[CVS-181637] PoC: enable sdist packaging for PyPI

MANIFEST.in

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+include LICENSE
+include README.md
+include setup.py
+include pyproject.toml
+include CMakeLists.txt
+
+recursive-include cmake *
+recursive-include licensing *
+recursive-include src *
+recursive-include tools/ovc *
+recursive-include tools/benchmark_tool *
+recursive-include thirdparty *
+recursive-include docs/dev/pypi_publish *.md
+
+prune .git
+prune .github
+prune build
+prune build_*
+prune build_python*
+prune build_ut
+prune temp
+prune __pycache__
+
+global-exclude *.pyc
+global-exclude *.pyo
+global-exclude *.so
+global-exclude *.pyd
+global-exclude *.dll
+global-exclude *.dylib
+global-exclude *.a
+global-exclude *.lib
+global-exclude *.o
+global-exclude *.obj
+global-exclude .git
+global-exclude .gitattributes
+global-exclude .gitignore
+global-exclude .gitmodules
+global-exclude .github

docs/articles_en/get-started/install-openvino/configurations/troubleshooting-install-config.rst

@@ -36,6 +36,29 @@ Troubleshooting Guide for OpenVINO™ Installation & Configuration
 
       The ``openvino-dev`` metapackage has been discontinued. Use the ``openvino`` package and enable optional framework integrations with extras such as ``openvino[tensorflow2]`` or ``openvino[onnx]``.
 
+.. dropdown:: ``pip install --no-binary openvino openvino`` fails
+
+   .. note::
+
+      Source distribution (sdist) installation is experimental. For most users, the
+      recommended path is ``pip install openvino`` (prebuilt wheel).
+
+   Installation from source distribution requires local build tools and Python build dependencies.
+   Before retrying installation, update your packaging tools:
+
+   .. code-block:: sh
+
+      python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel cmake
+
+   Then run:
+
+   .. code-block:: sh
+
+      python -m pip install --no-binary openvino openvino
+
+   If the issue persists, verify your compiler toolchain and system dependencies using
+   :doc:`System Requirements <../../../about-openvino/release-notes-openvino/system-requirements>`.
+
 .. dropdown:: ImportError: cannot import name 'Core' from 'openvino'
 
    This error may appear on systems lacking C++ components. Since it is almost exclusively a

docs/articles_en/get-started/install-openvino/install-openvino-pip.rst

@@ -90,6 +90,19 @@ Use the following command to install either the base or GenAI OpenVINO package:
 
    python -m pip install openvino
 
+If you want to install from source distribution (sdist), use the following command:
+
+.. code-block:: sh
+
+   python -m pip install --no-binary openvino openvino
+
+.. note::
+
+   Installing from source distribution is experimental (PoC) and requires a full
+   native build toolchain (C/C++ compiler, CMake, Python headers). It may take
+   significantly more time than wheel-based installation. For most users, the
+   prebuilt wheel installation shown above is the recommended option.
+
 Step 5. Verify that the Package Is Installed
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 

docs/dev/pypi_publish/pypi-openvino-rt.md

@@ -78,6 +78,17 @@ python -c "from openvino import Core; print(Core().available_devices)"
 
 If installation was successful, you will see the list of available devices.
 
+### Source distribution (sdist) PoC
+
+For packaging validation purposes, the project may publish an sdist artifact alongside wheels.
+This is a proof-of-concept path to enable source-based installation workflows:
+
+```sh
+pip install --no-binary openvino openvino
+```
+
+Wheel packages remain the primary and fully validated distribution format.
+
 ## What's in the Package
 
 <table>

setup.py

@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 # Copyright (C) 2018-2026 Intel Corporation
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
@@ -50,6 +49,9 @@
 OPENVINO_SOURCE_DIR = os.getenv("OPENVINO_SOURCE_DIR", SCRIPT_DIR)
 OPENVINO_BINARY_DIR = os.getenv("OPENVINO_BINARY_DIR", f'{OPENVINO_SOURCE_DIR}/build_wheel')
 OPENVINO_PYTHON_BINARY_DIR = os.getenv("OPENVINO_PYTHON_BINARY_DIR", "python_build")
+# Detect sdist context: either we are running `setup.py sdist` to create the archive,
+# or we are building from an unpacked sdist (PKG-INFO is generated by sdist)
+SDIST_BUILD = "sdist" in sys.argv or (SCRIPT_DIR / "PKG-INFO").is_file()
 CONFIG = os.getenv("BUILD_TYPE", "Release")
 OV_RUNTIME_LIBS_DIR = os.getenv("OV_RUNTIME_LIBS_DIR", f"runtime/{LIBS_DIR}/{ARCH}")
 TBB_LIBS_DIR = os.getenv("TBB_LIBS_DIR", f"runtime/3rdparty/tbb/{LIBS_DIR}")
@@ -762,6 +764,12 @@ def get_package_dir(install_cfg):
     return py_package_path
 
 
+def get_sdist_package_dir():
+    # Use SCRIPT_DIR (not OPENVINO_SOURCE_DIR) to ensure sdist builds are
+    # self-contained and not affected by env var overrides.
+    return str(SCRIPT_DIR / "src" / "bindings" / "python" / "src")
+
+
 def find_entry_points(install_cfg):
     """Creates a list of entry points for OpenVINO runtime package."""
     entry_points = {
@@ -786,10 +794,11 @@ def concat_files(input_files, output_file):
 
 
 OPENVINO_VERSION = WHEEL_VERSION = os.getenv("WHEEL_VERSION", "0.0.0")
-PACKAGE_DIR = get_package_dir(PY_INSTALL_CFG)
-# need to create package dir, because since https://github.com/pypa/wheel/commit/e43f2fcb296c2ac63e8bac2549ab596ab79accd0
-# egg_info command works in this folder, because it's being created automatically
-os.makedirs(PACKAGE_DIR, exist_ok=True)
+PACKAGE_DIR = get_sdist_package_dir() if SDIST_BUILD else get_package_dir(PY_INSTALL_CFG)
+if not SDIST_BUILD:
+    # need to create package dir, because since https://github.com/pypa/wheel/commit/e43f2fcb296c2ac63e8bac2549ab596ab79accd0
+    # egg_info command works in this folder, because it's being created automatically
+    os.makedirs(PACKAGE_DIR, exist_ok=True)
 
 packages = find_namespace_packages(PACKAGE_DIR)
 package_data: dict[str, list] = {}