"Serve Web API" in Visual Studio Code Throws "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'click'" Error

[odiouschris]

Per https://www.grampsweb.org/development/backend/setup/, "all the tools [I] need" are:

• Docker
• Visual Studio Code with the Dev Containers extension installed
• Git

Edition Windows 11 Home
Version 25H2
Installed on ‎2025-‎01-‎24
OS build 26200.7171
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.265.0

Docker Desktop
Current version
New version
Download size
4.53.0 (211793)

Visual Studio Code
Version: 1.106.3 (user setup)
Commit: bf9252a2fb45be6893dd8870c0bf37e2e1766d61
Date: 2025-11-25T22:28:18.024Z
Electron: 37.7.0
ElectronBuildId: 12781156
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200

Git for Windows v2.50.0

Steps to Reproduce

In Visual Studio code:

1. Clone Repository.
2. [use HTTPS URL of forked gramps-project/gramps-web-api]
3. Click **Open** at "Would you like to open the repository?" prompt.
4. Click **Reopen in Container** at "Folder contains a Dev Container configuration file. Reopen folder to develop in a container (learn more)."

After running Tasks > Serve Web API, Visual Studio Code throws:

• Executing task: python3 -O -m gramps_webapi run --port 5555 --host 0.0.0.0

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "", line 198, in _run_module_as_main
File "", line 88, in _run_code
File "/workspaces/gramps-web-api/gramps_webapi/main.py", line 33, in
import click
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'click'

• The terminal process "/bin/bash '-c', 'python3 -O -m gramps_webapi run --port 5555 --host 0.0.0.0'" terminated with exit code: 1.
• Terminal will be reused by tasks, press any key to close it.

I have all three documented requisites (and additionally Windows). Please posit a solution.

[DavidMStraub]

Did you wait for the container to build completely and for the post create command in the terminal to finish completely? Please post a screenshot of VS code including terminals after opening in the dev container.

[odiouschris]

I did wait for the container to build, and the postCreateCommand to finish, however I suspect a build dependency timed out during download, and the postCreateCommand exited with code 127.

[Retry]

[Dev Containers: Rebuild Container]

[Serve Web API]

After I close the local folder in VS Code, it continues to collect and download dependencies:

The result is:

What should I expect to see in VS Code after the container builds and the postCreateCommand completes successfully?

[DavidMStraub]

In VS Code, what is the correct command/Task/action to correctly "re-build" the container and dependencies in case of failure?

"Rebuild container" 🤷‍♂️ – I guess that's not what you mean?

[odiouschris]

I don't see a "Rebuild container" command in the VS Code Command Palette for "Dev Containers".

I have:

If I select "Rebuild Without Cache and Reopen in Container", I receive:

Running the postCreateCommand from devcontainer.json...

[25704 ms] Start: Run in container: /bin/sh -c scripts/start_dev_container.sh
/bin/sh: 1: scripts/start_dev_container.sh: not found
[26318 ms] postCreateCommand from devcontainer.json failed with exit code 127. Skipping any further user-provided commands.
Done. Press any key to close the terminal.

1. In VS Code, what is the correct command to correctly "re-build" the container without throwing this error?

[DavidMStraub]

"Rebuild in container" is available when you're in the container, otherwise it's called "Rebuild and Reopen in Container". But you're not using the wrong command. Something else is wrong, but I don't know what. Building works on my machine, and no other developer has reported issues with the dev container setup. So I'm not sure how can help, as much as I want to.

[odiouschris]

Thank you for the information.
Now I understand:

1. the expected result of the postCreateCommand,
2. the "correct" VS Code Task (either "Rebuild and Reopen in Container" or "Rebuild in Container"), and
3. that mine is a "corner case".

...all other problems are uniquely mine,

(I marked "as Answer", since you have kindly answered my questions).