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Overwriting python.defaultInterpreterPath on first startup #1082

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microsoft/vscode-python
#25736
Closed
Overwriting python.defaultInterpreterPath on first startup#1082
microsoft/vscode-python
#25736
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eleanorjboyd
Labels
bugIssue identified by VS Code Team member as probable bugimportantIssue identified as high-priorityneeds PRverifiedVerification succeeded
Milestone
January 2026

Description

@jdegenstein
jdegenstein
opened on Jan 7, 2026

Firstly, I am not sure if this repo or https://github.com/microsoft/python-environment-tools is the correct place for this issue.

My setup is the following, prepared in CI and downloaded to my local machine :

  • Portable VSCode (1.107.1)
  • python-build-standalone (basically a portable python maintained by Astral.sh)
  • settings.json that has a full path to the python.exe interpreter set before first run of VSCode (via python.defaultInterpreterPath)
  • VSCode extensions:
    • Microsoft Python (v2025.20.1)
    • Microsoft Python Environments (v1.14.0)
    • ...

What happens is that this extension or pet.exe is overwriting python.defaultInterpreterPath with a system installation of python. This happens quickly during the first startup of VSCode.

I have verified that the above python.exe is working correctly and is accessible via the path set in settings.json. I am able to work around by setting "python.useEnvironmentsExtension": false. So far I have only tested on windows.

Activity

  1. github-actions
    added
    triage-needed
    on Jan 7, 2026
  2. Anthony Kim (anthonykim1)
    assigned
    Eleanor Boyd (eleanorjboyd)
    on Jan 7, 2026
  3. Anthony Kim (anthonykim1)
    added
    bugIssue identified by VS Code Team member as probable bug
    confirmation-pendingThe issue needs to be confirmed through a maintainer reproducing the bug.
    and removed
    triage-needed
    on Jan 7, 2026
  4. Eleanor Boyd (eleanorjboyd)
    added
    importantIssue identified as high-priority
    triage-needed
    and removed
    confirmation-pendingThe issue needs to be confirmed through a maintainer reproducing the bug.
    on Jan 13, 2026

  5. eleanorjboyd commented on Jan 14, 2026

    @eleanorjboyd
    Eleanor Boyd (eleanorjboyd)
    on Jan 14, 2026
    Contributor

    able to repro but in a very weird set of steps...

    The video caught it but here is it written:

    1. set it
    2. restart vs code
    3. was still set right on open
    4. close the settings editor
    5. reopen the settings editor
    6. the defaultInterpreterPath was changed
    override-defaultInterpreter.mov
  6. Eleanor Boyd (eleanorjboyd)
    closed this as completedin vscode-python#25736on Jan 27, 2026

  7. jdegenstein commented on Jan 27, 2026

    @jdegenstein
    jdegenstein
    on Jan 27, 2026
    Author

    Thank you!

  8. pull
    added a commit that references this issue on Jan 27, 2026

    remove method to update defaultInterpreterPath on env ext environmen…

    0b477a3
  9. Matt Bierner (mjbvz)
    added this to the January 2026 milestone on Jan 30, 2026
  10. Karthik Nadig (karthiknadig)
    added
    needs PR
    and removed
    triage-needed
    on Feb 2, 2026
  11. Raymond Zhao (rzhao271)
    added
    verifiedVerification succeeded
    on Feb 4, 2026
  12. github-actions
    locked as resolved and limited conversation to collaborators on Apr 26, 2026
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