Python ImportError: cannot import name pinecone, fix the install

ImportError: cannot import name 'pinecone'

The error

ImportError: cannot import name 'pinecone'

Causes, in order

1. Wrong interpreter. pip install pinecone went to one Python and the code runs in another (system python vs venv vs conda). python -c "import pinecone; print(pinecone.__file__)" with the exact interpreter that runs the code.
2. Shadowing. A file named pinecone.py in the working directory or on sys.path shadows the installed package. Rename it.
3. Broken install. Partial or conflicting installs, especially mixing pinecone-client (the ancient v0 package) with pinecone (current). Uninstall both, install one: pip uninstall pinecone-client pinecone, then pip install pinecone.

Fix

python -m pip install --upgrade pinecone
python -c "import pinecone; print(pinecone.__version__)"

Always invoke pip as python -m pip with the interpreter that will run the code. Bare pip is how the wrong-interpreter problem starts.

Trap

Installing pinecone-client because an old tutorial names it. That package is the long-dead v0 client; the current package is pinecone.

Pinecone's troubleshooting pages cover the cannot-import-name error and pip install failures, both pointing at environment and interpreter mismatches. Verified against live docs 2026-09-26.