pip config failed to write pip.ini when using MS Store py

[imba-tjd]

Description

Some locations are readonly when py is installed via MS Store.

I searched issues and there was one essentially reporting the same error just like what I'm encountering.
#11920

Expected behavior

Write to Appdata.

Or abort the action but show a graceful message to the user.

pip version

25.0.1

Python version

3.11

OS

Win11 24H2

How to Reproduce

1. install python from ms store
2. pip config set global.index-url xxx

Output

C:\Users\xxx>pip config set global.index-url xxx
Writing to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pip.ini
ERROR: Unable to save configuration. Please report this as a bug.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python311\site-packages\pip\_internal\configuration.py", line 215, in save
    with open(fname, "w") as f:
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'C:\\Program Files\\WindowsApps\\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\\pip.ini'
 
During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python311\site-packages\pip\_internal\commands\configuration.py", line 265, in _save_configuration
    self.configuration.save()
  File "C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python311\site-packages\pip\_internal\configuration.py", line 218, in save
    raise ConfigurationError(
pip._internal.exceptions.ConfigurationError: An error occurred while writing to the configuration file C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pip.ini: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'C:\\Program Files\\WindowsApps\\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\\pip.ini'
ERROR: Internal Error.

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow the PSF Code of Conduct.

[notatallshaw]

If you run pip config debug you will see where the locations exist. If you want to write to the user/appdata directory that would likely be pip config set user.index-url xxx. I'm not sure but perhaps you will get automatic fallback with pip config set index-url xxx. You can check out the pip config docs here: https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/cli/pip_config/

Pip doesn't have any control over the way it's installed via the Microsoft Store distribution, or the choices it makes about config files. I don't think it's a good design choice to automatically fall over from global to user config when the user explicitly requests global.

[imba-tjd]

Here are the output of pip config debug and pip config set user.index-url xxx and pip config set index-url

C:\Users\xxx>pip config debug
env_var:
env:
global:
  C:\ProgramData\pip\pip.ini, exists: False
site:
  C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pip.ini, exists: True
    install.user: yes
    uninstall.user: yes
    freeze.user: yes
    list.user: yes
user:
  C:\Users\xxx\pip\pip.ini, exists: False
  C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Roaming\pip\pip.ini, exists: True
    global.index-url: https://mirrors.aliyun.com/pypi/simple/
 
C:\Users\xxx>pip config set user.index-url xxx
Writing to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pip.ini
ERROR: Unable to save configuration. Please report this as a bug.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python311\site-packages\pip\_internal\configuration.py", line 215, in save
    with open(fname, "w") as f:
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'C:\\Program Files\\WindowsApps\\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\\pip.ini'
 
During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python311\site-packages\pip\_internal\commands\configuration.py", line 265, in _save_configuration
    self.configuration.save()
  File "C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python311\site-packages\pip\_internal\configuration.py", line 218, in save
    raise ConfigurationError(
pip._internal.exceptions.ConfigurationError: An error occurred while writing to the configuration file C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pip.ini: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'C:\\Program Files\\WindowsApps\\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.11_3.11.2544.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\\pip.ini'
ERROR: Internal Error.
 
C:\Users\xxx>pip config set index-url xxx
ERROR: Key does not contain dot separated section and key. Perhaps you wanted to use 'global.index-url' instead?

PS. I manually created %Appdata%\pip\pip.ini and wrote the content after posting this issue so the output shows my config.