e2e: fail fast when every interpreter quick pick row is deprioritized

test/e2e/pages/notebooks.ts

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { QuickAccess } from './quickaccess';
 import { basename } from 'path';
 import test, { expect, FrameLocator, Locator } from '@playwright/test';
 import { HotKeys } from './hotKeys.js';
-import { DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES } from './sessions';
+import { ALLOW_DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_FALLBACK, DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES } from './sessions';
 import { escapeRegExp } from '../utils/strings';
 
 const KERNEL_DROPDOWN = 'a.kernel-label';
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ export class Notebooks {
 			await this.quickinput.type(desiredKernel);
 			await this.quickinput.selectQuickInputElementContaining(`${kernelGroup} ${desiredKernel}`, {
 				deprioritize: kernelGroup === 'Python' ? DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES : undefined,
+				allowDeprioritizedFallback: ALLOW_DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_FALLBACK,
 			});
 			await this.quickinput.waitForQuickInputClosed();
 

test/e2e/pages/notebooksPositron.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { QuickAccess } from './quickaccess';
 import test, { expect, Locator } from '@playwright/test';
 import { HotKeys } from './hotKeys.js';
 import { ContextMenu, MenuItemState } from './dialog-contextMenu.js';
-import { ACTIVE_STATUS_ICON, DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES, DISCONNECTED_STATUS_ICON, IDLE_STATUS_ICON, SessionState } from './sessions.js';
+import { ACTIVE_STATUS_ICON, ALLOW_DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_FALLBACK, DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES, DISCONNECTED_STATUS_ICON, IDLE_STATUS_ICON, SessionState } from './sessions.js';
 import { basename, relative } from 'path';
 
 const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 10000;
@@ -2024,6 +2024,7 @@ export class Kernel extends KernelBase {
 				timeout: 1000,
 				force: false,
 				deprioritize: kernelGroup === 'Python' ? DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES : undefined,
+				allowDeprioritizedFallback: ALLOW_DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_FALLBACK,
 			});
 			await this.quickinput.waitForQuickInputClosed();
 		});
@@ -2088,6 +2089,7 @@ export class Kernel extends KernelBase {
 				timeout: 1000,
 				force: false,
 				deprioritize: kernelGroup === 'Python' ? DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES : undefined,
+				allowDeprioritizedFallback: ALLOW_DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_FALLBACK,
 			});
 			await this.quickinput.waitForQuickInputClosed();
 			this.code.logger.log(`Selected kernel: ${desiredKernel}`);

test/e2e/pages/quickInput.ts

@@ -185,28 +185,31 @@ export class QuickInput {
 
 	async selectQuickInputElementContaining(
 		text: string,
-		{ timeout, force = true, deprioritize }: { timeout?: number; force?: boolean; deprioritize?: string[] } = {},
+		{ timeout, force = true, deprioritize, allowDeprioritizedFallback = false }: { timeout?: number; force?: boolean; deprioritize?: string[]; allowDeprioritizedFallback?: boolean } = {},
 	): Promise<string> {
 		const matches = this.code.driver.currentPage
 			.locator(`${QuickInput.QUICK_INPUT_RESULT}[aria-label*="${text}"]`);
 
 		// By default select the first matching row. When `deprioritize` is set and
 		// several rows share `text` (e.g. a project venv and a base pyenv both
 		// labeled "Python 3.10.12"), prefer the first row whose aria-label contains
-		// none of the deprioritized source markers. Falls back to the first match
-		// when every match is deprioritized (e.g. a platform where only the base
-		// interpreter is installed).
+		// none of the deprioritized source markers. When every match is
+		// deprioritized the intended row has not registered yet, so throw and let
+		// the caller's retry reopen the picker: clicking a base install instead
+		// starts the wrong (often unusable) interpreter and defers the failure to a
+		// downstream timeout. Pass `allowDeprioritizedFallback` where only base
+		// installs exist (Windows/macOS CI).
 		let target = matches.first();
 		if (deprioritize?.length) {
 			await expect(target).toBeVisible({ timeout });
-			const count = await matches.count();
-			for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
-				const row = matches.nth(i);
-				const ariaLabel = (await row.getAttribute('aria-label')) ?? '';
-				if (!deprioritize.some(source => ariaLabel.includes(source))) {
-					target = row;
-					break;
-				}
+			const ariaLabels = await matches.evaluateAll(rows => rows.map(row => row.getAttribute('aria-label') ?? ''));
+			const preferred = ariaLabels.findIndex(label => !deprioritize.some(source => label.includes(source)));
+			if (preferred >= 0) {
+				target = matches.nth(preferred);
+			} else if (!allowDeprioritizedFallback) {
+				throw new Error(
+					`No non-deprioritized quick pick row matching "${text}". Deprioritized matches: ${JSON.stringify(ariaLabels)}`
+				);
 			}
 		}
 

test/e2e/pages/sessions.ts

@@ -26,6 +26,13 @@ export const DISCONNECTED_STATUS_ICON = '.codicon-positron-runtime-status-discon
 // the quick pick label produced by getRuntimeSourceAndShortName.
 export const DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES = ['(Pyenv', '(Global', '(System', '(Unknown'];
 
+// Whether clicking a deprioritized row is acceptable when it is the only match.
+// The Linux CI images provide a venv interpreter at the selected version, so rows
+// that are all deprioritized there mean the venv has not registered yet and the
+// selection should be retried. Windows and macOS CI install a bare System/Pyenv
+// Python, where every row is legitimately deprioritized.
+export const ALLOW_DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_FALLBACK = process.platform !== 'linux';
+
 // Quickpick labels - keep in sync with languageRuntimeActions.ts
 const INTERPRETER_SESSIONS_LABEL = 'Interpreter Sessions';
 const START_NEW_CONSOLE_SESSION_LABEL = 'Start New Console Session';
@@ -549,6 +556,7 @@ export class Sessions {
 					await this.quickinput.selectQuickInputElementContaining(`${language} ${version}`, {
 						timeout: 2000,
 						deprioritize: language === 'Python' ? DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_SOURCES : undefined,
+						allowDeprioritizedFallback: ALLOW_DEPRIORITIZED_PYTHON_FALLBACK,
 					});
 				} catch (e) {
 					// Auto-discovery is intermittent: POSITRON_PY_VER_SEL's interpreter