System-wide Streamlit installation can't be used in virtual environments

🚀 Deployment
1
  • I want to run a Streamlit app within a virtual environment.
  • I have installed Streamlit for the base Python interpreter, and then create a new virtual environment like:
virtualenv someEnv --system-site-packages
  • Expectation is that packages installed for the base interpreter are available in someEnv
  • Some specific software is required in the virtual env, but can’t be on the base interpreter. We activate someEnv and install the necessary packages like pip install somePackage. somePackage is used by the Streamlit app.
  • Executing streamlit run with someEnv activated produces a Module not found error for somePackage.
  • I can verify some package is installed by opening an interpreter and importing somePackage
  • Installing Streamlit in someEnv while it is installed for the base interpreter produces no change.
  • Uninstalling Streamlit for the base interpreter and then re-installing in someEnv allows the app to run and find somePackage correctly.

Is this expected behaviour?

Why would using a system-installed version of Streamlit in a virtual environment prevent the app from finding packages installed in a virtual environment if that virtual environment also has access to system site packages?

Any guidance would be much appreciated!