Python settings reference

The Python Extension for Visual Studio Code is highly configurable. This page describes the key settings you can work with.

For general information about working with settings in VS Code, refer to User and workspace settings, as well as the Variables reference for information about predefined variable support.

General Python settings

Setting (python.)	Default	Description
condaPath	"conda"	Path to the conda executable.
defaultInterpreterPath	"python"	Path to the default Python interpreter to be used by the Python extension on the first time it loads for a workspace, or the path to a folder containing the Python interpreter. Can use variables like ${workspaceFolder} and ${workspaceFolder}/.venv. Using a path to a folder allows anyone working with a project to create an environment in the .venv folder as appropriate to their operating system, rather than having to specify an exact platform-dependent path. settings.json file can then be included in a source code repository. Note: Changes to this setting made after an interpreter has been selected for a workspace will not be applied or considered by the Python extension. As well, the Python extension doesn't automatically add or change this setting.
pipenvPath	"pipenv"	Path to the pipenv executable to use for activation.
disableInstallationCheck	false	If set to true, disables a warning from the extension if no Python interpreter is installed. On macOS, also disables a warning that appears if you're using the OS-installed Python interpreter. It's generally recommended to install a separate interpreter on macOS.
venvFolders	[]	Paths to folders where virtual environments are created. Depending on the virtualization tool used, it can be the project itself: ${workspaceFolder}, or separate folders for all virtual environments located side by side: .\envs, ~/.virtualenvs, and so on.
envFile	"${workspaceFolder}/ .env"	Absolute path to a file containing environment variable definitions. See Configuring Python environments - environment variable definitions file.
globalModuleInstallation	false	Specifies whether to install packages for the current user only using the --user command-line argument (the default), or to install for all users in the global environment (when set to true). Ignored when using a virtual environment. For more information on the --userargument, see pip - User Installs.
poetryPath	"poetry"	Specifies the location of the Poetry dependency manager executable, if installed. The default value "poetry" assumes the executable is in the current path. The Python extension uses this setting to install packages when Poetry is available and there's a poetry.lock file in the workspace folder.
terminal.launchArgs	[]	Launch arguments that are given to the Python interpreter when you run a file using commands such as Python: Run Python File in Terminal. In the launchArgs list, each item is a top-level command-line element that's separated by a space (quoted values that contain spaces are a single top-level element and are thus one item in the list). For example, for the arguments --a --b --c {"value1" : 1, "value2" : 2}, the list items should be ["--a", "--b", "--c", "{\"value1\" : 1, \"value2\" : 2}\""]. Note that Visual Studio code ignores this setting when debugging because it instead uses arguments from your selected debugging configuration in launch.json.
terminal.executeInFileDir	false	Indicates whether to run a file in the file's directory instead of the current folder.
terminal.activateEnvironment	true	Indicates whether to automatically activate the environment you select using the Python: Select Interpreter command when a new terminal is created. For example, when this setting is true and you select a virtual environment, the extension automatically runs the environment's activate command when creating a new terminal (source env/bin/activate on macOS/Linux; env\scripts\activate on Windows).
terminal.activateEnvInCurrentTerminal	false	Specifies whether to activate the currently open terminal when the Python extension is activated, using the virtual environment selected.
logging.level	error	Specifies the level of logging to be performed by the extension. The possible levels of logging, in increasing level of information provided, are off, error, warn, info, and debug. When set to off, which is not recommended, basic information will still be shown such as startup information and commands run by the Python extension. At the error level, basic information and errors will be shown. At the warn level, basic, error, and warning information will be shown. At the info level, basic, error, warning, and additional information like method execution times and return values will be shown. At this time, the debug level doesn't display additional information.

Code analysis settings

IntelliSense engine settings

Note: If you have never changed your language server setting, your language server is set to Pylance via the “Default” setting value.

Setting (python.)	Default	Description
languageServer	Default	Defines type of the language server (Default, Pylance, Jedi, and None).

