feat(task): `--default_environment` flag for specifying the default environment for a task #5164

prady0t · 2025-12-18T12:47:02Z

Description

With this PR, a user can specify a default environment per task. Some work is still left in:

Adding a task with the --default_environment flag with pixi task add, should also add the default environment to pixi.toml
Adding tests
Overriding with -e option.

How Has This Been Tested?

Using a pixi.toml file with the option default_environment runs the task in that environment (if it can).

[tool.pixi.tasks]
doc = { cmd = ["make", "html"], cwd = "docs", default-environment = "doc" }

AI Disclosure

Some detailed comments are generated by Github copilot for a more accurate description.

Checklist:

I have performed a self-review of my own code
I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
I have added sufficient tests to cover my changes.
I have verified that changes that would impact the JSON schema have been made in schema/model.py.

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t · 2025-12-21T10:17:38Z

@ruben-arts This is ready to be reviewed.

schema/model.py

bollwyvl · 2025-12-21T14:57:02Z

schema/model.py

+    default_environment: NonEmptyStr | None = Field(
+        None,
+        description="A default environment to run the task",
+        json_schema_extra={


actually, with the above comment about EnvironmentName, this json_schema_extra could be removed entirely: the lack of title is generally fine (unless really explaining some obtuse term), and the regex would flow more predictably from the typing.

json_schema_extra should probably be reserved for really tricky things that don't have an "elegant" pydantic analogue.

The only reason I added json-scheme-extra was so that I could specify the title as default-environment, not Default-Environment, in schema.json (which seems to be the default generation); however, you are right, the title hardly matters here. Thanks for the review.

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t · 2025-12-21T18:08:24Z

schema/model.py

+    description: EnvironmentName | None = Field(
        None,
        description="A short description of the task",
-        examples=["Build the project"],


Also, remove the example field, as it may be misleading/not required.

prady0t

@bollwyvl Removed the json-scheme-extra part.

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

ruben-arts · 2025-12-22T08:08:38Z

I updated the branch to fix some other issues, for testing.

ruben-arts · 2025-12-22T08:46:07Z

Hey @prady0t,

I was testing with this toml file:

[workspace]
channels = []
platforms = ["osx-arm64"]

[tasks]
test = "echo test"
test2 = "echo test2"
dep.depends-on = ["test3", "test6"]

[feature.test.tasks]
test3 = { cmd = "echo test3", default-environment = "three" }
test4 = "echo test4"

[feature.test2.tasks]
test5 = "echo test5"
test6 = { cmd = "echo test6", default-environment = "four" }

[environments]
one = []
two = ["test"]
three = ["test2", "test"]
four = ["test2"]
five = ["test", "test2"]
six = { features = ["test"], no-default-feature = true}
seven = { features = ["test2"], no-default-feature = true}

But in no case would it actually use the default-environment.

Could you test it yourself and add some tests.

The other decisions you made look fine to me, so I'm looking forward to testing them.

prady0t · 2025-12-22T09:43:01Z

For me, it just gives different environments where tests could be run.

Please select an environment to run the task in: ›
❯ two
  three
  five
  six

Let me find a way to use the specified default environment when the task can be solved for multiple environments.

ruben-arts · 2025-12-23T08:48:55Z

Let me find a way to use the specified default environment when the task can be solved for multiple environments.

I might have misunderstood, but isn't that the whole idea of this feature?

prady0t · 2025-12-23T10:34:04Z

I might have misunderstood, but isn't that the whole idea of this feature?

Exactly. Currently, the default-environment is applied after task resolution, and hence, if multiple environments are specified, it prompts the user. Due to task ambiguity

There's another bug for the same manifest; remove the default-environment part for test3 and run with the -e three flag; the user still gets prompted for multiple environments. Is that desired behaviour? If so i just checked if explicit_environment is provided or not; if not, treat default_environment as explicit environment.

The current bug can be fixed by adding a check for a task with default_environment in disambiguate_task_interactive in run.rs, but how should the -e flag be treated after that?

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

…into add-default-channel

prady0t · 2025-12-23T10:57:40Z

crates/pixi_cli/src/run.rs

+    // If any of the candidate tasks declares a `default-environment` that
+    // corresponds to one of the candidate environments, prefer that
+    // environment automatically.
+    if let Some(idx) = problem.environments.iter().position(|(env, task)| {
+        if let Some(default_env_name) = task.default_environment() {
+            default_env_name == env.name()
+        } else {
+            false
+        }
+    }) {
+        return Some(problem.environments[idx].clone());
+    }
+


This works for the currently discussed bug, but now you cannot override this using -e flag.

