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Here's a troubleshooting checklist you can follow if you encounter the error "NameError: name 'AlphaModel' is not defined" while developing locally with Visual Studio and quantconnect-stubs, even though the code works fine in the cloud:

TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST: NameError: name 'AlphaModel' is not defined

1. Confirm 'AlgorithmImports.py' Re-exports AlphaModel

   • Open the AlgorithmImports.py file provided by quantconnect-stubs (or your local copy).
   • Ensure that AlphaModel is imported/re-exported, either directly or via an __all__ statement. Example:

     from QuantConnect.Algorithm.Framework.Alphas import AlphaModel
     

   • If it's missing, you may need to add it manually.

2. Verify quantconnect-stubs Installation

   • In a terminal, run:

     pip show quantconnect-stubs
     

   • Make sure it's installed in the same environment your IDE is using.
   • If missing, install/reinstall with:

     pip install quantconnect-stubs
     

3. Check Python Interpreter Selection

   • In Visual Studio, confirm that you have selected the Python interpreter which has quantconnect-stubs installed (check the bottom bar or project settings).

4. Try Manual Import to Pinpoint Issue

   • Temporarily add this at the top of your file:

     from QuantConnect.Algorithm.Framework.Alphas import AlphaModel
     

   • If this works, the problem is with AlgorithmImports not re-exporting AlphaModel.

5. Check/Update quantconnect-stubs

   • Consider upgrading or reinstalling the stubs:

     pip install --upgrade quantconnect-stubs
     

   • Sometimes, a downgrade may help if a recent update caused issues.

6. Restart Visual Studio/VS Code

   • Close and reopen your editor to reload cached stubs and refresh IntelliSense.

7. Double-check Usage

   • Make sure every file that requires AlphaModel includes:

     from AlgorithmImports import *
     

   • Ensure you don’t have a local file or class named AlphaModel that could cause shadowing.

8. Test With Minimal Script

   • Create a file named test.py:

     from AlgorithmImports import *
     class TestAlphaModel(AlphaModel):
         pass
     

   • Run this file to see if the error persists. If it does, your environment/stubs setup is likely the issue.

9. Be Aware of Cloud vs. Local Differences

   • The cloud environment might have more pre-imported namespaces than your local stubs.
   • Try to keep your local stubs and environment as close to the QuantConnect cloud as possible.

10. Seek Further Help if Needed

    • If issues persist, consider reaching out on the QuantConnect forums or create an issue on the quantconnect-stubs GitHub page, including your environment details.

Usually, manually importing AlphaModel or updating your AlgorithmImports file solves this. Restart your IDE after making changes!

Let me know if you need help with any of the steps.

Sources: Autocomplete - QuantConnect.com, Debugging - QuantConnect.com

Output of

pip show quantconnect-stubs

Name: quantconnect-stubs
Version: 17172
Summary: Type stubs for QuantConnect's Lean

and on and on..

I tried 

 from QuantConnect.Algorithm.Framework.Alphas import AlphaModel

already, and while it makes this issue go away, another pops up:

Exception has occurred: ModuleNotFoundError
No module named 'clr'

So I figured it's something with my local environment, I just don't know what. I googled around and it says to import “pythonnet” to make this new error go away. Problem is, I already have pythonnet in my path. 

I tried your “test.py” suggestion. 

from AlgorithmImports import *
from QuantConnect.Algorithm.Framework.Alphas import AlphaModel

class TestAlphaModel(AlphaModel):
        pass

Again, new error is:

No module named 'clr'

pythonnet already imported. 

The latest issue is now:

Could not load the file 'QuantConnect.Common'.
File name: 'QuantConnect.Common'

This seems to stem from some sort of compatibility issues between .NET and Python on Apple Silicon Macs using VS. 

From QuantConnect package __init__.py: 

del sys.modules["QuantConnect"]
from clr import AddReference
AddReference("QuantConnect.Common")
from QuantConnect import *

I have no idea how to rectify this or what is going on. Perhaps some naming collision with “clr” that breaks this code, but its unable to find QuantConnect.Common as a result. Obviously this breaks the whole debugging process for me. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

You can close the ticket. The issue is that you can't actually locally debug a QuantConnect cloud project.