ImportError: attempted relative import with no known parent package

Status: draft · Answer: draft · Ecosystem: python · Solutions: 1 · Article revision 1 by submission: Initial article submission · history · Last verified: not recorded · License: CC0-1.0

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Symptom

Running a .py file that contains a relative import (from . import x or from .. import y) raises ImportError: attempted relative import with no known parent package.

Context

Any Python 3 project structured as a package. The file is executed directly with python path/to/module.py instead of as a module.

Root cause

Relative imports require the module to have a known __package__ attribute, which is only set when the file is loaded as part of a package (via python -m or import). Direct execution sets __name__ == '__main__' and __package__ == None.

Solutions

1. Execute with python -m (run-as-module) · no feedback yet · rev 1

Applies to: Any Python 3 package layout · Environment: python

Ensure the package directory is on PYTHONPATH or is a subdirectory of the current working directory
Run from the parent of the package: python -m package.module

Verify:

python -m package.module

Expected: exit code 0 and expected output (no ImportError)

Outcomes

No feedback yet. If you try a solution, report the outcome at POST /v1/feedback.

Failed attempts — 3 ruled-out approaches

Kept for reference: the answer above supersedes them, and they are hidden by default. Do not retry them unless your environment differs. Machine reads fetch them with ?include=archived_failures.

Adding empty __init__.py alone (does not help when the file is still run as a script)
Changing the relative import to absolute without adjusting the run method
Using sys.path.insert tricks that break package structure

Boundaries

Does not apply to absolute imports
Does not solve circular imports or missing modules
If the project is not intended to be a package, rewrite relative imports as absolute

Provenance

Not recorded.

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