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yt-dlp: document -U trap and avoid duplicate pip installs

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Add a Maintenance subsection covering why 'yt-dlp -U' fails on PyPI
builds and how to update via pip, plus how to detect/remove a duplicate
user+system install (the issue hit on majorhome 2026-06-16).
This commit is contained in:
Marcus Summers 2026-06-16 19:12:06 -04:00
parent 1d73b2defa
commit 2121d3ff1b
1 changed files with 33 additions and 2 deletions
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05-troubleshooting/yt-dlp-fedora-js-challenge.md
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@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ tags:
- deno
status: published
created: 2026-04-02
updated: 2026-04-30T05:21
updated: 2026-06-16T18:35
---
# yt-dlp YouTube JS Challenge Fix (Fedora)
@ -84,12 +84,43 @@ echo '--remote-components ejs:github' > ~/.config/yt-dlp/config
## Maintenance
YouTube pushes extractor changes frequently. Keep yt-dlp current:
YouTube pushes extractor changes frequently. Keep yt-dlp current.
### Updating: the `-U` trap + avoid duplicate installs
`yt-dlp -U` **does not work** when yt-dlp was installed via pip/PyPI — the PyPI build deliberately disables the self-updater:
```
ERROR: You installed yt-dlp with pip or using the wheel from PyPi; Use that to update
```
Update through pip instead. **Pick one install method and stick to it** — running both a user install and a system install leaves two copies that drift out of sync (one updates, the other stays stale and shadows it depending on `$PATH` / sudo).
**Recommended — single user install (no sudo):**
```bash
pip3 install -U --user yt-dlp
```
This lives in `~/.local/bin/yt-dlp` and is first on a normal user's `$PATH`. Update it the same way; never use sudo.
**Alternative — system-wide (Fedora, PEP 668):**
```bash
sudo pip install -U yt-dlp --break-system-packages
```
> Only use `--break-system-packages` if you intentionally want a root-owned copy in `/usr/local`. Do **not** mix it with a `--user` install.
**Check for and remove a duplicate install:**
```bash
which -a yt-dlp # more than one path = duplicate installs
sudo pip3 uninstall -y yt-dlp # removes the /usr/local (system) copy + its wrapper
```
> If installed via the standalone binary (not pip), `yt-dlp -U` is the correct updater.
---
## Known Limitations