Create from environment.yml

This tutorial creates a regular named conda environment from a project-root environment.yml.

Before you start

Complete the Quickstart. Open a local folder named conda-code-demo in VS Code and register it as a Python project.

Make sure no environment with that name already exists:

conda info --envs

Add the environment file

Create environment.yml at the project root:

name: ignored-by-conda-code
dependencies:
  - python
  - pytest

The file follows CEP 24. Conda Code supplies the environment name itself, so the name in the file does not control the created environment. Conda uses the channels configured for the selected installation.

Create the environment

1. Open environment.yml in the editor.

2. Choose the Conda Code: Create Environment from File action in the editor title.

Conda Code creates a named environment called conda-code-demo. If that name is already used, it adds a numeric suffix. When creation finishes, the environment appears as the selected environment for conda-code-demo in the Python Environments view.

Create through Python Environments instead

1. Open the Python Environments view.

2. Start Quick Create for the project.

3. Select Conda Code if VS Code asks for an environment manager.

Quick Create finds the single project input and creates the same named environment.

Inspect the result:

conda list --name conda-code-demo

The environment contains Python and pytest from the file.

Change the installed environment

Open Manage Packages for the environment and install ruff.

conda list --name conda-code-demo ruff

The package is installed in the prefix. environment.yml is unchanged.

What happened

Conda Code ran conda create --yes --json --name conda-code-demo --file environment.yml from the project root. The file was a one-time creation input. The resulting environment is an ordinary named conda environment selected for the project, so later package operations use regular conda commands.