Add support for micromamba environments

Type: Bug

Behaviour

Expected vs. Actual

I expect the python: conda path setting to be used everywhere conda is called.
As can be seen from the logs, a plain conda call is used many times, and something tries to find python installations under ~\Miniconda3\..., which does not exist.
This results in that no environments are found, and pylance cannot find locally installed packages.

Steps to reproduce:

Uninstall conda if you have it.
Install micromamba
Set the conda path to point to micromamba

Diagnostic data

Python version (& distribution if applicable, e.g. Anaconda): 3.11.0
Type of virtual environment used (e.g. conda, venv, virtualenv, etc.): Conda
Value of the python.languageServer setting: Pylance

Output for Python in the Output panel

User Settings


condaPath: "C:\Users\carl4189\micromamba\condabin\micromamba.bat"

languageServer: "Pylance"

linting
• flake8Args: "<placeholder>"
• flake8Enabled: true
• pycodestyleArgs: "<placeholder>"
• pycodestyleEnabled: true
• pydocstyleEnabled: true

terminal
• activateEnvironment: false

Extension version: 2023.5.10791008
VS Code version: Code 1.76.2 (ee2b180d582a7f601fa6ecfdad8d9fd269ab1884, 2023-03-14T17:55:54.936Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19044
Modes:
Sandboxed: No

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10210U CPU @ 1.60GHz (8 x 2112)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled canvas_oop_rasterization: disabled_off direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: enabled_on rasterization: enabled raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_renderer: enabled_on video_decode: enabled video_encode: enabled vulkan: disabled_off webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled webgpu: disabled_off
Load (avg)	undefined
Memory (System)	15.78GB (6.73GB free)
Process Argv
Screen Reader	no
VM	0%

Thanks for the bug report! We just wanted to quickly acknowledge we received it and we will triage this as soon as we can.

Would love to see this work. Mamba works, because conda is still present. But micromamba doesn't have a base env with conda.

Turning this into a feature request as we currently don't support micromamba, to resolve this we need to support identifying micromamba version correctly.

Currently if version is below 4.7, we do not use conda/micromamba run, so environment is not activated before it is used leading to import errors.

Thanks for the feature request! We are going to give the community 60 days from when this issue was created to provide 7 👍 upvotes on the opening comment to gauge general interest in this idea. If there's enough upvotes then we will consider this feature request in our future planning. If there's unfortunately not enough upvotes then we will close this issue.

micromamba run exists at least in micromamba version 1.0.0. The changelog indicates that is has existed since version 0.21.0.
The output from conda info --json and micromamba info --json might be a good place to find out if the command is conda or mircomamba without resorting to inspecting the command name. E.g., conda info --json has a 'conda_version', while micromamba info --json has a 'micromamba version'.
Let me know if there's anything more I can do to assist!

Thank you to everyone who upvoted this issue! Since the community showed interest in this feature request we will leave this issue open as something to consider implementing at some point in the future.

We do encourage people to continue 👍 the first/opening comment as it helps us prioritize our work based on what the community seems to want the most.

On unix based systems I'm using direnv with this direnv vscode extension. It has the advantage that works with any backend, e.g. nix, or more complex setups; e.g., in some projects I layer a conda environment on top of a nix shell. I guess that it should work with Windows as well, but I never tried it.

To use micromamba you could modify the default anaconda layout by changing the command "$conda" shell.bash activate "$env_loc" to "${MAMBA}" shell activate -s bash -p "${env_loc}" in the eval command.

In alternative, you can use your own shell script. E.g. I use something like this (it'd be better refactored into a function, though):

MAMBA="$(command -v micromamba)"
JQ="$(command -v gojq || command -v jq)"

CONDA_ENV_NAME=lab
CONDA_ENV_YAML="${PWD}/environment.yml"

env_loc="$("$MAMBA" env list  --json|"$JQ" -r --arg en ${CONDA_ENV_NAME} '.envs[]|select(endswith("/" + $en))')"

if [ ! -d "${env_loc}" ]; then
    "${MAMBA}" env create --yes -n ${CONDA_ENV_NAME} -f "${CONDA_ENV_YAML}"
    env_loc="$("$MAMBA" env list  --json|"$JQ" -r --arg en ${CONDA_ENV_NAME} '.envs[]|select(endswith("/" + $en))')"
fi

eval "$("${MAMBA}" shell activate -s bash -p "${env_loc}")"

Kartik Raj (@kartikrajjj)

Basic support

Add support for correctly identifying version for micromamba

Make sure micromamba envs are automatically discovered

Add micromamba run support

Add ability to support adding custom path to micromamba

Kartik Raj (@kartikrajjj) any update now?

