python-poetry/poetry · error · RuntimeError

Unable to create package with no name for {root_dir}

Error message

Unable to create package with no name for {root_dir}

What it means

Raised by PackageInfo.to_package() at src/poetry/inspection/info.py:132-133 when both the passed-in name and self.name are falsy. PackageInfo failed to read a name from the distribution's metadata, so a Package object cannot be constructed. This is a RuntimeError, not a controlled validation error.

Source

Thrown at src/poetry/inspection/info.py:133

        return cls(cache_version=cache_version, **data)

    def to_package(
        self, name: str | None = None, root_dir: Path | None = None
    ) -> Package:
        """
        Create a new `poetry.core.packages.package.Package` instance using metadata from
        this instance.

        :param name: Name to use for the package, if not specified name from this
            instance is used.
        :param extras: Extras to activate for this package.
        :param root_dir:  Optional root directory to use for the package. If set,
            dependency strings will be parsed relative to this directory.
        """
        name = name or self.name

        if not name:
            raise RuntimeError(f"Unable to create package with no name for {root_dir}")

        if not self.version:
            # The version could not be determined, so we raise an error since it is
            # mandatory.
            raise RuntimeError(f"Unable to retrieve the package version for {name}")

        package = Package(
            name=name,
            version=self.version,
            source_type=self._source_type,
            source_url=self._source_url,
            source_reference=self._source_reference,
            yanked=self.yanked,
        )
        if self.summary is not None:
            package.description = self.summary
        package.root_dir = root_dir
        package.python_versions = self.requires_python or "*"

View on GitHub (pinned to 92b74dcfe3)

Solutions

1. Open the offending package's METADATA/PKG-INFO and confirm a Name field exists.
2. Fix the upstream package's build config (setup.py name= or [project] name in pyproject.toml).
3. If the package is third-party and broken, pin to an earlier release that shipped valid metadata.

Example fix

# before (broken package's setup.py)
setup(version="1.0")

# after
setup(name="some_pkg", version="1.0")

from poetry.inspection.info import PackageInfo

info = PackageInfo.from_path(path)
if not info.name:
    raise ValueError(f'No package name in metadata at {path}; refusing to convert.')
pkg = info.to_package(root_dir=path)

def has_name(info: PackageInfo) -> bool:
    return bool(getattr(info, 'name', None))

try:
    pkg = PackageInfo.from_path(path).to_package(root_dir=path)
except RuntimeError as e:
    if 'no name' in str(e):
        # skip or report; cannot build a Package without a name
        raise ValueError(f'Invalid package at {path}: missing name') from e
    raise

When it happens

Trigger: Inspecting an sdist/wheel/directory whose METADATA lacks a Name field, calling PackageInfo.from_path/.from_directory on it, then .to_package(). Common with hand-rolled setup.py that never calls setup(name=...) or with corrupt archives.

Common situations: Local directory dependency whose pyproject.toml has no [project] name, a wheel produced by a broken build, or a tarball missing PKG-INFO. Often surfaces during `poetry add ./some_pkg` or while resolving.

Related errors

• Unable to retrieve the package version for {name}
• Unknown metadata version: {dist.metadata_version}
• Unable to determine package info from path: {file_path}
• Invalid author string. Must be in the format: John Smith <jo
• The lock file does not have a metadata entry. Regenerate the

AI-assisted analysis of python-poetry/poetry@92b74dcfe3 (2026-08-04). Data as JSON: /data/errors/3d208191b055501c.json. Report an issue: GitHub.