No module named 'archinstall'

[Mohabdo21]

Which ISO version are you using?

2026-01-01

The installation log

No such file or directory

describe the problem

Description of the issue

I was trying to installing archlinux on a Virtual machine using Gnome Boxes 49.1-stable

Updated the cache with pacman -Sy then updated archinstall & archlinux-keyring packages

archlinux updated to 3.0.150-2
archlinux-keyring updated to 20260107-2

Virtual machine config:

<domain type="kvm">
  <name>archlinux-2</name>
  <uuid>90b01d8c-c6a1-4494-a27d-0a2dbc118a5b</uuid>
  <title>Arch Linux</title>
  <metadata>
    <boxes:gnome-boxes xmlns:boxes="https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Boxes">
      <os-state>live</os-state>
      <media-id>http://archlinux.org/archlinux/rolling:0</media-id>
      <media>/home/mohannad/Downloads/DiskImages/archlinux-2026.01.01-x86_64.iso</media>
      <num-reboots>2</num-reboots>
    </boxes:gnome-boxes>
    <libosinfo:libosinfo xmlns:libosinfo="http://libosinfo.org/xmlns/libvirt/domain/1.0">
      <libosinfo:os id="http://archlinux.org/archlinux/rolling"/>
    </libosinfo:libosinfo>
  </metadata>
  <memory unit="KiB">4194304</memory>
  <currentMemory unit="KiB">4194304</currentMemory>
  <vcpu placement="static">16</vcpu>
  <os firmware="efi">
    <type arch="x86_64" machine="pc-q35-10.1">hvm</type>
    <firmware>
      <feature enabled="yes" name="enrolled-keys"/>
      <feature enabled="yes" name="secure-boot"/>
    </firmware>
    <loader readonly="yes" secure="yes" type="pflash" format="qcow2">/usr/share/edk2/ovmf/OVMF_CODE_4M.secboot.qcow2</loader>
    <nvram template="/usr/share/edk2/ovmf/OVMF_VARS_4M.secboot.qcow2" templateFormat="qcow2" format="qcow2">/home/mohannad/.config/libvirt/qemu/nvram/archlinux-2_VARS.qcow2</nvram>
    <boot dev="cdrom"/>
    <boot dev="hd"/>
    <bootmenu enable="yes"/>
  </os>
  <features>
    <acpi/>
    <apic/>
    <smm state="on"/>
  </features>
  <cpu mode="host-passthrough" check="none" migratable="on">
    <topology sockets="1" dies="1" clusters="1" cores="16" threads="1"/>
  </cpu>
  <clock offset="localtime">
    <timer name="rtc" tickpolicy="catchup"/>
    <timer name="pit" tickpolicy="delay"/>
    <timer name="hpet" present="no"/>
  </clock>
  <on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>
  <on_reboot>destroy</on_reboot>
  <on_crash>destroy</on_crash>
  <pm>
    <suspend-to-mem enabled="no"/>
    <suspend-to-disk enabled="no"/>
  </pm>
  <devices>
    <emulator>/usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64</emulator>
    <disk type="file" device="disk">
      <driver name="qemu" type="qcow2" cache="writeback" discard="unmap"/>
      <source file="/home/mohannad/.local/share/gnome-boxes/images/archlinux-2"/>
      <target dev="vda" bus="virtio"/>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x04" slot="0x00" function="0x0"/>
    </disk>
    <disk type="file" device="cdrom">
      <driver name="qemu" type="raw"/>
      <source file="/home/mohannad/Downloads/DiskImages/archlinux-2026.01.01-x86_64.iso" startupPolicy="mandatory"/>
      <target dev="hdc" bus="sata"/>
      <readonly/>
      <address type="drive" controller="0" bus="0" target="0" unit="2"/>
    </disk>
    <controller type="usb" index="0" model="qemu-xhci" ports="15">
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x02" slot="0x00" function="0x0"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="sata" index="0">
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x1f" function="0x2"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="pci" index="0" model="pcie-root"/>
    <controller type="pci" index="1" model="pcie-root-port">
      <model name="pcie-root-port"/>
      <target chassis="1" port="0x10"/>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x02" function="0x0" multifunction="on"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="pci" index="2" model="pcie-root-port">
      <model name="pcie-root-port"/>
      <target chassis="2" port="0x11"/>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x02" function="0x1"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="pci" index="3" model="pcie-root-port">
      <model name="pcie-root-port"/>
      <target chassis="3" port="0x12"/>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x02" function="0x2"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="pci" index="4" model="pcie-root-port">
      <model name="pcie-root-port"/>
      <target chassis="4" port="0x13"/>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x02" function="0x3"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="pci" index="5" model="pcie-root-port">
      <model name="pcie-root-port"/>
      <target chassis="5" port="0x14"/>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x02" function="0x4"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="pci" index="6" model="pcie-root-port">
      <model name="pcie-root-port"/>
      <target chassis="6" port="0x15"/>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x02" function="0x5"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="virtio-serial" index="0">
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x03" slot="0x00" function="0x0"/>
    </controller>
    <controller type="ccid" index="0">
      <address type="usb" bus="0" port="1"/>
    </controller>
    <interface type="bridge">
      <mac address="52:54:00:70:82:b9"/>
      <source bridge="virbr0"/>
      <model type="virtio"/>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x01" slot="0x00" function="0x0"/>
    </interface>
    <smartcard mode="passthrough" type="spicevmc">
      <address type="ccid" controller="0" slot="0"/>
    </smartcard>
    <serial type="pty">
      <target type="isa-serial" port="0">
        <model name="isa-serial"/>
      </target>
    </serial>
    <console type="pty">
      <target type="serial" port="0"/>
    </console>
    <channel type="spicevmc">
      <target type="virtio" name="com.redhat.spice.0"/>
      <address type="virtio-serial" controller="0" bus="0" port="1"/>
    </channel>
    <channel type="spiceport">
      <source channel="org.spice-space.webdav.0"/>
      <target type="virtio" name="org.spice-space.webdav.0"/>
      <address type="virtio-serial" controller="0" bus="0" port="2"/>
    </channel>
    <input type="tablet" bus="usb">
      <address type="usb" bus="0" port="2"/>
    </input>
    <input type="mouse" bus="ps2"/>
    <input type="keyboard" bus="ps2"/>
    <graphics type="spice">
      <listen type="none"/>
      <image compression="off"/>
      <gl enable="no"/>
    </graphics>
    <sound model="ich9">
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x1b" function="0x0"/>
    </sound>
    <audio id="1" type="spice"/>
    <video>
      <model type="virtio" heads="1" primary="yes">
        <acceleration accel3d="no"/>
      </model>
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x00" slot="0x01" function="0x0"/>
    </video>
    <redirdev bus="usb" type="spicevmc">
      <address type="usb" bus="0" port="3"/>
    </redirdev>
    <redirdev bus="usb" type="spicevmc">
      <address type="usb" bus="0" port="4"/>
    </redirdev>
    <redirdev bus="usb" type="spicevmc">
      <address type="usb" bus="0" port="5"/>
    </redirdev>
    <redirdev bus="usb" type="spicevmc">
      <address type="usb" bus="0" port="6"/>
    </redirdev>
    <watchdog model="itco" action="reset"/>
    <memballoon model="virtio">
      <address type="pci" domain="0x0000" bus="0x05" slot="0x00" function="0x0"/>
    </memballoon>
  </devices>
</domain>

