Python Executable Not Found

This error message pops up when Jupyter cannot start because the Python executable specified in the settings cannot be found.

• If you are using the simple commands python or python3 as executable, ensure the one you are using exists on your system.

  For example, python might not exist in certain environments while python3 does, and inversely.

• If you are using a custom Python executable path, ensure it exists.

To check whether a particular executable path exists, you can try running it as a command in your terminal:

# Check whether "python" is a valid Python interpreter
python --version

# Check whether "python3" is a valid Python interpreter
python3 --version

# Check whether "/usr/bin/python3" is a valid Python interpreter
/usr/bin/python3 --version

If yours is a valid interpreter in your environment, it should print something along the lines of Python 3.13.5, possibly with a different version. If not, you should see something along the lines of

<python executable>: command not not found

for example:

/usr/bin/python3: No such file or directory

In such a case, the Python executable path you are using is invalid and needs to be replaced for the plugin to be able to start a Jupyter environment.

To fix the issue and find the path to use, follow this guide.

If the guide does not solve the problem, open a ticket.

Technical details

The Python Executable Not Found error is caused by child_process.spawn when the error event is fired with an ENOENT code.

This ENOENT either means the provided command (aka the Python executable) does not exist, or that the provided working directory is invalid. In the case of Jupyter for Obsidian, the second case is unlikely, since the working directory provided to the spawn function is the Obsidian vault's root and is expected to be valid at all times.

Thus, it is assumed that when receiving this error code, the problem comes from a faulty executable.