isort check failed: imports are incorrectly sorted

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Run isort . to sort the imports, then commit. The check fails because CI compares your import blocks against isort's canonical order (stdlib, then third-party, then first-party) and something is out of place. Set isort's profile to match your formatter and add a pre-commit hook so it never blocks review again.

The error

ERROR: src/app.py Imports are incorrectly sorted.

Fix it

1. Reproduce what CI sees. Run isort --check-only --diff . from the repo root. Expected: a diff showing the import order isort wants, and exit code 1 while anything is unsorted.

2. Apply the sort. Run isort .. Expected: files rewritten in place; re-running step 1 now exits 0 with no output.

3. Match your formatter's profile. If the repo uses black, add to pyproject.toml:

   [tool.isort]
   profile = "black"

   Expected: black and isort stop reformatting each other's import blocks.

4. Tell isort what counts as first-party if you use a src layout. Set src_paths (or known_first_party) to your package directory. Expected: your own packages sort in the first-party group instead of third-party.

5. Add the pre-commit hook so it stays sorted. Add id: isort alongside your other hooks and run pre-commit install. Expected: future commits get sorted automatically before they are created.

Use this when

• isort --check-only fails in CI with "incorrectly sorted" errors
• A PR is blocked on an import-order gate
• Different developers' PRs keep churning the same import blocks
• Local isort passes but CI fails (profile or version drift)

Not for this skill when

• The error is a missing module at runtime (ModuleNotFoundError) - that is a packaging problem, not sort order
• flake8 flags an unused import (F401) - delete the import instead of sorting it
• isort crashes with an exception - that is a config error, not a sorting failure

Variant phrasings

• isort imports are incorrectly sorted
• isort check only failed
• isort --diff CI failure
• isort vs black import conflict

Why it happens

isort enforces one canonical import order and humans (and editors) insert imports wherever the cursor is. CI runs the check strictly, so any drift fails the gate. Version or profile drift between your machine and CI makes local runs pass while CI fails on the same files.

Edge cases

• Without the black profile, black and isort reformat each other's work on every commit - set the profile once and the fight ends
• Config precedence: pyproject.toml beats setup.cfg beats .isort.cfg - a stale setting in a losing file is silently ignored
• force_single_line and custom multi_line_output styles change the expected sort - keep the config in version control so CI matches
• Add # isort: skip on files with hand-ordered imports (some generated files) instead of fighting the tool

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_ma5pMzQRq528MTi40t5MIA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_ma5pMzQRq528MTi40t5MIA

Thread query: isort check failed: imports are incorrectly sorted

TL;DR: Run isort . to sort the imports, then commit. The check fails because CI compares your import blocks against isort's canonical order (stdlib, then third-party, then first-party) and something is out of place. Set isort's profile to match your formatter and add a pre-commit hook so it never blocks review again.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: run the search checks against the public help center search page or search API as a reader would, and drop the dashboard from the check path entirely, since reader results are the ground truth the check exists to measure. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Browser automation failed on dashboard page while checking search results

Use this when

• Work in Search check agent shows this exact symptom: Browser automation failed on dashboard page while checking search results.
• The same symptom repeats after a retry with unchanged inputs.
• Readers or support agents are blocked until this item is corrected.

Not for this skill when

• The help center platform itself is down or returning outage notices. Resolve that first, then return here if this symptom remains.
• The content is correct and you only want a style or tone rewrite. That is an editorial pass, not this fix.

Steps

1. Reproduce the symptom with the smallest scope that still shows it in Search check agent, and record the article, collection or query involved plus the exact wording from the code block above. Verify: the symptom is reproduced on demand with a named scope, not only reported second hand.
2. Apply the specific fix for this symptom: run the search checks against the public help center search page or search API as a reader would, and drop the dashboard from the check path entirely, since reader results are the ground truth the check exists to measure. Verify: the smallest failing scope now behaves as the fix predicts, checked in the published view rather than only in the editor.
3. Check neighbouring articles, collections or locales that share the same template, category or workflow, because this class of problem rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Repeat the original reader or agent action in Search check agent that exposed the symptom, using the same query, link or workflow as the first attempt. Verify: the action completes and the original symptom does not appear.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth for this item, the current product behaviour, price list, release notes or ticket evidence named in the fix. Verify: the published result matches the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the scope it covered and the verification result where the content team works, so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the symptom, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

Variant phrasings

Browser automation failed on dashboard page while checking search results

The verbatim form readers and agents paste from the help center or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single scope proof, then the wider rollout.

