[[!meta title="How do I make IPython or manage.py shell work on scripts.mit.edu?"]]
IPython, a nicer interactive Python shell that is, among other
things, used by Django’s “manage.py shell” command, doesn’t work by
default on scripts.mit.edu because it isn’t able to write to your
\~/.ipython directory. Assuming you don’t already use IPython on
Athena, you can create a \~/.ipython directory that will work on
scripts as follows, replacing LOCKER with the name of your locker:

-   Create a temporary \~/.ipython directory and make it accessible
    to scripts via  
    **mkdir /mit/**LOCKER**/.ipython**  
    **fs sa /mit/**LOCKER**/.ipython daemon.scripts write**
-   [Log in to scripts](http://scripts.mit.edu/faq/41/) (ssh
    LOCKER@scripts) and run **ipython**. Because the .ipython directory
    exists and is writable, ipython will be able to start, but will not
    configure itself completely.
-   Run the command
    **\_\_IP.user\_setup(?/mit/LOCKER/web\_scripts/.ipython?,??,?install?)**
    to create a completely-configured default IPython setup in your
    web\_scripts directory, which is writable from scripts.mit.edu.
-   Log out of scripts. Remove the temporary \~/.ipython directory
    and move the real one in place with  
    **rm -r /mit/**LOCKER**/.ipython**  
    **mv /mit/**LOCKER**/web\_scripts/.ipython /mit/**LOCKER