[isabelizimm]

Fixes #17022

Summary

Python rows in the interpreter picker now lead with the tool or environment name, and the Python version moves to the gray text. The version now sits right next to "not supported", so it no longer reads as if the environment manager is unsupported.

Row	Label	Gray text
uv project env	uv: myproject	Python 3.12.4
Homebrew	Homebrew	Python 3.13.2
Unsupported, eg, pyenv	pyenv	Python 3.13.1 · not supported
Global Python with no known tool	Python 3.8.10	not supported (if applicable)

Rows with only a tool name (several Homebrew rows, for example) repeat the label. The version in the gray text and the group header tell them apart. When there is no tool or env name, the version stays as the label so the row is never blank.

Within each group, rows sort alphabetically by environment manager (no known manager last), then by version, newest first. Unsupported rows still come after all supported ones.

The e2e helpers find picker rows by aria-label ("label, gray text, path"), so they are updated for the new order:

• selectQuickInputElementContaining also accepts a list of substrings, and a row must contain all of them.
• Starting a session with a sourced version (e.g. 3.12.10 (Conda)) matches the version and the source separately.
• The base-install deprioritize pattern now looks for a label that is only a tool name.

Screenshots

new behavior

Screen.Recording.2026-11-02.at.1.06.13.PM.mov

Release Notes

New Features

• The interpreter picker labels Python interpreters by their environment or tool, with the version shown alongside (python: switch label and version in session picker #17022)

Bug Fixes

• N/A

Validation Steps

@:sessions @:interpreter @:environment-modules @:notebooks @:positron-notebooks

1. Have several Python installs available, including a project venv, a Homebrew or pyenv base install, and an unsupported version (e.g. 3.8).
2. Open the session picker in the top action bar.
3. Verify each Python row shows the tool or env name as the label and Python X.Y.Z as gray text, and that unsupported rows read Python X.Y.Z · not supported.
4. Type a version (e.g. Python 3.12) in the picker and verify the matching rows still appear.

[github-actions]

E2E Tests 🚀
This PR will run tests tagged with: @:critical @:sessions @:interpreter @:environment-modules @:notebooks @:positron-notebooks @:console

Why these tags?

Tag	Source
@:critical	Always runs (required)
@:sessions	PR description
@:interpreter	PR description
@:environment-modules	PR description
@:notebooks	PR description
@:positron-notebooks	PR description
@:console	Changed files

More on automatic tags from changed files.

Test count: Linux: 312 tests across 2 shards.

^{readme  valid tags}

[isabelizimm]

Interested in folks thoughts on how this looks/feels!! 👀

[github-actions]

🔎 Exploratory testing 60d3bbd

2 minor
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[austin3dickey]

hmmmmm some things are bugging me a bit after all:

• Since they're still sorted by (deemphasized) version, they look all mixed up if you have different managers. My externally-manged list shows uv, uv, uv, conda: base, Homebrew, Python 3.12.13, uv, uv, uv, uv, Command Line Tools. But I'm not sure if we should sort by manager because that defeats some of the careful ordering we've already put in.
• The R Suggested row still shows R [version] which is pretty different from e.g. uv: my-workspace if that's your python suggestion

...maybe I did like the original better?

[isabelizimm]

The ordering is by Python version within groups, so I think it's okay to break that up if there's something else that is more ergonomic! We could try out grouping by manager within each project/global/external group, then secondary sort via version? If that still doesn't feel right, happy to keep noodling around on this branch to find something that seems scannable for a variety of tasks!

[austin3dickey]

Yeah, I think this is looking better! I'm wondering if we can get a smarter manager order from elsewhere in this codebase? I'm not the hugest fan of showing conda alphabetically before uv in this current state.