pkgconfig

library1.6.0pypypi✓ verified 24d ago

pkgconfig is a Python library that provides a simple interface to the `pkg-config` command-line tool. It allows Python applications to query installed libraries for their build flags (Cflags, Libs) and version information, making it easier to build and link against external C/C++ libraries. The current version is 1.6.0, and it has an infrequent release cadence, typically releasing new versions only when significant updates or fixes are needed.

devops serialization

pip install pkgconfig

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · PKGCONFIG

pkgconfig

devopspythonv1.6.0

Install

1.6s avg

Import

16ms

Disk

16MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v1.6.0 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.016s · 17.8MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 1.6s · import 0.016s · 18MB

16MB installed

● package 16MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

pkgconfig

✓ import pkgconfig

This quickstart demonstrates how to check for a package's existence, retrieve its CFLAGS and LIBS, get its version, and parse all available information into a dictionary using `pkgconfig.parse().`

import pkgconfig # Check if a package exists if pkgconfig.exists('glib-2.0'): print('glib-2.0 is installed.') # Get CFLAGS for compilation cflags = pkgconfig.cflags('glib-2.0') print(f'CFlags: {cflags}') # Get LIBS for linking libs = pkgconfig.libs('glib-2.0') print(f'Libs: {libs}') # Get the package version version = pkgconfig.modversion('glib-2.0') print(f'Version: {version}') # Parse all information into a dictionary parsed_info = pkgconfig.parse('glib-2.0') print(f'Parsed Info: {parsed_info}') else: print('glib-2.0 is not installed or not found by pkg-config.') # Example with a non-existent package to show handling if not pkgconfig.exists('nonexistent-library-xyz'): print('nonexistent-library-xyz is not found, as expected.')

Debug

Known issues

gotchaThe Python `pkgconfig` library is a wrapper around the system's `pkg-config` command-line tool. It requires the `pkg-config` executable to be installed and available in the system's PATH. This library does not install `pkg-config` itself.

fix

Ensure that the `pkg-config` command-line tool is installed on your operating system (e.g., `sudo apt install pkg-config` on Debian/Ubuntu, `brew install pkg-config` on macOS, or via MSYS2/MinGW on Windows).

affects: All versions

gotchaThis library only reads existing `.pc` files that `pkg-config` knows about. It does not provide functionality to install new `.pc` files or manage `pkg-config` package definitions. Its purpose is solely to query system-level `pkg-config` data.

fix

If you need to define new packages for `pkg-config` to find, you must manually create and place `.pc` files in a directory included in `PKG_CONFIG_PATH`.

affects: All versions

deprecatedThe `pkgconfig.VARIABLES` attribute was removed in version 1.4.0. To access package variables, use the `pkgconfig.parse()` function and retrieve them from the returned dictionary via the `'Variables'` key (e.g., `pkgconfig.parse('foobar')['Variables']`).

fix

Replace calls to `pkgconfig.VARIABLES` with `pkgconfig.parse('your_package')['Variables']`.

affects: >=1.4.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pkgconfig'

The Python 'pkgconfig' library has not been installed in the current Python environment.

fix

pip install pkgconfig

pkg-config probably not installed: FileNotFoundError(2, 'No such file or directory') (or similar messages like '/bin/sh: pkg-config: not found')

The underlying 'pkg-config' command-line tool, which the Python 'pkgconfig' library wraps, is not installed on the system or is not accessible in the system's PATH.

fix

Install the 'pkg-config' command-line tool using your system's package manager (e.g., 'sudo apt install pkg-config' for Debian/Ubuntu, 'sudo yum install pkgconfig' for RedHat/CentOS, 'brew install pkg-config' for macOS).

Package <some_package> was not found in the pkg-config search path. Perhaps you should add the directory containing `<some_package>.pc' to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable

The 'pkg-config' command-line tool is installed, but it cannot locate the '.pc' file for the specified library, often because the directory containing the '.pc' file is not included in the 'PKG_CONFIG_PATH' environment variable.

fix

Set the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable to include the directory where the '.pc' file for the missing package is located (e.g., 'export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/path/to/lib/pkgconfig:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH').

'pkg-config' is required to install this package

This error occurs during the installation of another Python package that has a build dependency on the 'pkg-config' command-line tool, but 'pkg-config' is not available on the system.

fix

Install the 'pkg-config' command-line tool using your system's package manager (e.g., 'sudo apt install pkg-config') before attempting to install the Python package again.

Upgrade

Version history

1.6.0latest on PyPI · released Mar 6, 2026

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

5 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/matze/pkgconfig ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/pkgconfig/ ↗