---
id: patchelf-wrapper
version: "1.2.0"
license: BSD
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# patchelf-wrapper — A wrapper for patchelf

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 1.2M/mo

## What it is and what it does

patchelf-wrapper is a Python package that automates the installation of patchelf 0.11, a utility for modifying ELF binaries. It's designed for Python projects that need patchelf as a build dependency and want to avoid requiring end-users to install it via their OS package manager. The wrapper provides setup commands to check, build, and install patchelf into a project's environment.

The package has no runtime dependencies and installs patchelf by downloading and compiling its source during the installation process. It's intended only for developers packaging Python tools that depend on patchelf, not for end-users of patchelf itself. The repository is archived and has not been updated since 2022-01-19, making it a legacy tool for older projects.

Use it for:

- Packaging a Python tool that modifies ELF binaries and needs patchelf available at build time without requiring users to install system packages.
- Automating CI/CD pipelines where patchelf must be available but system package managers are not available or not preferred.
- Building Python wheels that depend on patchelf functionality for binary patching during the build process.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides a Python wrapper that downloads and builds patchelf 0.11 for projects that need it as a build-time dependency, rather than relying on system package managers.

No. The project is abandoned (last release 2020-07-04, repository archived), installs only patchelf 0.11 which is likely outdated, and requires a C compiler and build tools for every installation. For new projects, use your OS package manager or a modern build tool. For existing projects already using this package, consider migrating to a maintained alternative or installing patchelf directly via your system's package manager.

## Install

pip install patchelf-wrapper
uv add patchelf-wrapper
poetry add patchelf-wrapper

## Installing patchelf-wrapper

Before you install: High install friction: the package builds patchelf from source as part of installation. Repository is archived and last updated 2022-01-19, with no releases since 2020-07-04; maintenance is abandoned.

License in practice: Licensed under BSD (permissive), so no restrictions on use. Note that patchelf itself, which this wrapper installs, is licensed under GPL, version 3.

Quickstart:

# In setup.py or requirements.txt:
# patchelf-wrapper==1.2.0

# Or install directly:
# pip install patchelf-wrapper

# Then use in your build setup:
from patchelf_wrapper import build_patchelf

Requires a C compiler and build tools to compile patchelf from source during installation; only supports Linux (POSIX).

Verify before relying:

- Whether patchelf 0.11 remains compatible with modern Linux distributions and Python versions.
- Whether the GPL v3 license of patchelf creates compliance obligations for downstream projects.
- Current state of the upstream patchelf project and whether 0.11 is still maintained.

## Package facts

- License: BSD (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 1.2M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

patchelf installation wrapper, patchelf python package, build patchelf from source, patchelf dependency management, install patchelf programmatically, archived, legacy-build-tool

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