Python Language Server settings

Pylance Language Server

The language server settings apply when python.languageServer is Pylance or Default. If you have difficulties with the language server, see Troubleshooting in the language server repository.

Setting (python.analysis.)	Default	Description
typeCheckingMode	off	Specifies the level of type checking analysis to perform. Available values are off, basic, and strict. When set to off no type checking analysis is conducted; unresolved imports/variables diagnostics are produced. When set to basic non-type checking-related rules (all rules in off), as well as basic type checking rules are used. When set to strict all type checking rules at the highest severity of error (including all rules in off and basic categories) are used.
diagnosticMode	openFilesOnly	Specifies what code files the language server analyzes for problems. Available values are workspace and openFilesOnly.
stubPath	./typings	Specifies a path to a directory that contains custom type stubs. Each package's type stub file(s) are expected to be in its own subdirectory.
autoSearchPaths	true	Indicates whether to automatically add search paths based on some predefined names (like src). Available values are true and false.
extraPaths	[]	Specifies extra search paths for import resolution. Paths should be specified as strings and must be separated by commas when there are multiple paths. ["path 1","path 2"]
completeFunctionParens	false	Adds parentheses to function completions. Accepted values are true and false.
useLibraryCodeForTypes	true	Parses the source code for a package when a type stub is not found. Available values are true and false.
autoImportCompletions	true	Controls the offering of auto-imports in completions. Available values are true and false.
diagnosticSeverityOverrides	{}	Allows a user to override the severity levels for individual diagnostics. For each rule, the available severity levels are error (red squiggle), warning (yellow squiggle), information (blue squiggle), and none (rule disabled). For information about the keys to use for the diagnostic severity rules, see the Diagnostic severity rules section below.

Note: Similar to the core Python extension, Pylance has an Insiders program that offers early access to new features and improvements. To enable the Insiders program, set pylance.insidersChannel to daily. This setting enables a daily check for new builds. At startup or when the Insiders setting is changed, Pylance will automatically update and prompt you to reload. To leave the Insiders program, just remove the setting, or explicitly set it to off instead. You might be prompted to downgrade your extension to the latest stable version.

Diagnostic severity rules

This section details all the available rules that can be customized using the python.analysis.diagnosticSeverityOverrides setting as shown in the following example.

{
  "python.analysis.diagnosticSeverityOverrides": {
    "reportUnboundVariable": "information",
    "reportImplicitStringConcatenation": "warning"
  }
}

