Understanding python.analysis.logLevel in Pylance

June 23, 2026 · View on GitHub

Pylance is a fast and feature-rich language server extension for Python in Visual Studio Code, powered by the Pyright static type checker.

The python.analysis.logLevel setting controls how much detail Pylance writes to its Output panel.

What is `python.analysis.logLevel`?

Pylance logs information about its activity — startup, environment detection, indexing, and analysis — to the Output panel. logLevel sets the verbosity of that log.

Type: string Default: "Information" Scope: window (applies to the whole VS Code window)

Accepted values

Value	Description
`"Error"`	Logs only errors.
`"Warning"`	Logs warnings and errors.
`"Information"`	Logs general informational messages, warnings, and errors. This is the default.
`"Trace"`	Logs highly detailed diagnostic output, including the messages above. Useful when troubleshooting.

This setting exists so you can increase verbosity when diagnosing a problem (for example, why a library is not resolving) and reduce it again for normal use.

How to Change `python.analysis.logLevel`

Using the Settings UI

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and run Preferences: Open Settings (UI).
Search for python.analysis.logLevel.
Choose a value from the dropdown.

Using `settings.json`

{
    "python.analysis.logLevel": "Trace"
}

To view the log, open the Output panel (View > Output) and select Python Language Server from the dropdown.

When to Use It

Use "Trace" when troubleshooting an issue or preparing a bug report, to capture detailed diagnostic information.
Use "Information" (the default) for everyday work.
Use "Warning" or "Error" to keep the log quiet once everything is working.

python.analysis.diagnosticMode — controls how much of your project Pylance analyzes.