Recommend Pixi extension when Pixi environments are detected

[karthiknadig]

Need Statement

PET (Python Environment Tools) can discover Pixi environments, but this extension does not have a Pixi manager implementation. Since Pixi has its own VS Code extension in the marketplace, we should guide users to install that extension rather than implementing Pixi support ourselves.

Proposed Solution

When Pixi environments are detected by PET and no Pixi manager is registered, recommend the Pixi extension from the marketplace.

Option A: Environment View Tree Node (Recommended)

Add a placeholder node in the Environments view tree when Pixi environments are detected but no Pixi manager is installed. Clicking this node opens the VS Code marketplace with Pixi in the search.

Pros:

• Discoverable in the UI
• Non-intrusive
• User-initiated action

Cons:

• Requires tree view modification

Option B: Notification on Detection

Show a notification when Pixi is detected and there is no Pixi manager installed, with an action button to install the Pixi extension.

Pros:

• Immediate visibility
• Simple implementation

Cons:

• Can be dismissed and forgotten
• May feel intrusive to some users

Acceptance Criteria

• Add pixi to the NativePythonEnvironmentKind enum in nativePythonFinder.ts
• Detect when PET reports Pixi environments
• Check if a Pixi manager is registered (another extension may provide one)
• If no Pixi manager exists, present recommendation to user (via chosen approach)
• Clicking the recommendation opens VS Code marketplace search for "pixi"
• User can dismiss/ignore the recommendation

Technical Notes

• PET has a pet-pixi crate that discovers Pixi environments
• Pixi extension ID needs to be confirmed from the marketplace
• Consider storing user preference to not show recommendation again

[LinearParadox]

The current extension(s) on vscode I do not believe are official pixi extensions. Furthermore, they both haven't been upgraded for over a year, so they may not be supported anymore.

[karthiknadig]

This the extension that I was talking about https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=renan-r-santos.pixi-code . As far as I can tell it is actively developed.

cc @renan-r-santos

[dhimmel]

With vscode, I used to be able to do "Python: Select Interpreter" and choose the recommended ./.pixi/envs/default/bin/python interpreter path. Then all terminals would launch with the pixi environment activated. This stopped working recently. No error or warning AFAICT, just no environment getting activated.

Uninstalling vscode-python-envs restored the ability of Select Interpreter to select a pixi environment, presumably using support from the python extension. This feels like a regression.

Glad #1291 makes the situation more explicit, although ideally a third-party extension would not be needed here for Select Interpreter selections to work.

[eleanorjboyd]

Verification Steps

1. Prerequisites

   • Install the latest pre-release of the Python Environments extension.
   • Install Pixi and create a Pixi project with a Python environment (e.g., pixi init myproject && cd myproject && pixi add python).
   • Do not have the Pixi VS Code extension installed.

2. Open the Pixi project

   • Open the Pixi project folder in VS Code Insiders.
   • Wait for environment discovery to complete.

3. Check for extension recommendation

   • A notification should appear recommending you install the Pixi extension.
   • The notification should have buttons like "Install" and "Don't Ask Again".

4. Verify "Don't Ask Again" works

   • Click "Don't Ask Again".
   • Close and reopen the workspace.
   • The notification should not appear again.

[rebornix]

I don't seem to get any notification after finishing pixi init myproject && cd myproject && pixi add python and open in VS Code.

[eleanorjboyd]

if you open myproject as your workspace folder then you should see it. We aren't searching recursively for nested environments other than venv

pre-release is now out and this is testable