Value	Description
reportGeneralTypeIssues	Diagnostics for general type inconsistencies, unsupported operations, argument/parameter mismatches, etc. This covers all of the basic type-checking rules not covered by other rules. It does not include syntax errors.
reportPropertyTypeMismatch	Diagnostics for properties where the type of the value passed to the setter is not assignable to the value returned by the getter. Such mismatches violate the intended use of properties, which are meant to act like variables.
reportPropertyTypeMismatch	Diagnostics for member accesses on functions.
reportMissingImports	Diagnostics for imports that have no corresponding imported python file or type stub file.
reportMissingModuleSource	Diagnostics for imports that have no corresponding source file. This happens when a type stub is found, but the module source file was not found, indicating that the code may fail at runtime when using this execution environment. Type checking will be done using the type stub.
reportMissingTypeStubs	Diagnostics for imports that have no corresponding type stub file (either a typeshed file or a custom type stub). The type checker requires type stubs to do its best job at analysis.
reportImportCycles	Diagnostics for cyclical import chains. These are not errors in Python, but they do slow down type analysis and often hint at architectural layering issues. Generally, they should be avoided.
reportUnusedImport	Diagnostics for an imported symbol that is not referenced within that file.
reportUnusedClass	Diagnostics for a class with a private name (starting with an underscore) that is not accessed.
reportUnusedFunction	Diagnostics for a function or method with a private name (starting with an underscore) that is not accessed.
reportUnusedVariable	Diagnostics for a variable that is not accessed.
reportDuplicateImport	Diagnostics for an imported symbol or module that is imported more than once.
reportWildcardImportFromLibrary	Diagnostics for a wildcard import from an external library.
reportOptionalSubscript	Diagnostics for an attempt to subscript (index) a variable with an Optional type.
reportOptionalMemberAccess	Diagnostics for an attempt to access a member of a variable with an Optional type.
reportOptionalCall	Diagnostics for an attempt to call a variable with an Optional type.
reportOptionalIterable	Diagnostics for an attempt to use an Optional type as an iterable value (e.g. within a for statement).
reportOptionalContextManager	Diagnostics for an attempt to use an Optional type as a context manager (as a parameter to a with statement).
reportOptionalOperand	Diagnostics for an attempt to use an Optional type as an operand to a binary or unary operator (like '+', '==', 'or', 'not').
reportUntypedFunctionDecorator	Diagnostics for function decorators that have no type annotations. These obscure the function type, defeating many type analysis features.
reportUntypedClassDecorator	Diagnostics for class decorators that have no type annotations. These obscure the class type, defeating many type analysis features.
reportUntypedBaseClass	Diagnostics for base classes whose type cannot be determined statically. These obscure the class type, defeating many type analysis features.
reportUntypedNamedTuple	Diagnostics when “namedtuple” is used rather than “NamedTuple”. The former contains no type information, whereas the latter does.
reportPrivateUsage	Diagnostics for incorrect usage of private or protected variables or functions. Protected class members begin with a single underscore _ and can be accessed only by subclasses. Private class members begin with a double underscore but do not end in a double underscore and can be accessed only within the declaring class. Variables and functions declared outside of a class are considered private if their names start with either a single or double underscore, and they cannot be accessed outside of the declaring module.
reportConstantRedefinition	Diagnostics for attempts to redefine variables whose names are all-caps with underscores and numerals.
reportIncompatibleMethodOverride	Diagnostics for methods that override a method of the same name in a base class in an incompatible manner (wrong number of parameters, incompatible parameter types, or incompatible return type).
reportIncompatibleVariableOverride	Diagnostics for class variable declarations that override a symbol of the same name in a base class with a type that is incompatible with the base class symbol type.
reportInvalidStringEscapeSequence	Diagnostics for invalid escape sequences used within string literals. The Python specification indicates that such sequences will generate a syntax error in future versions.
reportUnknownParameterType	Diagnostics for input or return parameters for functions or methods that have an unknown type.
reportUnknownArgumentType	Diagnostics for call arguments for functions or methods that have an unknown type.
reportUnknownLambdaType	Diagnostics for input or return parameters for lambdas that have an unknown type.
reportUnknownVariableType	Diagnostics for variables that have an unknown type.
reportUnknownMemberType	Diagnostics for class or instance variables that have an unknown type.
reportMissingTypeArgument	Diagnostics for when a generic class is used without providing explicit or implicit type arguments.
reportInvalidTypeVarUse	Diagnostics for improper use of type variables in a function signature.
reportCallInDefaultInitializer	Diagnostics for function calls within a default value initialization expression. Such calls can mask expensive operations that are performed at module initialization time.
reportUnnecessaryIsInstance	Diagnostics for 'isinstance' or 'issubclass' calls where the result is statically determined to be always true or always false. Such calls are often indicative of a programming error.
reportUnnecessaryCast	Diagnostics for 'cast' calls that are statically determined to be unnecessary. Such calls are sometimes indicative of a programming error.
reportAssertAlwaysTrue	Diagnostics for 'assert' statement that will probably always assert. This can be indicative of a programming error.
reportSelfClsParameterName	Diagnostics for a missing or misnamed “self” parameter in instance methods and “cls” parameter in class methods. Instance methods in metaclasses (classes that derive from “type”) are allowed to use “cls” for instance methods.
reportImplicitStringConcatenation	Diagnostics for two or more string literals that follow each other, indicating an implicit concatenation. This is considered a bad practice and often masks bugs such as missing commas.
reportUndefinedVariable	Diagnostics for undefined variables.
reportUnboundVariable	Diagnostics for unbound and possibly unbound variables.
reportInvalidStubStatement	Diagnostics for statements that should not appear within a stub file.
reportUnusedCallResult	Diagnostics for call expressions whose results are not consumed and are not None.
reportUnsupportedDunderAll	Diagnostics for unsupported operations performed on __all__.
reportUnusedCoroutine	Diagnostics for call expressions that return a Coroutine and whose results are not consumed.

