title: gcloud command suddenly doesn't work at all
body: <p>All <code>gcloud</code> commands suddenly give this error:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>ERROR: gcloud failed to load: No module named google.appengine.ext</p>
    
    <p>This usually indicates corruption in your gcloud installation or
    problems with your Python interpreter.</p>
    
    <p>Please verify that the following is the path to a working Python 2.7
    executable:
        /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Resources/Python.app/Contents/MacOS/Python</p>
    
    <p>If it is not, please set the CLOUDSDK_PYTHON environment variable to
    point to a working Python 2.7 executable.</p>
    
    <p>If you are still experiencing problems, please reinstall the Cloud SDK
    using the instructions here:
        <a href="https://cloud.google.com/sdk/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://cloud.google.com/sdk/</a></p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>Here are some relevant details and things that I've tried:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Mac 10.11.6</li>
  <li>Python 2.7.8 at /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python</li>
  <li>Python otherwise works fine</li>
  <li>I completely removed google-cloud-sdk and redownloaded from <a href="https://cloud.google.com/sdk/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://cloud.google.com/sdk/</a></li>
  <li>Tried rebooting</li>
  <li>Tried "export CLOUDSDK_PYTHON=/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python" but it didn't help.  Also added this line to my .bash_profile</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Anyone else having this problem or can suggest a fix?</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p>I have a fix below, but I'll happily award the answer to anyone who can explain what is going on.</p>