diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f74820b3015..4219b33f78b 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -711,7 +711,9 @@ endforeach()
 # pip helpers for the pywarpx package #########################################
 #
 if(WarpX_PYTHON)
-    set(PYINSTALLOPTIONS "" CACHE STRING
+    set(PY_PIP_OPTIONS "-v" CACHE STRING
+        "Additional parameters to pass to `pip`")
+    set(PY_PIP_INSTALL_OPTIONS "" CACHE STRING
         "Additional parameters to pass to `pip install`")
 
     # ensure all targets are built before we package them in a wheel
@@ -735,7 +737,7 @@ if(WarpX_PYTHON)
         ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E rm -f -r warpx-whl
         COMMAND
             ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E env PYWARPX_LIB_DIR=$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:pyWarpX_${WarpX_DIMS_LAST}>
-                ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m pip wheel -v --no-build-isolation --no-deps --wheel-dir=warpx-whl ${WarpX_SOURCE_DIR}
+                ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m pip ${PY_PIP_OPTIONS} wheel --no-build-isolation --no-deps --wheel-dir=warpx-whl ${WarpX_SOURCE_DIR}
         WORKING_DIRECTORY
             ${WarpX_BINARY_DIR}
         DEPENDS
@@ -749,7 +751,7 @@ if(WarpX_PYTHON)
         set(pyWarpX_REQUIREMENT_FILE "requirements.txt")
     endif()
     add_custom_target(${WarpX_CUSTOM_TARGET_PREFIX}pip_install_requirements
-        ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m pip install ${PYINSTALLOPTIONS} -r "${WarpX_SOURCE_DIR}/${pyWarpX_REQUIREMENT_FILE}"
+        ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m pip ${PY_PIP_OPTIONS} install ${PY_PIP_INSTALL_OPTIONS} -r "${WarpX_SOURCE_DIR}/${pyWarpX_REQUIREMENT_FILE}"
         WORKING_DIRECTORY
             ${WarpX_BINARY_DIR}
     )
@@ -766,7 +768,7 @@ if(WarpX_PYTHON)
     # because otherwise pip would also force reinstall all dependencies.
     add_custom_target(${WarpX_CUSTOM_TARGET_PREFIX}pip_install
         ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E env WARPX_MPI=${WarpX_MPI}
-            ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m pip install --force-reinstall --no-index --no-deps ${PYINSTALLOPTIONS} --find-links=warpx-whl pywarpx
+            ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m pip ${PY_PIP_OPTIONS} install --force-reinstall --no-index --no-deps ${PY_PIP_INSTALL_OPTIONS} --find-links=warpx-whl pywarpx
         WORKING_DIRECTORY
             ${WarpX_BINARY_DIR}
         DEPENDS
@@ -779,7 +781,7 @@ if(WarpX_PYTHON)
     # this is for package managers only
     add_custom_target(${WarpX_CUSTOM_TARGET_PREFIX}pip_install_nodeps
         ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E env WARPX_MPI=${WarpX_MPI}
-            ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m pip install --force-reinstall --no-index --no-deps ${PYINSTALLOPTIONS} --find-links=warpx-whl pywarpx
+            ${Python_EXECUTABLE} -m pip ${PY_PIP_OPTIONS} install --force-reinstall --no-index --no-deps ${PY_PIP_INSTALL_OPTIONS} --find-links=warpx-whl pywarpx
         WORKING_DIRECTORY
             ${WarpX_BINARY_DIR}
         DEPENDS
diff --git a/Docs/source/install/cmake.rst b/Docs/source/install/cmake.rst
index fde927c10e1..79f49b5aad1 100644
--- a/Docs/source/install/cmake.rst
+++ b/Docs/source/install/cmake.rst
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ CMake Option                  Default & Values                             Descr
 ``CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE``          RelWithDebInfo/**Release**/Debug             `Type of build, symbols & optimizations <https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/variable/CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE.html>`__
 ``CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX``      system-dependent path                        `Install path prefix <https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/variable/CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX.html>`__
 ``CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE``    ON/**OFF**                                   `Print all compiler commands to the terminal during build <https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/variable/CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE.html>`__
-``PYINSTALLOPTIONS``                                                       Additional options for ``pip install``, e.g., ``-v --user``
 ``WarpX_APP``                 **ON**/OFF                                   Build the WarpX executable application
 ``WarpX_ASCENT``              ON/**OFF**                                   Ascent in situ visualization
 ``WarpX_COMPUTE``             NOACC/**OMP**/CUDA/SYCL/HIP                  On-node, accelerated computing backend
@@ -104,6 +103,9 @@ CMake Option                  Default & Values                             Descr
 ``WarpX_QED_TOOLS``           ON/**OFF**                                   Build external tool to generate QED lookup tables (requires PICSAR and Boost)
 ``WarpX_QED_TABLES_GEN_OMP``  **AUTO**/ON/OFF                              Enables OpenMP support for QED lookup tables generation
 ``WarpX_SENSEI``              ON/**OFF**                                   SENSEI in situ visualization
+``Python_EXECUTABLE``         (newest found)                               Path to Python executable
+``PY_PIP_OPTIONS``            ``-v``                                       Additional options for ``pip``, e.g., ``-vvv``
+``PY_PIP_INSTALL_OPTIONS``                                                 Additional options for ``pip install``, e.g., ``--user``
 ============================= ============================================ =========================================================
 
 WarpX can be configured in further detail with options from AMReX, which are documented in the AMReX manual:
@@ -239,7 +241,7 @@ Developers could now change the WarpX source code and then call the build line a
 .. tip::
 
    If you do *not* develop with :ref:`a user-level package manager <install-dependencies>`, e.g., because you rely on a HPC system's environment modules, then consider to set up a virtual environment via `Python venv <https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html>`__.
-   Otherwise, without a virtual environment, you likely need to add the CMake option ``-DPYINSTALLOPTIONS="--user"``.
+   Otherwise, without a virtual environment, you likely need to add the CMake option ``-DPY_PIP_INSTALL_OPTIONS="--user"``.
 
 
 .. _building-pip-python:
diff --git a/Regression/WarpX-tests.ini b/Regression/WarpX-tests.ini
index 549b671138c..dcf53b5cc98 100644
--- a/Regression/WarpX-tests.ini
+++ b/Regression/WarpX-tests.ini
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ branch = 24.08
 dir = /home/regtester/AMReX_RegTesting/warpx
 branch = development
 cmakeSetupOpts = -DAMReX_ASSERTIONS=ON -DAMReX_TESTING=ON -DWarpX_PYTHON_IPO=OFF -DpyAMReX_IPO=OFF
-# -DPYINSTALLOPTIONS="--disable-pip-version-check"
+# -DPY_PIP_INSTALL_OPTIONS="--disable-pip-version-check"
 
 # individual problems follow