Jedi Language Server

The language server settings apply when python.languageServer is Jedi.

Setting	Default	Description
jediPath	""	Path to folder containing the Jedi library (folder should contain a jedi subfolder).
jediMemoryLimit	0	Memory limit for the Jedi completion engine in megabytes. Zero (the default) means 1024 MB. -1 disables the memory limit check.

AutoComplete settings

Setting (python.autoComplete.)	Default	Description	See also
extraPaths	[]	Specifies locations of additional packages for which to load autocomplete data.	Editing

Formatting settings

Setting (python.formatting.)	Default	Description	See also
provider	"autopep8"	Specifies the formatter to use, either "autopep8", "black", or "yapf".	Editing - Formatting
autopep8Path	"autopep8"	Path to autopep8	Editing - Formatting
autopep8Args	[]	Arguments for autopep8, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Editing - Formatting
blackPath	"black"	Path to black	Editing - Formatting
blackArgs	[]	Arguments for black, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Editing - Formatting
yapfPath	"yapf"	Path to yapf	Editing - Formatting
yapfArgs	[]	Arguments for yapf, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Editing - Formatting

Refactoring - Sort Imports settings

Setting (python.sortImports.)	Default	Description	See also
path	""	Path to isort script	Editing - Refactoring - Sort Imports
args	[]	Arguments for isort, each argument as a separate item in the array.	Editing - Refactoring - Sort Imports

Linting settings

General linting

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
enabled	true	Specifies whether to enable linting in general.	Linting
lintOnSave	true	Specifies whether to lint when saving a file.	Linting
maxNumberOfProblems	100	Limits the number of linting messages shown.	Linting
ignorePatterns	[".vscode/*.py", "**/site-packages/**/*.py"]	Exclude file and folder patterns.	Linting

Pylint

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
pylintEnabled	true	Specifies whether to enable Pylint.	Linting
pylintArgs	[]	Additional arguments for Pylint, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Linting
pylintPath	"pylint"	The path to Pylint.	Linting
pylintCategorySeverity.convention	"Information"	Mapping for Pylint convention message to VS Code type.	Linting
pylintCategorySeverity.refactor	"Hint"	Mapping for Pylint refactor message to VS Code type.	Linting
pylintCategorySeverity.warning	"Warning"	Mapping for Pylint warning message to VS Code type.	Linting
pylintCategorySeverity.error	"Error"	Mapping for Pylint error message to VS Code type.	Linting
pylintCategorySeverity.fatal	"Error"	Mapping for Pylint fatal message to VS Code type.	Linting

pycodestyle (pep8)

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
pycodestyleEnabled	false	Specifies whether to enable pycodestyle.	Linting
pycodestyleArgs	[]	Additional arguments for pycodestyle, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Linting
pycodestylePath	"pycodestyle"	The path to pycodestyle.	Linting
pycodestyleCategorySeverity.W	"Warning"	Mapping for pycodestyle W message to VS Code type.	Linting
pycodestyleCategorySeverity.E	"Error"	Mapping for pycodestyle E message to VS Code type.	Linting

