Install the kernel dependencies (IPython, ipykernel, jupyter_client) into a Python 2.7 interpreter using its own python -m pip, making it usable with ipython_start. Call this when ipython_start reports missing dependencies. Requires network access and writes to that interpreter's site-packages.

Start a named Python 2 IPython session. python_path must be an absolute path to a Python 2.7 interpreter with this project's requirements installed -- pass a virtualenv's interpreter to work inside that virtualenv. Multiple named sessions can run at once and are fully independent.

Stop a session, kill its kernel, and free the name. Always works, including while a cell is executing -- this is the escape hatch for a wedged session. The namespace is lost.

List every session with its state (idle, busy, or dead), kernel pid, Python version, working directory, uptime, and execution count. A dead session keeps its name until ipython_stop clears it.

Run code in a session and return the output transcript, exactly as a terminal would show it. A Python exception is a normal result: you get the traceback. Executions within a session are strictly serial, so a second call while one is running is rejected. On timeout the cell is interrupted and you get the partial output. Do not hold long-running work in a cell -- start it in a thread from your own code. This is a real IPython shell: use obj? and obj?? for signatures and source, %whos to list the namespace, and %history for past input.

Tab-complete a partial expression against the session's live namespace, e.g. df.gr or os.path.jo. The cursor is taken to be at the end of the prefix. Use this to discover attributes and names that actually exist before running code.