I figured it out in this way:

Create a file named activate in the same folder as your micromamba executable.
Paste the following content into the file (replace with the MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX on your machine):

#!/bin/sh
_MAMBA_ROOT="<YOUR MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX>"
# Copyright (C) 2012 Anaconda, Inc
# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
\. "$_MAMBA_ROOT/etc/profile.d/micromamba.sh" || return $?
micromamba activate "$@"

Add execute permission to the file.
In VS Code, open settings and find python.condaPath, set the value to the path of your micromamba executable.
Set python.venvPath to <YOUR MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX>/envs/

With these steps, VS Code should be able to identify and activate micromamba environments.

Note that micromamba run won't work with the Python extension because the extension checks the availability of conda run based on the conda version (conda info). Since our micromamba executable replaces conda, micromamba info returns the version 1.5.8. As a result, conda <= 4.12.x does not support conda run. Therefore, the extension assumes that conda run is not available.

Here's my workaround: https://github.com/suimong/micromamba-vscode-compat

Looking at the source code, I believe the key incompability between micromamba and conda that this extension cares about is the output from conda info --json. the keys of the output json from micromamba info --json is completely different from conda info --json, therefore it is impossible for vscode-python to extract any information from that json output. The solution is a making a shell script as the micromamba wrapper, which modifies the keys of micromamba info --json before sending to stdout.

After this pr lands, micromamba will be able to output conda compatible info --json and vscode should be trivially able to support micromamba.

Here's my workaround: https://github.com/suimong/micromamba-vscode-compat

Looking at the source code, I believe the key incompability between micromamba and conda that this extension cares about is the output from conda info --json. the keys of the output json from micromamba info --json is completely different from conda info --json, therefore it is impossible for vscode-python to extract any information from that json output. The solution is a making a shell script as the micromamba wrapper, which modifies the keys of micromamba info --json before sending to stdout.

After this pr lands, micromamba will be able to output conda compatible info --json and vscode should be trivially able to support micromamba.

You are right. I found a similar solution at https://github.com/jonashaag/micromamba-pycharm, but this one is implemented in Python.

Karthik Nadig (@karthiknadig)

Karthik Nadig (@karthiknadig) can add somebody follow this issue?

the behavior of micromamba is quite similar with conda currently.

Don Jayamanne (@DonJayamanne)

We actively rewriting our discovery code (driven by Don Jayamanne (@DonJayamanne) ) as well as working towards an API to make so people can create an e.g. micromamba extension that feeds interpreter info to the extension (being driven by Karthik Nadig (@karthiknadig) ). There's no ETA on any of this, but do know that micromamba support will be possible at some point.

I figured it out in this way:

Create a file named activate in the same folder as your micromamba executable.

Paste the following content into the file (replace with the MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX on your machine):
#!/bin/sh
_MAMBA_ROOT="<YOUR MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX>"
# Copyright (C) 2012 Anaconda, Inc
# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
\. "$_MAMBA_ROOT/etc/profile.d/micromamba.sh" || return $?
micromamba activate "$@"
Add execute permission to the file.

In VS Code, open settings and find python.condaPath, set the value to the path of your micromamba executable.

Set python.venvPath to <YOUR MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX>/envs/

With these steps, VS Code should be able to identify and activate micromamba environments.

Note that micromamba run won't work with the Python extension because the extension checks the availability of conda run based on the conda version (conda info). Since our micromamba executable replaces conda, micromamba info returns the version 1.5.8. As a result, conda <= 4.12.x does not support conda run. Therefore, the extension assumes that conda run is not available.

I confirmed this method works with the following change to the activate file:

_MAMBA_EXEC=/path/to/micromamba/executable
_MAMBA_ROOT="$HOME/micromamba"
__mamba_setup="$(_MAMBA_EXEC --shell ${SHELL##*/} --root-prefix "${_MAMBA_ROOT}" 2> /dev/null)" || echo "activation failed" > $LOG
eval "$__mamba_setup"
micromamba activate "$@"

I simply downloaded an micromamba executable and put it in one of the PATH. No etc/profile.d/micromamba.sh ever existed.
The . should not be escaped to represent source
the file activate should be put in the same dir as the executable. (Maybe It is also recommended to add deactivate)
${SHELL} is usually the full path like /usr/bin/bash, but micromamba only accepts bash.
If fail to activate, check the LOG

Hey guys! I think we can just switch from micromamba to pixi.
I think pixi is a better micromamba, and it has been supported by vscode-python since 9 Jul 2024!
https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-python/releases/tag/v2024.10.0
#22968

Why pixi: https://prefix.dev/blog/pixi_a_fast_conda_alternative

Faster
NO Activation Needed!
Native Support for Globally Installed tools -- NO base Environment Needed!
- Each globally installed tool lives in its own isolated environment
Better PyPI dependencies Integration (uv!)

