FAQ

Does Cortex Code Desktop require WSL on Windows?

No. Cortex Code Desktop does not require WSL. WSL is entirely optional:

  • On Windows, the agent’s terminal and shell tools use PowerShell by default, not WSL.
  • The app probes for WSL only to offer it as an additional terminal profile. If WSL is installed, Cortex Code can list your WSL distributions as optional terminal profiles. If WSL isn’t installed, the app uses PowerShell and works normally.
  • Cortex Code never blocks startup on WSL and never prompts you to install or upgrade it.

If you see a prompt to install or update WSL (“Windows Subsystem for Linux must be updated”), it’s coming from something else on the machine, not from Cortex Code. It’s safe to dismiss for the purpose of running Cortex Code Desktop.

Why do I get “Not a valid Python interpreter”?

If selecting a Python interpreter (including one from a virtual environment) returns “Not a valid Python interpreter,” the cause is usually the language server, not your Python installation. Switch the Python language server to Jedi:

  1. Open Settings (gear icon or Cmd/Ctrl+,).
  2. Search for python.languageServer.
  3. Set it to Jedi.
  4. Run Developer: Reload Window from the Command Palette.

Jedi is the supported and default Python language server for Cortex Code Desktop. If the interpreter is still rejected after switching to Jedi and reloading, report it as a bug.

Does Snowflake use my prompts or conversations to train models?

Cortex Code Desktop is a Snowflake AI Feature. Per Snowflake’s AI features data-privacy principle, Snowflake never uses your Customer Data to train models made available to our customer base.

How your inputs and outputs are classified and the terms that govern them are set out in the legal notices for Snowflake AI Features. For the full, current terms, see Snowflake AI features and the legal notices on the Cortex Code Desktop page.