ipykernel: Unable to run kernel

When I try to open a notebook using the Python 3 kernel, I get the following output.

[I 12:29:22.834 NotebookApp] Kernel started: 5e226817-b874-4f6c-9573-be8bcc723690
/data/tmacey/.virtualenvs/data-analytics/bin/python: Error while finding spec for 'ipykernel.__main__' (<class 'ImportError'>: No module named 'logconfig'); 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[I 12:29:25.834 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restarting kernel (1/5)
/data/tmacey/.virtualenvs/data-analytics/bin/python: Error while finding spec for 'ipykernel.__main__' (<class 'ImportError'>: No module named 'logconfig'); 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[I 12:29:28.840 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restarting kernel (2/5)
/data/tmacey/.virtualenvs/data-analytics/bin/python: Error while finding spec for 'ipykernel.__main__' (<class 'ImportError'>: No module named 'logconfig'); 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[I 12:29:31.843 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restarting kernel (3/5)
/data/tmacey/.virtualenvs/data-analytics/bin/python: Error while finding spec for 'ipykernel.__main__' (<class 'ImportError'>: No module named 'logconfig'); 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[W 12:29:33.487 NotebookApp] Timeout waiting for kernel_info reply from 5e226817-b874-4f6c-9573-be8bcc723690
[I 12:29:34.846 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restarting kernel (4/5)
WARNING:root:kernel 5e226817-b874-4f6c-9573-be8bcc723690 restarted
/data/tmacey/.virtualenvs/data-analytics/bin/python: Error while finding spec for 'ipykernel.__main__' (<class 'ImportError'>: No module named 'logconfig'); 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[W 12:29:37.852 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restart failed
[W 12:29:37.852 NotebookApp] Kernel 5e226817-b874-4f6c-9573-be8bcc723690 died, removing from map.
ERROR:root:kernel 5e226817-b874-4f6c-9573-be8bcc723690 restarted failed!
[W 12:29:37.863 NotebookApp] Kernel deleted before session
[W 12:29:37.864 NotebookApp] 410 DELETE /api/sessions/d8d3f8c2-1fdc-4d5d-b52d-07afb925587b (::1) 1.70ms referer=http://localhost:8888/notebooks/Untitled.ipynb

I am using IPython, Jupyter and ipykernel v4.0.3 with Python 3.4.3 on Linux. Linux kommandcenter 4.1.5-1-MANJARO #1 SMP PREEMPT Tue Aug 11 05:14:23 UTC 2015 x86_64 GNU/Linux

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 9 years ago
Comments: 42 (15 by maintainers)

Commits related to this issue

fix importmagic/epc failure ("from decorator import decorator" failed when using ipython3) See (epc:pop-to-last-server-process-buffer) and https://github.com/ipython/ipykernel/issues/40 — committed to Technologicat/spacemacs.d by Technologicat 5 years ago

Most upvoted comments

I had the same problem after installing matplotlib. I had to uninstall both matplotlib and ipython/ipython notebooks, and reinstall with pip install "ipython[notebook]" --upgrade

+13

sorrelh on Sep 24, 2015

I had the same error, using Python v3.4.3 with Jupyter (v4.x) on Ubuntu GNU/Linux. Error while finding spec for 'ipykernel.__main__' (<class 'ImportError'>: cannot import name 'decorator'); 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed

I couldn’t solve this problem, but then I noticed that, in the same folder I was running jupyter notebook, I had a file called decorator.py. Therefore, I renamed it to something else for avoiding name conflicts. And now it works. 😀

nebil on Mar 16, 2016

I’m getting a similar thing without reference to logconfig:

[I 07:44:58.408 NotebookApp] Kernel started: a86335f9-0361-4f29-9acc-e9279ebcd84a
/usr/bin/python: cannot import name path; 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[I 07:45:01.410 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restarting kernel (1/5)
/usr/bin/python: cannot import name path; 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[I 07:45:04.420 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restarting kernel (2/5)
/usr/bin/python: cannot import name path; 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[I 07:45:07.428 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restarting kernel (3/5)
/usr/bin/python: cannot import name path; 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[W 07:45:08.492 NotebookApp] Timeout waiting for kernel_info reply from a86335f9-0361-4f29-9acc-e9279ebcd84a
[I 07:45:10.438 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restarting kernel (4/5)
WARNING:root:kernel a86335f9-0361-4f29-9acc-e9279ebcd84a restarted
/usr/bin/python: cannot import name path; 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed
[W 07:45:13.451 NotebookApp] KernelRestarter: restart failed
[W 07:45:13.451 NotebookApp] Kernel a86335f9-0361-4f29-9acc-e9279ebcd84a died, removing from map.

Update: mine seems to have been caused by an old system ipython package from Ubuntu and worked after removing all the old ipython/ipython-notebook packages and reinstalling them via pip

yv on Sep 6, 2015

Yup, install that…

I wonder if you have an old version of pip - try running:

pip install --upgrade setuptools pip

takluyver on Apr 25, 2016

How I fixed it!

I had made a custom package called io in the directory from where I was starting my Jupyter notebook. I removed that io package and the problem got resolved.

Check if you have any packages in the folder from where you are starting your jupyter notebook.

yusufghazi15 on Dec 11, 2016

@takluyver Thanks for following me through this travale…I did remove the system installed Ipython via APT I also reinstalled using:

tom@tom-sam:~$ sudo python2 -m pip install ipykernel
tom@tom-sam:~$ sudo python2 -m ipykernel install
Installed kernelspec python2 in /usr/local/share/jupyter/kernels/python2

and that changed the error message for the p2 kernel to

/usr/bin/python2: No module named IPython.core.profiledir; 'ipykernel' is a package and cannot be directly executed

dartdog on Apr 24, 2016