Debugging Python File with Conda Environment Results in Permission Denied

[rm3028]

Hi,

When I try to debug a Python file using the Conda environment detected by the VS Code Python extension, it seems to use an incorrect configuration. The console shows the following automatically generated command and results in a Permission denied error:

/usr/bin/env /home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310 /home/jovyan/.vscode-server/extensions/ms-python.debugpy-2025.10.0-linux-x64/bundled/libs/debugpy/adapter/../../debugpy/launcher 40869 -- /home/jovyan/test.py
/usr/bin/env: ‘/home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310’: Permission denied

It appears that the extension tries to run the environment path itself as a command, which fails because it is a directory, not an executable.

The correct behavior should be to execute the Python binary like this:

/usr/bin/env /home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310/bin/python ...

Could you please help me fix or work around this issue?

Thanks!

[ntwyman]

I too ran into this issue and just spent most of a day tracking down what broke my debugging environment which was working.

Work around for me is to un-install the python–environments extension

[randalvance]

No need to uninstall, but just add this to your settings.json file

"python.useEnvironmentsExtensions": false

We encounter this too but using poetry. It's not specific to Conda environment.

[beck3905]

I ran into this issue with venv also. My project uses Poetry to manage dependencies and environments and it creates a .venv folder in the local repository with my Python environment. When I try to debug I see an error that shows the /usr/bin/env command failed with permission denied error to my .venv folder. When I disabled the Python Environments extension I was able to debug just fine and the terminal command showed the full path to .venv/bin/python instead of just the path to .venv.

[eleanorjboyd]

Hello- thank you for creating this issue. I will look into why we are including the wrong path when you begin to debug

[eleanorjboyd]

Hi! Looking into this, can you run the command "Python: Run Python Environment Tool (PET) in Terminal" from the command palette then search your logs for the environment path you are focused on. You should see something like this which lists the executable, could you check here and let me know if this one is right? Secondly what machine type are you on? I am exploring another issue with spaces in the executable which could potentially impact you here too

[rm3028]

Hi @eleanorjboyd! I'm on Ubuntu 20.04, x86_64 architecture.
Below are my "Python: Run Python Environment Tool (PET) in Terminal" logs:

Environment (Conda)
   Name        : py310
   Executable  : /home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310/bin/python
   Version     : 3.10.18
   Prefix      : /home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310
   Architecture: x64
   Manager     : Conda, /home/jovyan/.conda/bin/conda
   Symlinks    : "/home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310/bin/python"
               : "/home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310/bin/python3"
               : "/home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310/bin/python3.1"
               : "/home/jovyan/.conda/envs/py310/bin/python3.10"

[beck3905]

Hi @eleanorjboyd The path for the executable in my .venv folder looks correct and is pointing at .venv/bin/python. I'm on MacOS 15.6.

[eleanorjboyd]

Thank you for checking! This is very useful and narrows down where the problem could be, I will investigate more.

[eleanorjboyd]

Still investigating this- currently unable to reproduce myself or find code that I would suspect could cause this problem. Just to clarify so I have all the right info:

1. You are clicking the button "debug file" like this right? (Not the button which uses launch.json)

2. If you go to the Python icon in the sidebar, find your environment, then click this "copy environment path" button, does that point to the executable or the folder?

3. If you un-install the python environments extension the problem goes away right?

[beck3905]

@eleanorjboyd I ran into the issue clicking on a specific test either in the editor gutter or in the test explorer panel and choosing debug test. I'm not familiar with the view in image 1.

I didn't have to uninstall the extension. I just unchecked the box in settings.

[ntwyman]

Eleanor, 1. I have this happen when I am trying to debug tests, so when I run tests within the testing environment, e.g. the middle of the 3 icons to to the right of the test module in the image below. <img width="668" height="249" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/28ff5dde-0fdf-45c7-93ed-4d64f1bf733f" /> 2. Copy environment path returns `conda run --live-stream --name asm python` <img width="659" height="312" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/56eaf72e-fdd6-4808-a5b9-ad9a25509629" /> 3. If I uninstall the python environments extension and select the conda asm environment "manually" everything works as I would expect.

[beck3905]

@eleanorjboyd Just confirmed your question 2 that when I copy the environment path it is the full path to the python interpreter and not the .venv folder path. Thank you for digging into this.

[ntwyman]

I also confirmed that simply disabling the extension and restarting extensions makes the problem go away.

Environment (Conda)
   Name        : asm
   Executable  : /opt/anaconda3/envs/asm/bin/python
   Version     : 3.12.9
   Prefix      : /opt/anaconda3/envs/asm
   Architecture: x64
   Manager     : Conda, /opt/anaconda3/bin/conda
   Symlinks    : "/opt/anaconda3/envs/asm/bin/python"
               : "/opt/anaconda3/envs/asm/bin/python3"
               : "/opt/anaconda3/envs/asm/bin/python3.1"
               : "/opt/anaconda3/envs/asm/bin/python3.12"