Index: lib/MsgUtils/CMakeLists.txt
===================================================================
diff -u -r401d8ad0e5c070f9c6ecb41ed3ba25ba3d1c69a0 -r864d025811eb43fd2592bde174e5cb41fa10d783
--- lib/MsgUtils/CMakeLists.txt	(.../CMakeLists.txt)	(revision 401d8ad0e5c070f9c6ecb41ed3ba25ba3d1c69a0)
+++ lib/MsgUtils/CMakeLists.txt	(.../CMakeLists.txt)	(revision 864d025811eb43fd2592bde174e5cb41fa10d783)
@@ -17,12 +17,63 @@
 find_package(Qt${QT_VERSION_MAJOR} REQUIRED COMPONENTS Core Network SerialBus)
 
 set(MSGUTILS_SCRIPTS_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/scripts)
+
+# Create a build-local venv so pip install works on distros that enforce PEP 668
+# (Debian/Ubuntu with Python 3.11+, etc.) without polluting system or user site-packages.
+set(MSGUTILS_VENV_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/msgutils-venv)
+set(MSGUTILS_PYTHON ${MSGUTILS_VENV_DIR}/bin/python)
+# Probe pip inside the venv — a half-created venv missing python3-venv has python but no pip.
+execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${MSGUTILS_PYTHON} -m pip --version
+    RESULT_VARIABLE _venv_pip_ok
+    OUTPUT_QUIET
+    ERROR_QUIET
+)
+if(NOT _venv_pip_ok EQUAL 0)
+    message(STATUS "Creating msgutils Python venv at ${MSGUTILS_VENV_DIR}")
+    file(REMOVE_RECURSE ${MSGUTILS_VENV_DIR})
+    execute_process(
+        COMMAND ${Python3_EXECUTABLE} -m venv ${MSGUTILS_VENV_DIR}
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _venv_result
+        OUTPUT_VARIABLE _venv_output
+        ERROR_VARIABLE _venv_output
+    )
+    if(NOT _venv_result EQUAL 0 OR NOT EXISTS ${MSGUTILS_PYTHON})
+        message(FATAL_ERROR
+            "Failed to create venv at ${MSGUTILS_VENV_DIR}.\n"
+            "Install the venv module (e.g. 'sudo apt install python3-venv' or 'python3-full' on Debian/Ubuntu, "
+            "matching your Python version).\n"
+            "Output:\n${_venv_output}")
+    endif()
+    # Verify pip is actually usable in the new venv.
+    execute_process(
+        COMMAND ${MSGUTILS_PYTHON} -m pip --version
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _venv_pip_ok
+        OUTPUT_QUIET
+        ERROR_QUIET
+    )
+    if(NOT _venv_pip_ok EQUAL 0)
+        message(FATAL_ERROR
+            "Venv at ${MSGUTILS_VENV_DIR} was created but pip is not available inside it. "
+            "Install the matching python3-venv package and reconfigure.")
+    endif()
+endif()
+
 include(cmake/MsgUtils.cmake)
 
+# Upgrade pip to ensure pyproject.toml-based editable installs are supported (requires pip >= 21.3).
+execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${MSGUTILS_PYTHON} -m pip install --upgrade pip --quiet
+    RESULT_VARIABLE _pip_upgrade_result
+)
+if(NOT _pip_upgrade_result EQUAL 0)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Failed to upgrade pip in msgutils venv (pip returned ${_pip_upgrade_result})")
+endif()
+
 # install the Python package in editable mode so that the generated protobuf files can be imported by the Python scripts
 # without needing to be copied to the Python package directory
 execute_process(
-    COMMAND ${Python3_EXECUTABLE} -m pip install -e ${MSGUTILS_SCRIPTS_DIR} --quiet
+    COMMAND ${MSGUTILS_PYTHON} -m pip install -e ${MSGUTILS_SCRIPTS_DIR} --quiet
     RESULT_VARIABLE _pip_result
 )
 if(NOT _pip_result EQUAL 0)