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Create Environment → Global fails with "Failed to fetch available Python versions" when uv is not installed #1832
Description
Environment data
- Python Environments extension version: 1.38.0
- Python extension (
ms-python.python) version: 2026.4.0 - VS Code version (Help → About): 1.139.1
- OS and version: macOS 27.0 and Windows 11 25H2 (both fresh VMs)
- Python version: 3.14.7 from python.org
- Environment manager in use: system; uv is not installed
- Remote / container scenario: none
- Workspace type: single folder
Repro Steps
- On a machine without uv, open a folder with a
.pyfile. - Run "Python: Create Environment".
- Choose Global.
Expected behavior
It installs uv first, or tells me uv is required.
Actual behavior
"Failed to fetch available Python versions", and nothing else happens. Same on macOS and Windows.
Logs
Nothing shows in the Python Environments output channel, even at Trace.
Additional context
Looks like the version list is fetched with uv python list before the step that installs uv, so without uv it can never get that far.
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StellaHuang95 commentedon Sep 28, 2026
Thanks for reporting the issue. This one goes back to #1832 where
SysPythonManager.create()in sysPythonManager.ts callsselectPythonVersionToInstall()first, which runsuv python listviagetAvailablePythonVersions()with noisUvInstalled()gate.So without uv the spawn fails and the handler silently returns
[], you get "Failed to fetch available Python versions".Eleanor Boyd (@eleanorjboyd) I see you have a draft PR open for this, would you like to keep it?
uv: install uv before listing Python versions
uv: install uv before listing Python versions
uv: install uv before listing Python versions
uv: install uv before listing Python versions (microsoft#1834)