PyInstaller build issue for QualCoder (windows)

[Amgoth-Suresh]

Hello @ccbogel and QualCoder team,

Thank you for maintaining QualCoder.

I am building QualCoder as a Windows executable using PyInstaller on a Windows local machine. The EXE file is created successfully, but it fails when executed.

Environment:

• OS: Windows 10 (local machine)
• Python: 3.10 (virtual environment)
• PyInstaller: latest
• QualCoder: source from GitHub

Exact PyInstaller command used:

pyinstaller --onefile --clean --noconfirm --name QualCoder --noconsole main.py

Runtime error when launching the EXE:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "qualcoder_main_.py", line 51, in
File "PyInstaller\loader\pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
File "qualcoder\code_text.py", line 54, in
File "PyInstaller\loader\pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
File "qualcoder\ai_chat.py", line 49, in
File "PyInstaller\loader\pyimod02_importers.py", line 419, in exec_module
File "qualcoder\ai_llm.py", line 33, in
ImportError: numpy.core.multiarray failed to import

Additional details:

• The EXE is generated successfully
• On execution, it fails with "failed to execute script"
• numpy works correctly in the virtual environment
• The issue occurs only in the PyInstaller-built EXE

Questions:

1. Is this command sufficient, or should the official qualcoder.spec / qualcoder_onefile.spec be used?
2. Are additional hidden imports or data files required for NumPy?
3. Is there a recommended Windows build workflow for QualCoder using PyInstaller?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[kaixxx]

Use the qualcoder.spec file, there are a lot of tweaks in there to get the compilation working. You can also try the qualcoder_onefile.spec, but I am not 100% sure that it is up-to-date.

[Amgoth-Suresh]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried building the executable using both qualcoder.spec and qualcoder_onefile.spec.

However, in both cases I’m running into runtime errors on Windows:

DLL initialization failed

Error loading Python DLL

The build process itself completes, but when I try to launch the generated executable, it fails with these DLL-related errors. This happens consistently with both spec files.

[kaixxx]

Error loading Python DLL

This points to a very fundamental problem with pyinstaller on your system.
ChatGPT gave a few nice suggestions what to try:

1. Make sure the Microsoft Visual C++ runtime is installed
   Most PyInstaller builds rely on the MSVC runtime that matches the Python version you used.
   On the target machine, install “Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015–2022” (x64 or x86 to match your build).
   This is one of the most common root causes of “DLL initialization failed” on fresh Windows machines.

2. Avoid PATH / DLL search path contamination
   If the target machine has other Python installs, Anaconda, or software that puts DLLs early in PATH, your exe can pick up the wrong DLLs (OpenSSL, libcrypto, vcruntime, etc.).
   Test by launching from a clean environment:
   Open cmd.exe
   Run: set PATH=C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows
   Then run your exe from its folder.
   If it works with a minimal PATH, you’ve found the issue.

3. Antivirus / EDR interference
   Some endpoint protection quarantines or blocks DLL extraction/loading.
   Temporarily disable (if you can) or add an exception for the folder.

One last advice: I'm not sure if QualCoder still works with Python 3.10. I would suggest upgrading to Python 3.13.

[ccbogel]

@Amgoth-Suresh Using python 3.14.2 I did create an exe that works, on Windows 11.
Using command:

pyinstaller qualcoder.spec

The resultant exe is in its own folder that contains an internal folder that it needs:

[ccbogel]

@Amgoth-Suresh try the latest executables for Window 11. They might work on Windows 10.