M-x pyvenv-activate <RET>
~/Documents/bitbucket-python-scripts/.env353 <RET>

works fine. Elpy Config buffer confirms that.

However with the following in ~/.emacs file

(require 'package)
(add-to-list 'package-archives
 '(python-shell-interpreter "python3")
 '(pyvenv-activate "~/Documents/bitbucket-python-scripts/.env353"))

when I start Emacs and

M-x elpy-config

I see in the Elpy Config buffer that the virtual environment is not set. custom-set-variables were generated by Customization option of Emacs

Please point out my error.

Using: Elpy 1.28.1 Emacs 24.5.1 Debian GNU/Linux 9.8 (stretch)



In ~/.emacs just after (elpy-enable) properly activate the virtual environment .env353. I have no idea why custom-set-variable command (obtained through customization) doesn't work.

  • Immediately I notice that custom-set-variables sets variables whereas pyvenv-activate is a function. If you check C-h v, my guess is that you now have a variable called pyvenv-activate whose value is the given path. The elpy-rpc-python-command and python-shell-interpreter should be okay, as those are indeed variables. Try breaking out the pyvenv-activate statement and see how that works. – Lorem Ipsum Apr 29 at 12:22
  • (pyvenv-activate ...) works fine. I was following the recommendations from github.com/jorgenschaefer/elpy/wiki/Configuration. They advised to use Elpy Config buffer and customization within. – Vladimir Zolotykh Apr 29 at 13:21
  • Hmm, it is somewhat confusing that there is a pyvenv-activate variable and function. I notice that the documentation for the variable states, "This is rarely useful to set globally", whatever that implies. It seems that the pyvenv-activate variable only holds the path to the venv. It doesn't activate it. The function call is what activates it and that's not being called after you assign the pyvenv-activate variable. – Lorem Ipsum Apr 29 at 13:48
  • pyvenv needs to know the execution path for python, so add that path in your init file. Depends on operating system. – Ian Apr 29 at 14:35

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