Flake8

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
flake8Enabled	false	Specifies whether to enable flake8.	Linting
flake8Args	[]	Additional arguments for flake8, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Linting
flake8Path	"flake8"	The path to flake8.	Linting
flake8CategorySeverity.F	"Error"	Mapping for flake8 F message to VS Code type.	Linting
flake8CategorySeverity.E	"Error"	Mapping for flake8 E message to VS Code type.	Linting
flake8CategorySeverity.W	"Warning"	Mapping for flake8 W message to VS Code type.	Linting

mypy

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
mypyEnabled	false	Specifies whether to enable mypy.	Linting
mypyArgs	["--ignore-missing-imports", "--follow-imports=silent"]	Additional arguments for mypy, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Linting
mypyPath	"mypy"	The path to mypy.	Linting
mypyCategorySeverity.error	"Error"	Mapping for mypy error message to VS Code type.	Linting
mypyCategorySeverity.note	"Information"	Mapping for mypy note message to VS Code type.	Linting

pydocstyle

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
pydocstyleEnabled	false	Specifies whether to enable pydocstyle.	Linting
pydocstyleArgs	[]	Additional arguments for pydocstyle, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Linting
pydocstylePath	"pydocstyle"	The path to pydocstyle.	Linting

prospector

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
prospectorEnabled	false	Specifies whether to enable prospector.	Linting
prospectorArgs	[]	Additional arguments for prospector, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Linting
prospectorPath	"prospector"	The path to prospector.	Linting

pylama

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
pylamaEnabled	false	Specifies whether to enable pylama.	Linting
pylamaArgs	[]	Additional arguments for pylama, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Linting
pylamaPath	"pylama"	The path to pylama.	Linting

bandit

Setting (python.linting.)	Default	Description	See also
banditEnabled	false	Specifies whether to enable bandit.	Linting
banditArgs	[]	Additional arguments for bandit, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Linting
banditPath	"bandit"	The path to bandit.	Linting

Testing settings

General testing

Setting (python.testing.)	Default	Description	See also
cwd	null	Specifies an optional working directory for tests.	Testing
promptToConfigure	true	Specifies whether VS Code prompts to configure a test framework if potential tests are discovered.	Testing
debugPort	3000	Port number used for debugging of unittest tests.	Testing
autoTestDiscoverOnSaveEnabled	true	Specifies whether to enable or disable auto run test discovery when saving a test file.	Testing

unittest framework

Setting (python.testing.)	Default	Description	See also
unittestEnabled	false	Specifies whether unittest is enabled for testing.	Testing
unittestArgs	["-v", "-s", ".", "-p", "*test*.py"]	Arguments to pass to unittest, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list.	Testing

pytest framework

Setting (python.testing.)	Default	Description	See also
pytestEnabled	false	Specifies whether pytest is enabled for testing.	Testing
pytestPath	"pytest"	Path to pytest. Use a full path if pytest is located outside the current environment.	Testing
pytestArgs	[]	Arguments to pass to pytest, where each top-level element that's separated by a space is a separate item in the list. When debugging tests with pytest-cov installed, include --no-cov in these arguments.	Testing

Predefined variables

The Python extension settings support predefined variables. Similar to the general VS Code settings, variables use the ${variableName} syntax. Specifically, the extension supports the following variables:

• ${cwd} - the task runner's current working directory on startup

• ${workspaceFolder} - the path of the folder opened in VS Code

• ${workspaceRootFolderName} - the name of the folder opened in VS Code without any slashes (/)

• ${workspaceFolderBasename} - the name of the folder opened in VS Code without any slashes (/)

• ${file} - the current opened file

• ${relativeFile} - the current opened file relative to workspaceFolder

• ${relativeFileDirname} - the current opened file's dirname relative to workspaceFolder

• ${fileBasename} - the current opened file's basename

• ${fileBasenameNoExtension} - the current opened file's basename with no file extension

• ${fileDirname} - the current opened file's dirname

• ${fileExtname} - the current opened file's extension

• ${lineNumber} - the current selected line number in the active file

• ${selectedText} - the current selected text in the active file

• ${execPath} - the path to the running VS Code executable

For additional information about predefined variables and example usages, see the Variables reference in the general VS Code docs.

Next steps

• Python environments - Control which Python interpreter is used for editing and debugging.
• Editing code - Learn about autocomplete, IntelliSense, formatting, and refactoring for Python.
• Linting - Enable, configure, and apply a variety of Python linters.
• Debugging - Learn to debug Python both locally and remotely.
• Testing - Configure test environments and discover, run, and debug tests.