diff --git a/site-cookbooks/kosmos-mastodon/recipes/libretranslate.rb b/site-cookbooks/kosmos-mastodon/recipes/libretranslate.rb
index d06557d..3cb3e49 100644
--- a/site-cookbooks/kosmos-mastodon/recipes/libretranslate.rb
+++ b/site-cookbooks/kosmos-mastodon/recipes/libretranslate.rb
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@
 
 build_essential
 
-version = "1.3.8"
+version = "1.9.6"
+venv    = "/opt/libretranslate/venv"
 
-%w{ python3 python3-pip python3-setuptools python3-dev }.each do |pkg|
+%w{ python3 python3-pip python3-setuptools python3-dev python3-venv }.each do |pkg|
   apt_package pkg
 end
 
@@ -17,19 +18,26 @@ user "libretranslate" do
   manage_home true
 end
 
+# LibreTranslate is installed into a dedicated virtualenv. Ubuntu 24.04's
+# system Python is externally managed (PEP 668) and refuses `pip install`.
+bash "create_libretranslate_venv" do
+  code "sudo -u libretranslate python3 -m venv #{venv}"
+  not_if { ::File.exist?("#{venv}/bin/pip") }
+end
+
 bash "install_libretranslate" do
-  code "sudo -u libretranslate pip3 install --user --prefer-binary libretranslate==#{version}"
+  code "sudo -u libretranslate #{venv}/bin/pip install --prefer-binary libretranslate==#{version}"
   action :run
-  not_if { `sudo -u libretranslate pip3 list |grep libretranslate`.split(' ')[1] == version rescue false }
+  not_if "#{venv}/bin/pip show libretranslate 2>/dev/null | grep -q 'Version: #{version}'"
   notifies :restart, "service[libretranslate]", :delayed
 end
 
-languages = `sudo -u libretranslate /opt/libretranslate/.local/bin/argospm search`
+languages = `sudo -u libretranslate #{venv}/bin/argospm search`
 languages.each_line do |line|
   lang = line.split(':').first
 
   bash "install_lt_#{lang}" do
-    code "sudo -u libretranslate /opt/libretranslate/.local/bin/argospm install #{lang}"
+    code "sudo -u libretranslate #{venv}/bin/argospm install #{lang}"
     action :nothing
   end
 end
@@ -46,7 +54,7 @@ systemd_unit "libretranslate.service" do
       User: "libretranslate",
       Group: "libretranslate",
       WorkingDirectory: "/opt/libretranslate/",
-      ExecStart: "/opt/libretranslate/.local/bin/libretranslate --host 127.0.0.1 --port 5000 --disable-files-translation",
+      ExecStart: "#{venv}/bin/libretranslate --host 127.0.0.1 --port 5000 --disable-files-translation",
       Restart: "always"
     },
     Install: {