dotenv install error: "error: invalid command 'dist_info'"

Question

I'm getting an error installing dotenv on macOS:

Collecting dotenv
  Using cached dotenv-0.0.5.tar.gz (2.4 kB)
  Installing build dependencies ... done
  Getting requirements to build wheel ... done
  Installing backend dependencies ... error
  error: subprocess-exited-with-error
  
  × pip subprocess to install backend dependencies did not run successfully.
  │ exit code: 1
  ╰─> [29 lines of output]
      Collecting distribute
        Using cached distribute-0.7.3.zip (145 kB)
        Installing build dependencies: started
        Installing build dependencies: finished with status 'done'
        Getting requirements to build wheel: started
        Getting requirements to build wheel: finished with status 'done'
        Preparing metadata (pyproject.toml): started
        Preparing metadata (pyproject.toml): finished with status 'error'
        error: subprocess-exited-with-error
      
        × Preparing metadata (pyproject.toml) did not run successfully.
        │ exit code: 1
        ╰─> [6 lines of output]
            usage: setup.py [global_opts] cmd1 [cmd1_opts] [cmd2 [cmd2_opts] ...]
               or: setup.py --help [cmd1 cmd2 ...]
               or: setup.py --help-commands
               or: setup.py cmd --help
      
            error: invalid command 'dist_info'
            [end of output]
      
        note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
      error: metadata-generation-failed
      
      × Encountered error while generating package metadata.
      ╰─> See above for output.
      
      note: This is an issue with the package mentioned above, not pip.
      hint: See above for details.
      [end of output]
  
  note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
error: subprocess-exited-with-error

× pip subprocess to install backend dependencies did not run successfully.
│ exit code: 1
╰─> See above for output.

note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.

Someone said in another thread that it needs QT5. I tried to install QT5 but still facing the error.

Answer 1

I ran into this issue on Windows. The other answer didn't work for me.

However, running this did:

pip install python-dotenv 

Or, if you have pip3 for Python 3:

pip3 install python-dotenv