Unable to debug under Arch Linux: "Python is not installed" / "You need to select a Python interpreter"

[mephinet]

Environment data

• VS Code version: 1.50.1
• Extension version (available under the Extensions sidebar): v2020.10.332292344
• OS and version: Arch Linux (rolling)
• Python version (& distribution if applicable, e.g. Anaconda): Python 3.8
• Type of virtual environment used (N/A | venv | virtualenv | conda | ...): n/a
• Relevant/affected Python packages and their versions: -
• Relevant/affected Python-related VS Code extensions and their versions: -
• Value of the python.languageServer setting: None

Expected behaviour

After setting the Python binary once, I'm able to run python scripts using F5.

Actual behaviour

When pressing F5, a window pops up: "You need to select a Python interpreter before you start debugging. Tip: ..."
When I click on "Select Python Interpreter", I see the current value (which correctly is /usr/bin/python). I enter /usr/bin/python, or /usr/bin/python3.8, and I'm immediately asked again, so I enter the same value again. No error is shown.
Then, when I press F5, the same window as before pops up again.

[karrtikr]

@mephinet I see you're using an older version of the extension. Can you try updating to the latest and see if it has the same problem?

[hwmrocker]

I have the same issue, can you give me a hint how to install a newer version?
I am also on Arch with the same version: v2020.10.332292344
When I click install another version it tells me this is the latest one, available since 4 days.

[ckc-dev]

@hwmrocker are you using the open source version of VS Code? The latest version of the Python extension on the open-vsx marketplace is 2020.10.332292344, whereas on Microsoft's marketplace it is 2020.11.358366026. I was having the same issue, but installing the proprietary version of VS Code solved it, so I imagine this is just a bug on the 2020.10.332292344 version of the extension.

Edit: I tested the 2020.10.332292344 version on proprietary VS Code and it worked normally.

[MathieuMorrissette]

This is caused by an issue with the latest version of electron (9.3.4) and vscode:

microsoft/vscode#110322

The workaround (downgrading electron) :
microsoft/vscode#110322 (comment)

[karthiknadig]

Related #9576

[JRDetwiler]

Can confirm that downgrading electron9 from 9.3.4 to 9.3.3 fixed the issue for me on Arch Linux. For others:

sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/electron9-9.3.3-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

(Or whichever earlier version you happen to have cached.)

[qs5779]

downgrading electron9 solved my python interpreter error, but now it complains that "Linter pylint is not installed".

[javiqm12]

same issue here on Arch Linux

[JRDetwiler]

downgrading electron9 solved my python interpreter error, but now it complains that "Linter pylint is not installed".

We're diverging from this GitHub issue, but pylint is a Python package. Did you check if it's installed in your Python environment?

[qs5779]

Yes, I did check. All was working well until the most recent Arch/Manjaro updates.

[JRDetwiler]

You might want to start a new issue then. My suspicion is the behavior I've seen recently where the extension always looks to the system Python first. You might want to install python-pylint for Manjaro and see if that gives you a workaround for now.

[Kastakin]

Following update electron9 9.3.5-1 it appears to be fixed on my machine, no more downgrading required.

[karrtikr]

Should be fixed in the latest release of extension.