Can't get stable-diffusion-webui to finish its installtion

[Zafflower]

Can't get stable-diffusion-webui installation to complete. I have python 3.10.6. Every attempt at running web-user.bat fails with the error message, "no module named pkg_resources'. I have deleted and rebuilt venv and downgraded setuptools to v81; I have installed setuptools seperately; I have tried reinstalling stable-diffusion-webui.

I want to get stable-diffusion-webui automatic 1111 working because I want install and use Deforum -- an old program I love. There is a discussion of the same problem in the General forum, but it doesn't look like the issue was resolved there.
https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui/discussions/17304
I am also trying to get Deforum installed in ComfyUI but have not succeeded there yet either. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Zaffer

[sageliebi-maker]

Hello,
I need an error report from your command prompt.
...then I can help you.

[Zafflower]

Hi Sageliebi-maker,
Thanks for getting back to me. Here's the whole printout from the monitor:

`venv "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\venv\Scripts\Python.exe"
Python 3.10.6 (tags/v3.10.6:9c7b4bd, Aug 1 2022, 21:53:49) [MSC v.1932 64 bit (AMD64)]
Version: v1.10.1
Commit hash: 82a973c
Installing clip
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\launch.py", line 48, in
main()
File "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\launch.py", line 39, in main
prepare_environment()
File "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\modules\launch_utils.py", line 394, in prepare_environment
run_pip(f"install {clip_package}", "clip")
File "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\modules\launch_utils.py", line 144, in run_pip
return run(f'"{python}" -m pip {command} --prefer-binary{index_url_line}', desc=f"Installing {desc}", errdesc=f"Couldn't install {desc}", live=live)
File "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\modules\launch_utils.py", line 116, in run
raise RuntimeError("\n".join(error_bits))
RuntimeError: Couldn't install clip.
Command: "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\venv\Scripts\python.exe" -m pip install https://github.com/openai/CLIP/archive/d50d76daa670286dd6cacf3bcd80b5e4823fc8e1.zip --prefer-binary
Error code: 1
stdout: Collecting https://github.com/openai/CLIP/archive/d50d76daa670286dd6cacf3bcd80b5e4823fc8e1.zip
Using cached https://github.com/openai/CLIP/archive/d50d76daa670286dd6cacf3bcd80b5e4823fc8e1.zip (4.3 MB)
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 'error'

stderr: error: subprocess-exited-with-error

Getting requirements to build wheel did not run successfully.
exit code: 1

[17 lines of output]
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\venv\lib\site-packages\pip_vendor\pyproject_hooks_in_process_in_process.py", line 389, in
main()
File "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\venv\lib\site-packages\pip_vendor\pyproject_hooks_in_process_in_process.py", line 373, in main
json_out["return_val"] = hook(**hook_input["kwargs"])
File "G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\venv\lib\site-packages\pip_vendor\pyproject_hooks_in_process_in_process.py", line 143, in get_requires_for_build_wheel
return hook(config_settings)
File "C:\Users\Barbara\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-build-env-n7xwgh85\overlay\Lib\site-packages\setuptools\build_meta.py", line 333, in get_requires_for_build_wheel
return self._get_build_requires(config_settings, requirements=[])
File "C:\Users\Barbara\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-build-env-n7xwgh85\overlay\Lib\site-packages\setuptools\build_meta.py", line 301, in _get_build_requires
self.run_setup()
File "C:\Users\Barbara\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-build-env-n7xwgh85\overlay\Lib\site-packages\setuptools\build_meta.py", line 520, in run_setup
super().run_setup(setup_script=setup_script)
File "C:\Users\Barbara\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-build-env-n7xwgh85\overlay\Lib\site-packages\setuptools\build_meta.py", line 317, in run_setup
exec(code, locals())
File "", line 3, in
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pkg_resources'
[end of output]

note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
ERROR: Failed to build 'https://github.com/openai/CLIP/archive/d50d76daa670286dd6cacf3bcd80b5e4823fc8e1.zip' when getting requirements to build wheel

Press any key to continue . . .`

[rahullpostman]

same error

[sageliebi-maker]

This is basically the same root problem again, just showing up in a slightly different way.
Key error now: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pkg_resources'

pkg_resources is part of setuptools.
So this confirms 100%: your venv’s setuptools is broken or missing.

Fix (for THIS environment)

1. Run this exact command
   G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall setuptools wheel pip

2. Then install pkg_resources explicitly (just to be safe)

G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install pkg_resources

(Even though it’s bundled, this forces it to exist properly.)

3. Start WebUI again

webui-user.bat

If it STILL fails (recommended clean fix)

Honestly, when setuptools breaks inside a venv, the cleanest solution is:
Delete and rebuild the venv
Delete this folder: G:\GenAI\stable-diffusion-webui\stable-diffusion-webui\venv

then run:
webui-user.bat

Stable Diffusion will:
recreate the venv
reinstall everything cleanly

Why this keeps happening

Both CLIP and open_clip install from GitHub (not PyPI wheels)
That means they must be built locally
Your environment is missing:
setuptools
or its internal module pkg_resources

This often happens if:
pip was interrupted
antivirus interfered
or partial installs occurred

[vVHattoriVv]

Hello, I have the same problem. Deleting \stable-diffusion-webui\venv and reinstalling doesn't help. When I try to install pkg_resources manually, I get the following error:
E:\StableDiff\venv\Scripts> python.exe -m pip install pkg_resources
ERROR: Could not find a version that satisfies the requirement pkg_resources (from versions: none)
ERROR: No matching distribution found for pkg_resources

[sageliebi-maker]

Reinstall setuptools correctly
Run:
E:\StableDiff\venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall setuptools

Also reinstall wheel + pip (important for builds)
E:\StableDiff\venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall pip wheel

Verify it works
Run:
E:\StableDiff\venv\Scripts\python.exe
Then inside Python:
import pkg_resources
print("OK")

If that prints OK, you're fixed

GL