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Pyenv

1. Prerequisites

Ensure Homebrew is installed:

brew --version

If not installed:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

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2. Install pyenv via Homebrew

brew update
brew install pyenv

Verify installation:

pyenv --version

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3. Configure Shell Environment

You must initialize pyenv in your shell startup file.

For zsh (default on modern macOS)

Edit ~/.zshrc:

nano ~/.zshrc

Add at the end:

export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"
export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"

eval "$(pyenv init --path)"
eval "$(pyenv init -)"

Apply changes:

source ~/.zshrc

For bash

Edit ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile:

export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"
export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"

eval "$(pyenv init --path)"
eval "$(pyenv init -)"

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4. Install Python Build Dependencies (Important)

macOS requires additional libraries to compile Python properly:

brew install openssl readline sqlite3 xz zlib tcl-tk

For Apple Silicon, also run:

export LDFLAGS="-L$(brew --prefix openssl)/lib"
export CPPFLAGS="-I$(brew --prefix openssl)/include"

(You may add these exports to your shell config if needed.)

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5. Install a Python Version

List available versions:

pyenv install --list

Install a specific version (example):

pyenv install 3.11.9

Set it globally:

pyenv global 3.11.9

Or per project:

cd your-project
pyenv local 3.11.9

Verify:

python --version
which python

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6. Optional: pyenv-virtualenv (Highly Recommended)

brew install pyenv-virtualenv

Add to ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(pyenv virtualenv-init -)"

Create a virtualenv:

pyenv virtualenv 3.11.9 myenv
pyenv activate myenv

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7. Common Troubleshooting

pyenv not found after install

brew --prefix pyenv
echo $PATH

Ensure ~/.pyenv/bin is before system Python in PATH.

Python build fails

xcode-select --install

Conflicts with Conda

If you use Conda, do not auto-activate base:

conda config --set auto_activate_base false

Restart terminal.

Deactivate

source deactivate

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Summary (Quick Install)

brew install pyenv
brew install openssl readline sqlite3 xz zlib tcl-tk

echo 'export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'eval "$(pyenv init --path)"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'eval "$(pyenv init -)"' >> ~/.zshrc

source ~/.zshrc
pyenv install 3.11.9
pyenv global 3.11.9

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