opencv-python-headless 4.13.0.90 requires system libxcb.so.1, breaking headless environments

[petrchmelar]

Summary

Version 4.13.0.90 of opencv-python-headless (released on PyPI Jan 18, 2026) fails to import on headless Linux systems due to a dependency on libxcb.so.1.

Environment

• OS: Linux (Ubuntu-based, headless server/container)
• Python: 3.12.8
• Package: opencv-python-headless==4.13.0.90

Steps to Reproduce

pip install opencv-python-headless==4.13.0.90
python -c "import cv2"

Expected Behavior

cv2 should import successfully without requiring X11/GUI libraries.

Actual Behavior

ImportError: libxcb.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

Analysis

The wheel bundles xcb libraries that themselves depend on the system's libxcb.so.1:

$ ldd /path/to/site-packages/cv2/cv2.abi3.so | grep xcb
    libxcb.so.1 => not found
    libxcb-shm-0be6dfbf.so.0.0.0 => .../opencv_python_headless.libs/libxcb-shm-0be6dfbf.so.0.0.0
    libxcb-shape-7716c890.so.0.0.0 => .../opencv_python_headless.libs/libxcb-shape-7716c890.so.0.0.0
    libxcb-xfixes-6de855b8.so.0.0.0 => .../opencv_python_headless.libs/libxcb-xfixes-6de855b8.so.0.0.0

The bundled libxcb-shm, libxcb-shape, and libxcb-xfixes libraries have unresolved dependencies on libxcb.so.1.

Workaround

Downgrading to 4.12.0.88 resolves the issue:

pip install opencv-python-headless==4.12.0.88

Additional Notes

• Version 4.13.0.90 appears on PyPI but is not listed as the latest GitHub release as of Jan 19, 2026.
• The 4.12.0.88 headless wheel does not have this issue.

[sahilprajapti-ai]

Hi @petrchmelar
opencv-python-headless==4.13.0.90 has a packaging bug that incorrectly depends on libxcb.so.1, causing import failure on headless Linux systems.
Solution: downgrade to opencv-python-headless==4.12.0.88 (recommended) or install libxcb1 as a workaround.

[dominick-han]

Is there a plan to fix it? Maybe release a new version of 4.13 and recall 4.13.0.90 like what happened with 4.8.0.74?