Django test discovering

[Zankroh]

Type: Bug

Behaviour

When trying to discover Django unit tests, the command manage.py fails with the error error: argument -v/--verbosity: expected one argument.
I'm using Python 3.12.4 and Django 5.2

Steps to reproduce:

1. Open a Django project
2. Go to Testing tab
3. Click refresh button

Diagnostic data

Output for Python in the Output panel

2025-04-18 11:48:31.360 [info] Discover tests for workspace name: accounting - uri: c:\Users\xxxxx\Projects\accounting
2025-04-18 11:48:31.361 [info] Discovering unittest tests for workspace c:\Users\xxxxx\Projects\accounting with arguments: c:\Users\xxxxx\.vscode\extensions\ms-python.python-2025.5.2025041601-win32-x64\python_files\unittestadapter\discovery.py,--udiscovery,-v,-s,.,-p,*test.py

2025-04-18 11:48:31.367 [info] > .\env\Scripts\python.exe ~\.vscode\extensions\ms-python.python-2025.5.2025041601-win32-x64\python_files\unittestadapter\discovery.py --udiscovery -v -s . -p *test.py
2025-04-18 11:48:31.367 [info] cwd: .
2025-04-18 11:48:31.519 [info] MANAGE_PY_PATH is set, running Django discovery with path to manage.py as: $C:\Users\xxxxx\Projects\accounting\manage.py
Running Django tests with command: ['c:\\Users\\xxxxx\\Projects\\accounting\\env\\Scripts\\python.exe', 'C:\\Users\\xxxxx\\Projects\\accounting\\manage.py', 'test', '--testrunner=django_test_runner.CustomDiscoveryTestRunner', '-v', '-s', '.', '-p', '*test.py']

2025-04-18 11:48:34.236 [error] usage: manage.py test [-h] [--noinput] [--testrunner TESTRUNNER] [--failfast]
                      [-t TOP_LEVEL] [-p PATTERN] [--keepdb]
                      [--shuffle [SEED]] [-r] [--debug-mode] [-d]
                      [--parallel [N]] [--tag TAGS]
                      [--exclude-tag EXCLUDE_TAGS] [--pdb] [-b]
                      [--no-faulthandler] [--timing] [-k TEST_NAME_PATTERNS]
                      [--durations N] [--version] [-v {0,1,2,3}]
                      [--settings SETTINGS] [--pythonpath PYTHONPATH]
                      [--traceback] [--no-color] [--force-color]
                      [test_label ...]
manage.py test: error: argument -v/--verbosity: expected one argument

Django test discovery process exited with non-zero error code See stderr above for more details.

2025-04-18 11:48:34.237 [info]

Extension version: 2025.5.2025041601
VS Code version: Code 1.99.3 (17baf841131aa23349f217ca7c570c76ee87b957, 2025-04-15T23:18:46.076Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100
Modes:

• Python version (& distribution if applicable, e.g. Anaconda): 3.12.4
• Type of virtual environment used (e.g. conda, venv, virtualenv, etc.): Venv
• Value of the python.languageServer setting: Pylance

User Settings

envFile: "<placeholder>"

languageServer: "Pylance"