when i try to run archinstall i got:

Traceback (most recent call last):
    File "/usr/bin/archinstall", line 5, in <module>
        from archinstall import run_as_a_module
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named `archinstall`

[kmw0410]

i have a same problem
it doesn't seem to be an environmental issue

[h8d13]

I've fixed this in my fork by re-writing the init of archinstall

https://github.com/h8d13/archinstoo/blob/master/archinstoo/archinstall/__init__.py

This basically checks for deps then forces refresh of python

[codefiles]

This is not a bug in archinstall, it is package breakage caused by doing a partial upgrade.

• The 2026.01.01 ISO has archinstall 3.0.15-1 and python 3.13 already installed.
• The latest release of archinstall is 3.0.15-2; in the version number, the number following the dash at the end that changed from 1 to 2 is the pkgrel.
• This change was only a rebuild for python 3.14 and nothing else.

The breakage is from upgrading archinstall without upgrading python. Just don't upgrade archinstall in the ISO.

[h8d13]

@codefiles as much as I'd like to agree don't see any mentions of

  'python-pydantic-core'
  'python-annotated-types'
  'python-typing_extensions'
  'python-typing-inspection'

In the PKGBUILD anywhere ?
Those were also throwing errors even when not updating archinstall.

Anyways we could also always force python to be on latest? And promote the git clone method.
Idek

[codefiles]

Those were also throwing errors even when not updating archinstall.

What errors? I can't reproduce this, the version of archinstall preinstalled in the ISO launches without error in the latest ISO. Please create an issue because that is different from partial upgrade breakage.

[h8d13]

I was testing to reproduce using -Sy archinstall and was getting another error pydanctic core hence why I just starting installing a bunch of stuff unsure of real deps or not. If that's not how users should do it, well the readme would need editing again.

'python-pydantic-core'
'python-annotated-types'
'python-typing_extensions'
'python-typing-inspection'

Then reload python last and magically fixed idk (seems to reload modules properly usibg env var). Anyways perhaps we could just have a _prepare def that actually checks all the direct deps?

Anyways I doubt anything will be done here about it so I tried in my fork

https://github.com/h8d13/archinstoo/blob/master/archinstoo/archinstall/__init__.py#L58

[codefiles]

The problem is you are still doing a partial upgrade. Do a full upgrade in the ISO and it will be fine. That may require adjusting the size of the root file system before hand.

Anyways I doubt anything will be done here about it so I tried in my fork

There is nothing to do about. 👍

[h8d13]

Lmao cause users are supposed to know how to rebuild ISOs with more cow_space ? XD
Also that would trigger pacman hooks to fail too if I'm not mistaken

Tehn my addition to the readme was wrong with -Sy archinstall regardless. And clearer instructions should be provided

[codefiles]

You clearly didn't read that.

This is all it takes before doing a system upgrade in the ISO:

# mount -o remount,size=SIZE /run/archiso/cowspace

As already stated, archinstall works without upgrading.

[h8d13]

I see didn't catch the command. Thnx that goes in my notes.

But regardless then I shouldn't have added the -Sy archinstall in the readme and the top text that says New version available also misleading then.

To be honest I really think this should all be part of init checks and just promote the usage from source in such a codebase.

[tayvn0]

you just have to do a full system upgrade by running:

pacman -Syu

if you don't have enough space to do a full system upgrade (you most likely won't if its just 1GB) then run the following:

mount -o remount,size=3G /run/archiso/cowspace

this will make the root file system 3GB which should be more then enough to successfully perform:

pacman -Syu

and then archinstall should work without any issues. hope this helps! 👍