---
id: standard-distutils
version: "3.11.9"
license: PSF-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# standard-distutils — Standard library distutils redistribution. "dead battery".

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 188.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

This package redistributes the distutils module, which Python removed from its standard library as part of PEP 594 ("Removing dead batteries from the standard library"). It allows projects that still depend on distutils to install it as a third-party package rather than being forced to migrate to setuptools or other build tools.

The package contains a minimal, archive-focused implementation with no active feature development. It is intended as a compatibility shim for legacy codebases, not as a long-term replacement for modern Python packaging tools. The maintainer explicitly discourages feature requests and recommends that users seek actively maintained alternatives if they need more than basic compatibility.

Use it for:

- Maintain legacy projects that import distutils without immediately migrating to setuptools or modern packaging tools
- Provide temporary compatibility for older codebases during a gradual transition away from distutils
- Support continuous integration pipelines that run on Python versions before distutils was removed

## Worth the install?

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

Provides the distutils module from Python's standard library as an installable package for projects that still depend on it after its removal from the standard library.

Yes, but only as a temporary bridge for legacy code. Install it if you have a project that still imports distutils and you cannot immediately migrate to setuptools or another build tool. Do not rely on it for new projects or expect it to receive updates—the package is dormant and explicitly does not work on Python 3.13. Plan a migration away from distutils as part of your upgrade path.

## Install

pip install standard-distutils
uv add standard-distutils
poetry add standard-distutils

## Installing standard-distutils

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. However, the package is dormant (last release 653 days ago) and explicitly marked as not working on Python 3.13, which limits its forward compatibility.

License in practice: Licensed under PSF-2.0 (permissive), the same license as Python itself, so there are no licensing barriers to use.

Quickstart:

pip install standard-distutils

import distutils.core
setup = distutils.core.setup

Does not work on Python 3.13; intended for Python 3.11–3.12 only.

Verify before relying:

- Whether this package works reliably on Python versions between 3.11 and 3.12, or only on specific minor versions
- What specific compatibility issues exist on Python 3.13 and whether they are fixable

## Package facts

- License: PSF-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 188.5K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

distutils redistribution, removed stdlib module, dead battery package, distutils backport, python standard library archive, legacy-support, stdlib-archive

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