E0015:unrecognized-option with .pylintrc generated with pylint 4.0.5

[Gliptal]

Diagnostic Data

• Python version (& distribution if applicable, e.g., Anaconda): Python 3.11.4
• Type of virtual environment used (e.g., conda, venv, virtualenv, etc.): venv
• Operating system (and version): Windows 11 25H2 26200.8246
• Version of tool extension you are using: 2026.4.0

Behaviour

Expected Behavior

Running the extension with a .pylintrc generated using Pylint 4.0.5 shouldn't give any E0015:unrecognized-option errors.

Actual Behavior

Running the extension with a .pylintrc generated using Pylint 4.0.5 gives E0015:unrecognized-option errors on a number of .pylintrc options.

Reproduction Steps:

• generate a .pylintrc with pylint --generate-rcfile > .pylintrc
• place it in the root of a workspace with the extension enabled
• let the extension parse any .py file

Logs:

Click here for detailed logs

2026-04-29 14:54:12.175 [info] d:\\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pylint --reports=n --output-format=json2 --clear-cache-post-run=y --from-stdin D:\\setup.py 2026-04-29 14:54:12.175 [info] [Trace - 2:54:12 PM] Received notification 'window/logMessage'. 2026-04-29 14:54:12.175 [info] Params: { "type": 4, "message": "CWD Linter: d:\" }

2026-04-29 14:54:12.175 [info] CWD Linter: d:<REDACTED>
2026-04-29 14:54:12.623 [info] [Trace - 2:54:12 PM] Received notification 'window/logMessage'.
2026-04-29 14:54:12.623 [info] Params: {
"type": 4,
"message": "Problem importing module imports.py: No package metadata was found for isort\n"
}

2026-04-29 14:54:12.623 [info] Problem importing module imports.py: No package metadata was found for isort

2026-04-29 14:54:12.623 [info] [Trace - 2:54:12 PM] Received notification 'window/logMessage'.
2026-04-29 14:54:12.623 [info] Params: {
"type": 4,
"message": ""
}

2026-04-29 14:54:12.623 [info] file:///d%3A//setup.py :
{
"messages": [
{
"type": "error",
"symbol": "unrecognized-option",
"message": "Unrecognized option found: allow-any-import-level, allow-reexport-from-package, allow-wildcard-with-all, deprecated-modules, ext-import-graph, import-graph, int-import-graph, known-standard-library, known-third-party, preferred-modules",
"messageId": "E0015",
"confidence": "UNDEFINED",
"module": "D:\\.pylintrc",
"obj": "",
"line": 1,
"column": 0,
"endLine": null,
"endColumn": null,
"path": "D:\\.pylintrc",
"absolutePath": "D:\\.pylintrc"
},
{
"type": "refactor",
"symbol": "no-else-return",
"message": "Unnecessary "else" after "return", remove the "else" and de-indent the code inside it",
"messageId": "R1705",
"confidence": "HIGH",
"module": "setup",
"obj": "get_version",
"line": 21,
"column": 4,
"endLine": 24,
"endColumn": 77,
"path": "D:\\setup.py",
"absolutePath": "D:\\setup.py"
},
{
"type": "refactor",
"symbol": "no-else-return",
"message": "Unnecessary "else" after "return", remove the "else" and de-indent the code inside it",
"messageId": "R1705",
"confidence": "HIGH",
"module": "setup",
"obj": "get_description",
"line": 33,
"column": 4,
"endLine": 36,
"endColumn": 82,
"path": "D:\\setup.py",
"absolutePath": "D:\\setup.py"
}
],
"statistics": {
"messageTypeCount": {
"fatal": 0,
"error": 0,
"warning": 0,
"refactor": 2,
"convention": 0,
"info": 0
},
"modulesLinted": 4,
"score": 9.285714285714286
}
}

2026-04-29 14:54:12.623 [info] [Trace - 2:54:12 PM] Received notification 'pylint/score'.
2026-04-29 14:54:12.623 [info] Params: {
"uri": "file:///d%3A//setup.py",
"score": 9.285714285714286
}

2026-04-29 14:54:12.624 [info] [Trace - 2:54:12 PM] Received notification 'textDocument/publishDiagnostics'.
2026-04-29 14:54:12.624 [info] Params: {
"uri": "file:///d%3A//setup.py",
"diagnostics": [
{
"range": {
"start": {
"line": 0,
"character": 0
},
"end": {
"line": 0,
"character": 0
}
},
"message": "Unrecognized option found: allow-any-import-level, allow-reexport-from-package, allow-wildcard-with-all, deprecated-modules, ext-import-graph, import-graph, int-import-graph, known-standard-library, known-third-party, preferred-modules",
"severity": 1,
"code": "E0015:unrecognized-option",
"codeDescription": {
"href": "https://pylint.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/messages/error/unrecognized-option.html"
},
"source": "Pylint"
},
{
"range": {
"start": {
"line": 20,
"character": 4
},
"end": {
"line": 23,
"character": 77
}
},
"message": "Unnecessary "else" after "return", remove the "else" and de-indent the code inside it",
"severity": 4,
"code": "R1705:no-else-return",
"codeDescription": {
"href": "https://pylint.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/messages/refactor/no-else-return.html"
},
"source": "Pylint"
},
{
"range": {
"start": {
"line": 32,
"character": 4
},
"end": {
"line": 35,
"character": 82
}
},
"message": "Unnecessary "else" after "return", remove the "else" and de-indent the code inside it",
"severity": 4,
"code": "R1705:no-else-return",
"codeDescription": {
"href": "https://pylint.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/messages/refactor/no-else-return.html"
},
"source": "Pylint"
}
]
}

Outcome When Attempting Debugging Steps:

Did running it from the command line work?

Extra Details

Honestly baffled at what's going on here. With useBundled as the import strategy, 2026.4.0 should use the bundled 4.0.5. It even says so:

2026-04-29 13:47:08.477 [info] SUPPORTED pylint>=2.14.0
FOUND pylint==4.0.5

Why then is the extension calling pylint from my venv Python? A venv where mind you pylint isn't installed. I assume the log is wrong? If so, which pylint is actually being used?

[schl3ck]

I get similar errors Unknown option value for '--enable', expected a valid pylint message and got 'import-error'. I get this also for deprecated-module, preferred-module, and cyclic-import; all from the imports checker.

When looking through my log I noticed that I too get the line [info] Problem importing module imports.py: No package metadata was found for isort. I've checked and in the bundled/libs folder of the installed extension there are no XXX.dist-info folders for the package. In the previous version of this extension there are XXX.dist-info folders and I don't get any errors. I think these missing XXX.dist-info folders are the root cause of the problem.

[kelno]

Same issue here, it will wrongly report a bunch of incorrect settings. I don't have pylint package installed at all and the extension relies on the bundled one.

For now, changing the used pylint binary from the bundled one to the one from my venv did sidestep this issue.
That means changing pylint extension setting: "Import strategy" to "fromEnvironment" (then you obviously need the pylint package installed in the used env)