Probe for --break-system-packages support once (pip --help, cached in _PIP_HAS_BSP) rather than comparing Ubuntu version numbers. Works on any pip >= 22.3 regardless of distro; older pip (Ubuntu 22.04, pip 22.0) falls back to --user only, which is correct there since PEP 668 isn't enforced on 22.04 anyway. The flag name is scary but harmless with --user: installs go to ~/.local/ which apt never manages regardless. https://claude.ai/code/session_01Y4dMKtkqkpvmgDKoRdzhTG