashapp-tools --include-deps seems to install a binary called normalizer, but not anything for stashapp-tools itself.

❯ pipx install stashapp-tools --include-deps
⚠️  Note: normalizer was already on your PATH at /usr/bin/normalizer
  installed package stashapp-tools 0.2.58, installed using Python 3.13.5
  These apps are now globally available
    - normalizer
done! ✨ 🌟 ✨

What’s the recommended way to install and use stashapp-tools on Manjaro?

• Should I just use pip install --user stashapp-tools --break-system-packages?
• Is there a better way to set this up (system package, virtualenv, pipx, etc.) to avoid conflicts or issues in the future?
• If you’ve done this successfully, could you post the exact steps you used?

Thanks!

[feederbox826]

venvs are tricky, set up venv and point your stash python path to the python instance in your venv, that binary will then resolve dependencies in that venv.

I use a modified uv install but you can find instructions for other people’s setups for venv in the discord