Python: Select Interpreter command doesn't work and is not saved

This morning after restarting extensions in my VS Code, my workspace is now broken. It is using the wrong Python interpreter and I cannot change it. I've been using uv to manage my virtual environments in my VS Code workspaces successfully up to now.

I'm trying to reset my Python interpreter for my workspace back to what it was using Python: Select Interpreter. It does not list the .venv folder that is right in the root of my workspace, which is also the root of my git repo. So I must go find it in the filesystem using the system file dialog:

After I change this to the correct .venv folder by "Enter interpreter path...", none of my library references are resolved. So I restart VS Code and reopen my workspace only to find this setting is set back to the system interpreter, /usr/bin/python! I've tried resetting the interpreter at both the workspace level and the individual folder level in the workspace, but they all get reset upon restart.

By the way, after restarting my extensions this morning, this section appeared in an otherwise empty .vscode/settings.json file in the root of my workspace/repo:

{
    "python-envs.pythonProjects": [
        {
            "path": "",
            "envManager": "ms-python.python:system",
            "packageManager": "ms-python.python:pip"
        }
    ]
}

There is no information about how to make this work for uv, and browsing the typescript code in this repo didn't offer any help. Documentation for python.defaultInterpreterPath says we should use VS Code's "internal storage" to set the Python Interpreter using the Python: Select Interpreter command.

My Python extension versions:

Python (ms-python.python): 2026.0.0
Python Environments (ms-python.vscode-python-envs): 1.17.10221016

VS Code Version:

Version: 1.108.1
Commit: 585eba7c0c34fd6b30faac7c62a42050bfbc0086
Date: 2026-01-14T14:55:44.241Z
Electron: 39.2.7
ElectronBuildId: 12953945
Chromium: 142.0.7444.235
Node.js: 22.21.1
V8: 14.2.231.21-electron.0
OS: Linux x64 6.8.0-1044-aws

After downgrading Python Environments extension to 1.16.0 by switching to Release Version (disabling Pre-Release), and deleting that auto-created .vscode/settings.json file, and then restarting extensions, all my library references are now resolved again in my workspace.

Same problem for about a week. I spent two-three hours troubleshooting with different settings in ./.vscode/settings.json and ./.vscode/*.code-workspace. Nothing worked.

By the way, after restarting my extensions this morning, this section appeared in an otherwise empty .vscode/settings.json file in the root of my workspace/repo:

{
"python-envs.pythonProjects": [
{
"path": "",
"envManager": "ms-python.python:system",
"packageManager": "ms-python.python:pip"
}
]
}

This information is clutch. Two things to note:

No matter what I put in path, the extension would create a new entry in the list for python:system with an empty path.
When I selected the venv in the GUI, the value would change to python:venv.

But after extension restart, if there were not already a list entry with python:system and a blank path, the extension would add a new item to the list.

I downgraded to release 1.16.0 due to the OP. The problem is gone. The extension does not create a ./.vscode/settings.json or add anything to .code-workspace.

I have just release version 1.20.1 which has substantial improvements. Can you try on this version and let me know if you see any improvement?

1.20.1 seems to have brought this issue to a stable release. Switching to pre-release or downgrading stable versions both did not resolve the issue. Not clear why, but the faulty settings.json continues to be created after downgrading, reloading extensions, and manually deleting the other version from ~/.vscode-server. Only solution I've found is to uninstall the extension entirely.

Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd)

Hey Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd), this issue might need further attention.

bitadmiral, you can help us out by closing this issue if the problem no longer exists, or adding more information.

Zachary Laborde (@Zach-Attach)

I've been using each successive pre-release without problems.

The following isn't formal troubleshooting, but the broad implications could help Zachary Laborde (@Zach-Attach) or anyone else experiencing a problem.

I guestimate I've created venv in ~10 projects in the last month, and I've used venv in at least 20 in the last month (see https://github.com/hunterhogan).
I've created venv with the extension, with uv sync, and at the command line with py -m venv.
Each project has between one and three venv.
I never use ".vscode/settings.json", so every time I observed that the extension created the file, I inspected the file. In every case, the path was correctly ".", not "".
Python versions include 3.14.2, 3.14.3, 3.13 (latest), and a locally built 3.14.3 with tail-call interpreter.

I have not downgraded to the stable version, so I don't know if my experience applies to it.

From my limited perspective, this issue is resolved. I hope the above helps others to find resolutions.

Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd)

Hey Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd), this issue might need further attention.

bitadmiral, you can help us out by closing this issue if the problem no longer exists, or adding more information.

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Python: Select Interpreter command doesn't work and is not saved #1115

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Python: Select Interpreter command doesn't work and is not saved #1115

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bitadmiral commented on Jan 22, 2026

hunterhogan commented on Jan 30, 2026

eleanorjboyd commented on Feb 23, 2026

Zach-Attach commented on Feb 24, 2026

github-actions commented on Mar 11, 2026

hunterhogan commented on Mar 11, 2026

github-actions commented on Mar 26, 2026

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