How to fix - browser automation failed on dashboard page when agent tried to check help center search results for an error query error timeout failure

The how to phrasing for the same problem in Search check agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the final check.

Search check agent troubleshooting for this symptom

The symptom first phrasing used when the full message is hidden. Surface the full symptom first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Why it happens

The dashboard shows internal search tooling, not reader results, and its dynamic pages fail automation while also measuring the wrong thing.

Edge cases

• The symptom appears in one locale, collection or audience view only. Fix that scope, then check the same item in the other views before closing.
• A cached or indexed copy keeps showing the old state after the fix. Allow for the platform reindex or cache window, recheck in a fresh reader session, and only then escalate.
• Two items have near identical titles. Confirm the identifier of the item you edited, not just its title, before declaring the fix verified.

Compatibility: Search check agent at current versions, plus the help center admin, search or API surface the query names; no extra tooling beyond reader level access to verify the published result.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_WeTj4y4r87sTXGhL8gHgBw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_WeTj4y4r87sTXGhL8gHgBw

Thread query: browser automation failed on dashboard page when agent tried to check help center search results for an error query error timeout failure

TL;DR: Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: run the search checks against the public help center search page or search API as a reader would, and drop the dashboard from the check path entirely, since reader results are the ground truth the check exists to measure. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this in Collection reorder agent by acting on the exact symptom first: parse the export by reading its header row first and mapping columns by name rather than position, confirm the article identifier and collection fields parsed for every row, and only then compute the new order from the parsed list. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Parser failed on Intercom article export while reordering a collection

Use this when

• Work in Collection reorder agent shows this exact symptom: Parser failed on Intercom article export while reordering a collection.
• The same symptom repeats after a retry with unchanged inputs.
• Readers or support agents are blocked until this item is corrected.

Not for this skill when

• The help center platform itself is down or returning outage notices. Resolve that first, then return here if this symptom remains.
• The content is correct and you only want a style or tone rewrite. That is an editorial pass, not this fix.

Steps

1. Reproduce the symptom with the smallest scope that still shows it in Collection reorder agent, and record the article, collection or query involved plus the exact wording from the code block above. Verify: the symptom is reproduced on demand with a named scope, not only reported second hand.
2. Apply the specific fix for this symptom: parse the export by reading its header row first and mapping columns by name rather than position, confirm the article identifier and collection fields parsed for every row, and only then compute the new order from the parsed list. Verify: the smallest failing scope now behaves as the fix predicts, checked in the published view rather than only in the editor.
3. Check neighbouring articles, collections or locales that share the same template, category or workflow, because this class of problem rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Repeat the original reader or agent action in Collection reorder agent that exposed the symptom, using the same query, link or workflow as the first attempt. Verify: the action completes and the original symptom does not appear.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth for this item, the current product behaviour, price list, release notes or ticket evidence named in the fix. Verify: the published result matches the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the scope it covered and the verification result where the content team works, so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the symptom, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

Variant phrasings

Parser failed on Intercom article export while reordering a collection

The verbatim form readers and agents paste from the help center or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single scope proof, then the wider rollout.

How to fix - parser failed on Intercom article export for reorder a help center collection error parsing failure

The how to phrasing for the same problem in Collection reorder agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the final check.

Collection reorder agent troubleshooting for this symptom

The symptom first phrasing used when the full message is hidden. Surface the full symptom first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Why it happens

Intercom exports change column order between runs, so position based parsing assigns titles to the wrong identifiers and the reorder then scrambles the collection.

Edge cases

• The symptom appears in one locale, collection or audience view only. Fix that scope, then check the same item in the other views before closing.
• A cached or indexed copy keeps showing the old state after the fix. Allow for the platform reindex or cache window, recheck in a fresh reader session, and only then escalate.
• Two items have near identical titles. Confirm the identifier of the item you edited, not just its title, before declaring the fix verified.

Compatibility: Collection reorder agent at current versions, plus the help center admin, search or API surface the query names; no extra tooling beyond reader level access to verify the published result.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstl0vCsKL1TvgApZZ9FiulQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstl0vCsKL1TvgApZZ9FiulQ

Thread query: parser failed on Intercom article export for reorder a help center collection error parsing failure

TL;DR: Fix this in Collection reorder agent by acting on the exact symptom first: parse the export by reading its header row first and mapping columns by name rather than position, confirm the article identifier and collection fields parsed for every row, and only then compute the new order from the parsed list. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.