The cleanest way to avoid this issue entirely is to force Poetry to create virtual environments directly inside your project folder. This creates a .venv folder in your root directory, which VS Code detects instantly.
To avoid issues with Pylance missing imports when using Poetry and hot reloading, follow these best practices:
Open the Command Palette ( Ctrl+Shift+P ), type Python: Restart Language Server .
And then, the nuclear option: "python.analysis.typeCheckingMode": "off" for just a moment. A heresy. A surrender.
This configuration forces Pyright to scan the .venv directory for modules. pylance missing imports poetry hot
Edge Cases and Advanced Notes
: /Users/username/Library/Caches/pypoetry/virtualenvs/your-project-py3.11/lib/python3.11/site-packages
By forcing in-project environments ( virtualenvs.in-project true ) and ensuring your VS Code interpreter points to that .venv , you will resolve 99% of Pylance import issues in Poetry projects. If you want, I can: Show you how to set up with Poetry . Compare Poetry with other dependency managers like PDM . Explain how to create a Dockerfile for a Poetry project.
Once VS Code knows where the environments are, press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac), type , and choose the interpreter associated with your Poetry project. The cleanest way to avoid this issue entirely
Before fixing the problem, it's important to understand a bit about how these tools work together:
If you don’t see the Poetry environment at all, click Enter interpreter path and manually paste the result of this command:
If you are still seeing pylance missing imports poetry hot issues, follow this checklist: Did you run poetry install ?
If you prefer a self-contained project structure—similar to how npm stores packages in node_modules —you can configure Poetry to build the virtual environment directly inside your project folder. Pylance detects these automatically. Step 1: Configure Poetry globally Run the following command in your terminal: poetry config virtualenvs.in-project true Use code with caution. Step 2: Recreate your virtual environment And then, the nuclear option: "python
Every few minutes, a notification would pop up in the corner of the screen: "Pylance: Import 'core.engine' could not be resolved."
If you prefer to keep your project folders clean and want Poetry to stick to its default centralized cache layout, you can tell Pylance exactly where to look for those external virtual environments. Step 1: Find your Poetry Virtual Environments Path
Navigate to the VS Code Extensions Marketplace ( Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X ).