**List of steps to reproduce** (step by step, including full links if applicable):
* Log into Toolforge and `become` your tool account
* Create a python virtual environment using your tool account: `python3 -m venv venv`
* Activate the venv: `. ~/venv/bin/activate`
* Install the `mysqlclient` package for python: `pip install mysqlclient`
* Try connecting to a #cloud-services Wikireplica database:
```lang=python
import MySQLdb
MySQLdb.connect(
"fawiki.web.db.svc.wikimedia.cloud",
db="fawiki_p",
read_default_file="~/replica.my.cnf")
```
**What happens?**:
An error message is shown:
```
MySQLdb._exceptions.OperationalError: (1045, "Access denied for user 'tools.huji'@'10.64.37.28' (using password: NO)")
```
**What should have happened instead?**:
You should be able to connect to the database
**Other useful information**:
I can connect to the Wikireplica DBs from the command line myself, e.g. using `sql fawiki_p`. This means the config file at `~/replica.my.cnf` contains correct information. I can also verify that after connecting to the DB, running `SELECT CURRENT_USER` returns the same user ID as found in the `replica.my.cnf` file.
Maybe the issue is that this file is not properly read or used by the Python MYSQLdb package? But it used to work until Stretch upgrade.