I think the priority should be

--environment in the pixi run cli (like it's now)

the default-environment field in the task definition. (new)

the default environment when possible (like it's now)

the disambiguation function (like it's now)

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t · 2025-12-23T15:02:59Z

@ruben-arts these changes should be good to go. I've also added a few tests.

prady0t · 2025-12-23T15:06:34Z

crates/pixi_task/src/task_graph.rs

-                    // If the task itself declares a `default_environment`, prefer that
-                    // environment when constructing the root node (if it exists in the
-                    // project). Do not fail if the named environment is missing; fall
-                    // back to the resolved `run_env`.
-                    if let Some(default_env_name) = task.default_environment()
-                        && let Some(env) = project.environment(default_env_name)
-                    {
-                        run_env = env;
-                    }
-


Completely removed these checks since the disambiguator already checks for it, this helps explicitly declared environment. to take over

prady0t · 2025-12-23T15:06:47Z

crates/pixi_task/src/task_graph.rs

-                    } else {
-                        task_env
-                    };



Same reason as above

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

ruben-arts · 2025-12-23T15:50:42Z

The latest changes don't work for overriding the default environment yet.

[workspace]
channels = []
platforms = ["osx-arm64"]

[tasks]
test = { cmd = "echo test", default-environment = "test" }

[feature.test.dependencies]
# pytest = "*"

[environments]
test = ["test"]

Gives:

> pixi run test
✨ Pixi task (test in default): echo test                                                                                                         
test

While I expected it to run in test.

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t · 2025-12-23T18:27:17Z

Added a check for when the task is in default and default-environmnet is added.

nichmor · 2025-12-29T10:40:04Z

tested with both pixi.toml that you guys have attached. Also verified if priorities with -e or default-environment are respected - everything works fine.

crates/pixi_task/src/task_environment.rs

nichmor

removed a small empty field from tests - I like it!

prady0t added 6 commits December 18, 2025 17:48

Adding a default_environment for the task

5ecc57e

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

clippy suggestions

6f2bed9

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

removed debugging code

effcf54

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

removed debugging code

d76cd3c

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

clippy suggestions

97360ec

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

clippy suggestions

82cee10

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t marked this pull request as draft December 18, 2025 12:49

prady0t added 3 commits December 21, 2025 14:39

Adding default-environment via cli

13e7412

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

restoring kebab-case

cf5730a

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

pytest and lint failures

cd64ba9

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t marked this pull request as ready for review December 21, 2025 10:17

bollwyvl reviewed Dec 21, 2025

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schema/model.py Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

bollwyvl reviewed Dec 21, 2025

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remove json_schema_extra

7ea8e3f

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t commented Dec 21, 2025

View reviewed changes

prady0t and others added 2 commits December 21, 2025 23:47

fixing wrong dtype

32f29df

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

Merge branch 'main' into add-default-channel

8bd1fb9

prady0t added 2 commits December 23, 2025 16:16

disambiguate task when default-environment is present

f5d9c7d

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

Merge branch 'add-default-channel' of https://github.com/prady0t/pixi …

71fa188

…into add-default-channel

prady0t commented Dec 23, 2025

View reviewed changes

using --environment to override default-environmnet plus some tests

4fbd1c4

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t commented Dec 23, 2025

View reviewed changes

prady0t added 3 commits December 23, 2025 20:43

clippy suggestions

6b6c224

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

using doc comment instead of regular comment

6e9868b

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

auto generated doc

3de3920

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

prady0t added 4 commits December 23, 2025 22:49

overriding the default eith default-environment

8a97180

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

clippy suggestions

ee91cf2

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

clippy suggestions

45d6e5f

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

test all platforms

829f24f

Signed-off-by: Pradyot Ranjan <[email protected]>

lucascolley changed the title ~~feat(task): --default_environment flag for specifying the default environment for a task.~~ feat(task): --default_environment flag for specifying the default environment for a task Dec 27, 2025

nichmor reviewed Dec 29, 2025

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crates/pixi_task/src/task_environment.rs Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

Update crates/pixi_task/src/task_environment.rs

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nichmor approved these changes Dec 29, 2025

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Merge branch 'main' into add-default-channel

d19fbb2

nichmor enabled auto-merge (squash) December 29, 2025 10:45

nichmor merged commit 8525a02 into prefix-dev:main Dec 29, 2025
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feat(task): --default_environment flag for specifying the default environment for a task #5164

feat(task): --default_environment flag for specifying the default environment for a task #5164

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Description

How Has This Been Tested?

AI Disclosure

Checklist:

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prady0t commented Dec 21, 2025

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feat(task): `--default_environment` flag for specifying the default environment for a task #5164

feat(task): `--default_environment` flag for specifying the default environment for a task #5164

prady0t commented Dec 18, 2025 •

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