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
vspor879:30202332
vspor708:30202333
vspor363:30204092
vswsl492:30256859
vscod805:30301674
binariesv615:30325510
c4g48928:30535728
azure-dev_surveyonecf:30548226
962ge761:30959799
2e7ec940:31000449
pythontbext0:30879054
cppperfnew:31000557
dwnewjupytercf:31046870
pythonrstrctxt:31112756
nativeloc2:31192216
5fd0e150:31155592
dwcopilot:31170013
6074i472:31201624
dwoutputs:31242946
customenabled:31248079
9064b325:31222308
copilot_t_ci:31222730
e5gg6876:31282496
cp15370_t:31280197
pythoneinst12:31285622
bgtreat:31268568
4gafe986:31271826
31787653:31262186
3e8i5726:31271747
996jf627:31283433
usemplatestapi:31288272
7bj51361:31289155
747dc170:31275177
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