How do I use pip install version to get a specific older package?

General Discussions
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1

I’m trying to use pip install version to install MySQL_python version 1.2.2 in a fresh virtual environment (created with the --no-site-packages option).

Even though I run:

pip install MySQL_python==1.2.2

I still see MySQL_python-1.2.3-py2.6.egg-info show up in my site-packages folder.

Is this a known issue with this package, or am I missing something in how pip install version should work when targeting an older release?

Any insights would be appreciated!

2

One thing worth checking is whether an older cached wheel or .egg-info is interfering with the installation.

Even if you request 1.2.2, pip might still be picking up 1.2.3 from a cache or a dependency resolution quirk.

Try running the command with --no-cache-dir and force reinstall:

pip install --no-cache-dir --force-reinstall MySQL_python==1.2.2

Also, verify if any requirements.txt or other scripts are getting triggered after install that might be overriding your version. That tripped me up once in a clean venv too.

3

If pip keeps defaulting to 1.2.3, there’s a chance version 1.2.2 isn’t available for your Python version or platform from the default PyPI index.

You can confirm by visiting the PyPI archive for MySQL-python and checking compatibility. If it exists but pip skips it, try using the direct download URL for the source tarball:

pip install https://github.com/farcepest/MySQLdb1/releases/download/release-1.2.2/MySQL-python-1.2.2.tar.gz

That ensures you’re getting exactly what you asked for, bypassing any internal resolver guesses.