Python Unknown distribution option: 'cffi_modules'

8 min read

The cffi_modules distribution option is specific to the setuptools package when using cffi to build Python packages that include C extensions. If you are encountering the error "Unknown distribution option: 'cffi_modules'", it means that the setuptools package on your system does not support this distribution option.

To resolve this issue, you have a few options:

  1. Update setuptools: Upgrade your setuptools package to the latest version. You can do this by running pip install --upgrade setuptools.

  2. Check setuptools version compatibility: Make sure that the package you are trying to install is compatible with your version of setuptools. Some packages require a specific version of setuptools or a newer version that supports the cffi_modules option.

  3. Remove cffi_modules from your setup: If you are the developer of the package and you added the cffi_modules option to your setup.py file, you can remove it. This option is used to specify additional CFFI modules that need to be built when installing the package.

Without more information about your specific setup and requirements, it's difficult to provide a more specific solution.