diff --git a/src/EnergyPlus/PluginManager.cc b/src/EnergyPlus/PluginManager.cc
index 8a47c02da96..7438f1e906a 100644
--- a/src/EnergyPlus/PluginManager.cc
+++ b/src/EnergyPlus/PluginManager.cc
@@ -406,6 +406,11 @@ namespace EnergyPlus::PluginManagement {
         Py_SetPath(a);
         Py_SetPythonHome(a);
 
+        // must be called before Py_Initialize
+        // tells the interpreter the value of argv[0] to the main() function
+        // used by some functions to find run-time libraries relative to the interpreter executable
+        Py_SetProgramName((wchar_t*)programName);
+
         // now that we have set the path, we can initialize python
         // from https://docs.python.org/3/c-api/init.html
         // If arg 0, it skips init registration of signal handlers, which might be useful when Python is embedded.
diff --git a/src/EnergyPlus/PluginManager.hh b/src/EnergyPlus/PluginManager.hh
index 1ebcc0e8366..fb1bad11bc5 100644
--- a/src/EnergyPlus/PluginManager.hh
+++ b/src/EnergyPlus/PluginManager.hh
@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ struct EnergyPlusData;
 
 namespace PluginManagement {
 
+    constexpr const char * programName = "python";
+
     void registerNewCallback(EnergyPlusData &state, EMSManager::EMSCallFrom iCalledFrom, const std::function<void (void *)>& f);
     void runAnyRegisteredCallbacks(EnergyPlusData &state, EMSManager::EMSCallFrom iCalledFrom, bool &anyRan);
     void onBeginEnvironment(EnergyPlusData &state);
diff --git a/src/EnergyPlus/api/plugin.py b/src/EnergyPlus/api/plugin.py
index 589d7f7f62a..9ef552b1715 100644
--- a/src/EnergyPlus/api/plugin.py
+++ b/src/EnergyPlus/api/plugin.py
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@
 # ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
 # POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 
+import sys
+if not hasattr(sys, 'argv'):
+    sys.argv = ['']
+
 from typing import List
 
 from pyenergyplus.api import EnergyPlusAPI