testing
• unittestArgs: "<placeholder>"
• unittestEnabled: true

Installed Extensions

Extension Name	Extension Id	Version
andromeda	Eli	1.8.2
auto-close-tag	for	0.5.15
auto-rename-tag	for	0.1.10
ayu	tea	1.0.5
beardedicons	Bea	1.18.0
beardedtheme	Bea	10.0.0
better-comments	aar	3.0.2
change-case	wma	1.0.0
color-info	bie	0.7.2
copilot	Git	1.303.0
copilot-chat	Git	0.26.5
Cyberpunk	max	1.2.14
dbml-erd-visualizer	boc	0.5.0
debugpy	ms-	2025.6.0
deepdark-material	Nim	3.3.1
dotenv	mik	1.0.1
dynstat-midnight	dyn	1.9.6
emoji	Per	1.0.1
errorlens	use	3.25.0
even-better-toml	tam	0.21.2
explorer-exclude	Pet	1.3.2
font-awesome-codes-html	med	0.0.7
git-graph	mhu	1.30.0
gitignore	cod	0.10.0
hackthebox	sil	0.2.9
henna	htt	0.11.0
highlight-matching-tag	vin	0.11.0
html-css-class-completion	Zig	1.20.0
indent-nested-dictionary	mge	0.0.4
intellicode-api-usage-examples	Vis	0.2.9
intellij-idea-keybindings	k--	1.7.4
js-debug	ms-	1.97.1
js-debug-companion	ms-	1.1.3
json-tools	eri	1.0.2
learn-with-sumit-theme	Sum	11.1.0
live-server	ms-	0.4.15
material-icon-theme	PKi	5.21.2
monokai-plusplus	dca	2.0.4
night-owl	sdr	2.1.1
pdf	tom	1.2.2
postman-for-vscode	Pos	1.11.2
powershell	ms-	2025.0.0
python	ms-	2025.5.2025041601
python-docstring-highlighter	rod	0.2.4
python-theme	est	2.4.0
remote-explorer	ms-	0.4.3
remote-ssh	ms-	0.119.0
remote-ssh-edit	ms-	0.87.0
ruff	cha	2025.22.0
RunOnSave	eme	0.2.7
selectline-statusbar	tom	0.0.2
shades-of-purple	ahm	7.3.2
sqltools	mtx	0.28.4
sqltools-driver-mysql	mtx	0.6.4
stats-bar	njz	0.5.2
synthwave-vscode	Rob	0.1.18
test-adapter-converter	ms-	0.2.1
theme-bluloco-dark	ulo	3.7.6
theme-dracula	dra	2.25.1
theme-panda	tin	1.4.0
tokyo-night	enk	1.1.2
tokyo-panda-theme	eff	1.12.0
vetur	oct	0.37.3
vsc-python-indent	Kev	1.21.0
vscode-ansi	ili	1.1.7
vscode-commandbar	gsp	0.3.1
vscode-commands	fab	2.0.2
vscode-coverage-gutters	rya	2.13.0
vscode-dbml	mat	0.4.1
vscode-django	bat	1.15.0
vscode-eslint	dba	3.0.10
vscode-html-css	ecm	2.0.13
vscode-intelephense-client	bme	1.14.4
vscode-js-profile-table	ms-	1.0.10
vscode-language-pack-fr	MS-	1.99.2025041609
vscode-log-viewer	ber	0.14.1
vscode-phpfmt	kok	1.2.41
vscode-pylance	ms-	2025.4.1
vscode-sort-json	ric	1.20.0
vscode-sqlite	ale	0.14.1
vscode-test-explorer	hbe	2.22.1
vscode-yaml	red	1.17.0
vscodeintellicode	Vis	1.3.2
vue	znc	0.12.0
xml	Dot	2.5.1

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1260P (16 x 2496)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled canvas_oop_rasterization: enabled_on 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_graphite: disabled_off video_decode: enabled video_encode: enabled vulkan: disabled_off webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled webgpu: enabled webnn: disabled_off
Load (avg)	undefined
Memory (System)	31.70GB (12.40GB free)
Process Argv	--crash-reporter-id 96bbfc2b-23da-4f22-8267-b6ead6cf47ab
Screen Reader	no
VM	0%

A/B Experiments

vsliv368cf:30146710
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dwnewjupytercf:31046870
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dwcopilot:31170013
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dwoutputs:31242946
customenabled:31248079
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copilot_t_ci:31222730
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pythoneinst12:31285622
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aj496949:31278748
aj953862:31281341

[eleanorjboyd]

what are in the arguments in the setting for python. If you open your settings look for python.testing.unittest and there there might be an incorrect argument?

[mygzi]

Not OP, but I observe this error specifically when python.testing.unittest is unspecified. Including the setting (e.g. as below) can be used to work around the error, presumably as it replaces the default arguments including -v.

    "python.testing.unittestArgs": [
        "-p",
        "*test*.py"
    ]

[eleanorjboyd]

huh very interesting! I will give this a try on my end

[github-actions]

Because we have not heard back with the information we requested, we are closing this issue for now. If you are able to provide the info later on, then we will be happy to re-open this issue to pick up where we left off.

Happy Coding!

[eleanorjboyd]

Tried this and it worked fine for me if I didn't include any args. Do you see something similar to this in your output logs? Can you see the -v in there:

2025-07-11 14:33:11.169 [info] MANAGE_PY_PATH is set, running Django discovery with path to manage.py as: $manage.py
Running Django tests with command: ['/Users/eleanorboyd/testingFiles/django-polls-demo/.venv/bin/python', 'manage.py', 'test', '--testrunner=django_test_runner.CustomDiscoveryTestRunner']

[Zankroh]

According to @mygzi, indeed, by adding "python.testing.unittestArgs": [] in the config, I no longer have any errors. It seems default values are not compatible with django tests
Thank you !