ImportError: cannot import name '_scipy_univariate_kde' from 'seaborn.distributions'

TL;DR: your msmexplorer is too old for your seaborn. seaborn removed the private scipyunivariate_kde helper, so upgrade msmexplorer to a release that no longer uses it, or pin an older seaborn.

The error

ImportError: cannot import name '_scipy_univariate_kde' from 'seaborn.distributions'

Fix it

1. Upgrade msmexplorer:

   pip install -U msmexplorer

   Expected: installs a release fixed for modern seaborn.

2. Verify:

   python -c "import msmexplorer; print('ok')"

   Expected: imports cleanly.

3. Workaround if you cannot upgrade msmexplorer: pin seaborn below the removal:

   pip install "seaborn<0.12"

   Expected: the private name exists again.

When this applies

Use this when import msmexplorer raises this error with a recent seaborn.

When it does not apply

If your own code imports the private helper, vendor a KDE implementation instead of depending on seaborn internals. If msmexplorer is current, reinstall it.

Compatibility

msmexplorer releases before the seaborn-compat fix; seaborn 0.12+ where the helper is gone.

Root cause

scipyunivariate_kde was a private (underscore-prefixed) helper inside seaborn.distributions, never public API. seaborn removed it during cleanup, and msmexplorer imported it directly, so msmexplorer broke at import time.

Edge cases

Pinning old seaborn can break other packages that need new seaborn; upgrading msmexplorer is the durable fix. Private-name imports are always at risk; treat any of them as a bug in the importing package.

GitHub issue msmbuilder/msmexplorer#125 reports ImportError: cannot import name 'scipyunivariatekde' from 'seaborn.distributions' with a modern seaborn installed. The verified resolution: scipyunivariatekde was a private seaborn helper that seaborn removed, so old msmexplorer broke at import; the fix is upgrading msmexplorer to a release that no longer uses it (or pinning an older seaborn as a workaround). Full thread: https://github.com/msmbuilder/msmexplorer/issues/125