ERROR: file:///C:/Users/hunte/AppData/Local/Programs/Microsoft%20VS%20Code%20Insiders does not appear to be a Python project

[hunterhogan]

Type: Bug

Select create environment, select quick create. Get failure message and output says

2025-04-29 19:22:27.915 [info] python: Obtaining file:///C:/Users/hunte/AppData/Local/Programs/Microsoft%20VS%20Code%20Insiders

2025-04-29 19:22:28.223 [info] python: ERROR: file:///C:/Users/hunte/AppData/Local/Programs/Microsoft%20VS%20Code%20Insiders does not appear to be a Python project: neither 'setup.py' nor 'pyproject.toml' found.

2025-04-29 19:22:28.487 [error] Error managing packages Failed to run python -m pip install -e c:\apps\mapFolding -e .[testing]
2025-04-29 19:22:28.487 [error] Failed to create virtual environment: Error: Failed to run python -m pip install -e c:\apps\mapFolding -e .[testing]

Extension version: 0.3.11191718
VS Code version: Code - Insiders 1.100.0-insider (ecbbe26188235072fbde7b6f4fd2a0bd6a7c9909, 2025-04-29T05:04:19.843Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100
Modes:

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with Radeon Graphics (16 x 1797)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled canvas_oop_rasterization: enabled_on direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: enabled_on rasterization: enabled raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_graphite: disabled_off video_decode: enabled video_encode: enabled vulkan: disabled_off webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled webgpu: enabled webnn: disabled_off
Load (avg)	undefined
Memory (System)	12.90GB (2.90GB free)
Process Argv
Screen Reader	no
VM	0%

[hunterhogan]

Python Environments.log

[karthiknadig]

@hunterhogan Did you trigger this from a workspace or with no-workspace open?

[hunterhogan]

I was using a workspace.

I don't have notes or logs from the other times this has happened, but I'll summarize some things I remember.

• If I create a venv, I always create a VS Code workspace file first because in my experience, VS Code is happier if I do it that way.
• I have installed and uninstalled this extension at least once but I think twice before. I uninstalled specifically because if I tried to install dependencies from my pyproject.toml file through the extension, it would always give me a failure notification. At the time, I didn't know how to gather more information about the failure, but at least once, I stumbled across the Output panel and it had a similar error message. I remember because I was confused and frustrated that the extension seemed (to me) to want to install my pyproject.toml from the extension's directory. These incidents were long enough ago that the "Quick Create" UX process did not exist: there was a drop-down with checkboxes.
• Then, as now, my workaround is to install the venv without installing packages.

[karthiknadig]

@hunterhogan Would it be possible to share the project that triggered this?

[hunterhogan]

Certainly, it has happened in other projects, but the first post in this issue-thread is from https://github.com/hunterhogan/mapFolding, which happens to be my least noob project.

New steps taken

1. Commit all changed files: GitHub matches my local repo.
2. Locally, delete (I don't normally dig for all pycache)
   1. C:\apps\mapFolding\mapFolding.egg-info
   2. C:\apps\mapFolding.venv
   3. C:\apps\mapFolding.pytest_cache
   4. C:\apps\mapFolding\mapFolding_pycache_
   5. C:\apps\mapFolding\mapFolding\someAssemblyRequired_pycache_
   6. C:\apps\mapFolding\mapFolding\syntheticModules_pycache_
   7. C:\apps\mapFolding\tests_pycache_
   8. C:\apps\mapFolding\tests\dataSamples\tmp
3. Restart VS Code Insiders
4. Check for update and extension updates

C:\apps\mapFolding>dir /b /ah
.git

C:\apps\mapFolding>dir /b    
.gitattributes
.github
.gitignore
.vscode
CC-BY-NC-4.0.svg
CITATION.cff
citations
LICENSE
mapFolding
mapFolding.code-workspace
pyproject.toml
pyprojectTemplate.toml
README.md
SECURITY.md
tests
typings
Z0Z_aOFn.py
Z0Z_computationTimes.py
Z0Z_count.py
Z0Z_countFolds.py
Z0Z_leafSequences.py
Z0Z_makeAstTools.py
Z0Z_notes
Z0Z_theDaoSequences.py

From panel

1. Click + to create
2. Hit [enter] to select Quick Create

output.log

C:\apps\mapFolding>dir /b /ah
.git

C:\apps\mapFolding>dir /b    
.gitattributes
.github
.gitignore
.venv
.vscode
CC-BY-NC-4.0.svg
CITATION.cff
citations
LICENSE
mapFolding
mapFolding.code-workspace
mapFolding.egg-info
pyproject.toml
pyprojectTemplate.toml
README.md
SECURITY.md
tests
typings
Z0Z_aOFn.py
Z0Z_computationTimes.py
Z0Z_count.py
Z0Z_countFolds.py
Z0Z_leafSequences.py
Z0Z_makeAstTools.py
Z0Z_notes
Z0Z_theDaoSequences.py

C:\apps\mapFolding>c:\apps\mapFolding\.venv\Scripts\activate.bat

(.venv) C:\apps\mapFolding>pip list
Package Version
------- -------
pip     25.0.1

(.venv) C:\apps\mapFolding>py -V
Python 3.13.3

env_var.log

Version: 1.100.0-insider (user setup)
Commit: 31609aa0cbb68173eaa27423bbabe74c4a163edd
Date: 2025-05-01T05:04:15.094Z
Electron: 34.5.1
ElectronBuildId: 11369351
Chromium: 132.0.6834.210
Node.js: 20.19.0
V8: 13.2.152.41-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100

Identifier
ms-python.vscode-python-envs
Version
0.3.11211009
Last Updated
2025-05-01, 07:21:30

Good luck!