Transitioning Guide: https://pixi.sh/latest/switching_from/conda/

I figured out a version of Misaka-No-10032 and liushapku's method that worked for me on Windows using PowerShell as the default terminal. I haven't tested it extensively and the setup can probably be improved, but hopefully it can at least serve as a starting point. (Note: this requires PowerShell to be initialized with the hook installed by mamba shell init in your profile.)

Move / copy the micromamba.exe executable file into the Scripts directory of your mamba root prefix, and rename it to conda.exe.
In your PowerShell profile (likely in #region mamba initialize), modify the MAMBA_EXE environment variable to point to the path of the copied over conda.exe executable.

#region mamba initialize
# !! Contents within this block are managed by 'mamba shell init' !!
$Env:MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX = <YOUR MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX>
$Env:MAMBA_EXE = "<YOUR MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX>\Scripts\conda.exe"
(& $Env:MAMBA_EXE 'shell' 'hook' -s 'powershell' -r $Env:MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX) | Out-String | Invoke-Expression
#endregion

In VS Code settings,
1. set python.condaPath to the path of the copied over conda.exe executable.
2. I didn't need to do this, but you may also want to set python.venvPath to <YOUR MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX>/envs/.

Hello,
I've developed a simple extension using the vscode-python-envs API that allows VS Code to discover and use your micromamba environments.
This is my first time coding in TypeScript, so any feedback is welcome. It's tested on Windows but should work on Linux as well.

You can find it on the Marketplace here:
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=symzn.vscode-micromamba-env
https://github.com/symzn/vscode-micromamba-env
Note: I am still using the micromamba 1.5.10. But as the extension only relies on MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX env var value & ~/.conda/environments.txt, I assume that it shall work with newer version of micromamba

Hello,

I wanted to follow up on my previous message.
I apologize, but the extension I mentioned earlier (based on the ms-python-envs API) does not work properly yet.
There are still pending issues with the Environment Provider API that need to be resolved before it can be fully operational.

Since fixing these API issues might take some time, I decided to take a different, more straightforward approach.
I have developed a new extension:

Instead of relying on the Provider API, this new version works autonomously by:

Detecting environments from environments.txt.
Injecting the activated environment variables directly into the terminal.
Generating a .env file and updating python.defaultInterpreterPath workspace settings for smooth integration.

It is much more stable and is available now if anyone needs a temporary solution while waiting for the native API to mature.

Note: I haven't had time to test it on Linux yet (I will do so ASAP), but I am quite confident that it will work or require very small adaptations.
Update: minor fix since this message : extension works also on Linux (with bash)

Hello everyone! We are now moving to the cool, new Python Environments Extension for all things environments! From here anyone can create an extension to handle different environments like micromamba! Feel free to reach out via this repo if you want to contribute support! https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-python-environments

Navigation Menu

Repository navigation

Add support for micromamba environments #20919

Behaviour

Expected vs. Actual

Steps to reproduce:

Diagnostic data

22 remaining items

Basic support

Metadata

Assignees

Labels

Type

Projects

Milestone

Relationships

Development

Add support for micromamba environments #20919

Description

Behaviour

Expected vs. Actual

Steps to reproduce:

Diagnostic data

Activity

karrtikr commented on Mar 27, 2023

psobolewskiPhD commented on Apr 5, 2023

karrtikr commented on May 8, 2023

github-actions commented on May 8, 2023

CarlAndersson commented on May 11, 2023

brettcannon commented on May 25, 2023

22 remaining items

stessaris commented on Feb 9, 2024

specter119 commented on Apr 28, 2024

Basic support

Misaka-No-10032 commented on May 2, 2024

suimong commented on May 31, 2024

Misaka-No-10032 commented on Jun 2, 2024

specter119 commented on Jun 11, 2024

brettcannon commented on Jun 12, 2024

liushapku commented on Aug 22, 2024

YouJiacheng commented on Sep 7, 2024

rkimura47 commented on Oct 8, 2024

symzn commented on Oct 10, 2025

symzn commented on Dec 5, 2025

eleanorjboyd commented on Dec 8, 2025

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

Labels

Type

Projects

Milestone

Relationships

Development

Issue actions