python: offer to install uv when creating a venv, and honor allowUvPythonInstall by midleman · Pull Request #16511 · posit-dev/positron

midleman · 2026-10-07T20:18:21Z

Creating a venv with uv no longer fails when uv isn't installed. Positron offers to install uv first, unless python.allowUvPythonInstall is off.

Create Environment wizard and the requirements.txt / pyproject.toml popup offer to install uv
With the setting off, Positron never installs uv, and its error notification links to the setting
With the setting off and uv missing, Create Environment and the New Folder flow don't offer uv
With the setting off, the Python: Install Python via uv command is hidden from the Command Palette
Setting description now says it covers installing uv

Demo - uv install off/disabled

uv-install-off.mp4

Demo - uv install on/enabled

uv-install-on.mp4

Updated setting veribage

Release Notes

New Features

N/A

Bug Fixes

Creating a venv with uv now offers to install uv when it's missing (python interpreters: install uv from the "create venv from file" notification #16192)

Validation Steps

@:interpreter @:new-folder-flow

Without uv installed, create a venv with uv from the wizard or the requirements.txt popup: you're asked to install uv, then the .venv is created.
Set python.allowUvPythonInstall to false (uv still missing): uv isn't listed in Create Environment or the New Folder flow's Environment Creation dropdown.
With python.allowUvPythonInstall still false, Python: Install Python via uv isn't in the Command Palette.

Picking uv to create an environment without uv installed failed with "Error while creating virtual environment". The uv provider now asks to install uv first, and the requirements.txt / pyproject.toml prompt offers uv (installing it on Yes) whenever python.allowUvPythonInstall is on. Fixes #16192

ensureUvInstalled now refuses to install uv when python.allowUvPythonInstall is off, covering the Create Environment wizard, the New Folder flow's Install uv button, the global environment command and installPythonViaUv. The setting description now says it covers installing uv, not just the interpreter picker.

github-actions · 2026-10-07T20:18:50Z

E2E Tests 🚀
This PR will run tests tagged with: @:critical @:interpreter @:new-folder-flow @:console

Why these tags?

Tag	Source
`@:critical`	Always runs (required)
`@:interpreter`	PR description
`@:new-folder-flow`	PR description
`@:console`	Changed files

More on automatic tags from changed files.

^readme ^{valid tags}

midleman · 2026-10-07T20:31:33Z

/explore

github-actions · 2026-10-07T20:32:31Z

🔎 Exploratory testing f0e1067

1 moderate · 2 minor
View report →

…lder dropdown text

midleman · 2026-10-08T02:05:38Z

🔎 Exploratory testing f0e1067

1 moderate · 2 minor View report →

I fixed this... when uv is not installed and python.allowUvPythonInstall is off, uv no longer appears as a choice:

Python: Create Environment now shows only Venv and Conda.
The New Folder flow's Environment Creation dropdown drops uv as well, since it reads the same list.
The requirements.txt popup path is covered too. With the setting off, clicking Yes opens that same wizard, which now has no uv option.

If uv is already installed, it's still listed (first, as before). The setting only stops Positron from installing uv, not from using an existing one.

uv is no longer offered when it is missing and python.allowUvPythonInstall is off, so the step never reaches the disabled state.

dhruvisompura · 2026-10-09T17:55:13Z

@midleman @isabelizimm Why are we showing the "Python: Install Python via uv" command in the command palette when the python.allowUvPythonInstall is off? I feel like we should hide that option too. It seems safe to assume a user wouldn't want to see that if they have explicitly disabled the setting. Am I missing something here?

dhruvisompura · 2026-10-09T17:57:22Z

    "python.environmentProviders.enabled.markdownDescription": "Configures which Python environment providers are enabled in Positron. Check the box to enable or uncheck the box to disable an environment provider.\n\nRequires a restart to take effect.",
    "python.environmentProviders.enable.markdownDeprecationMessage": "Deprecated. Use `#python.environmentProviders.enabled#` instead.",
-    "python.allowUvPythonInstall.markdownDescription": "Allow installing Python via uv from the interpreter picker. When enabled, shows an option to install Python using [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) if no suitable Python interpreter is found.",
+    "python.allowUvPythonInstall.markdownDescription": "Allow Positron to install [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) and to install Python with uv. When disabled, Positron does not offer to install uv anywhere, and the interpreter picker does not offer to install Python with uv.",


and the interpreter picker does not offer to install Python with uv.

Is the video in the PR description out of date? It shows the opposite of what the setting description says

fixed, see #16511 (comment)

midleman · 2026-10-09T18:25:39Z

@midleman @isabelizimm Why are we showing the "Python: Install Python via uv" command in the command palette when the python.allowUvPythonInstall is off? I feel like we should hide that option too. It seems safe to assume a user wouldn't want to see that if they have explicitly disabled the setting. Am I missing something here?

That's a valid question. I assume it's hideable under that circumstance? If we confirm that's what we want, I can make that update. 👍

… command

midleman · 2026-10-09T19:18:56Z

@dhruvisompura, i made a few updates:

hid the Python: Install Python via uv command from the command palette when the setting is off
updated the setting description: when it's off, Positron doesn't offer to install uv or to install Python with uv anywhere
re-recorded both videos (and added a setting screenshot) in the PR description

…r doc (#16574) ### Summary One command now runs a whole exploratory test, locally and in CI, and the verifier flags findings that match issues closed as not planned. - `pipeline.mjs run` runs explore, verify, isolate and edit in order; locally each agent is a `claude -p` session. - CI now isolates UNRESOLVED findings, and both sides retry a failed verifier once. - Local runs show cost on the Run tile, stream a live feed to the shell, and take a time limit you can change mid-run. - The verifier shows an advisory "Intended?" column for findings matching not-planned issues. - New `CONTRIBUTING.md` maps what to edit for each kind of change; bumped to 1.57. ### Release Notes #### New Features - N/A #### Bug Fixes - N/A ### Validation Steps CI run on #16511 passed ([run](https://github.com/posit-dev/positron/actions/runs/37990923444)); the CI isolator path is still untested against a real agent.

dhruvisompura

🚀

midleman added 2 commits October 7, 2026 13:35

new folder flow: hide Install uv when allowUvPythonInstall is off

f0e1067

midleman added 2 commits October 7, 2026 15:56

python: link the uv-install-disabled error to its setting; fix New Fo…

8a754d5

…lder dropdown text

python: hide uv from Create Environment when it can't be installed

4333d56

new folder flow: drop the uv-install-disabled callout

8bced5d

uv is no longer offered when it is missing and python.allowUvPythonInstall is off, so the step never reaches the disabled state.

midleman marked this pull request as ready for review October 8, 2026 14:42

midleman requested review from dhruvisompura and isabelizimm October 8, 2026 14:42

dhruvisompura reviewed Oct 9, 2026

View reviewed changes

midleman added 2 commits October 9, 2026 13:50

python: hide Install Python via uv when allowUvPythonInstall is off

eac9d4f

python: broaden allowUvPythonInstall description to cover the palette…

9e0cbdf

… command

midleman mentioned this pull request Oct 9, 2026

exploratory-test: not-planned matches, shared step runner, contributor doc #16574

Merged

dhruvisompura self-requested a review October 9, 2026 21:59

dhruvisompura approved these changes Oct 10, 2026

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python: offer to install uv when creating a venv, and honor allowUvPythonInstall - #16511

python: offer to install uv when creating a venv, and honor allowUvPythonInstall#16511
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Demo - uv install off/disabled

Demo - uv install on/enabled

Updated setting veribage

Release Notes

New Features

Bug Fixes

Validation Steps

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