jupyterlab-deepnote is a JupyterLab extension that enables you to open and view Deepnote project files (.deepnote format) directly within JupyterLab. This extension provides a seamless read-only viewer for Deepnote notebooks, allowing you to explore Deepnote projects without leaving your JupyterLab environment.

Key features

• Open Deepnote files: View .deepnote project files containing Deepnote notebooks in JupyterLab
• Multi-notebook support: Switch between multiple notebooks within a single .deepnote file
• Read-only mode: View notebook content safely without modifying the original .deepnote file
• Seamless integration: Works natively with JupyterLab's notebook interface
• Deepnote block support: Renders Deepnote-specific block types as Jupyter cells

Installation

Requirements

• Python: 3.10 or higher
• JupyterLab: 4.4.0 or higher

Install via pip

Install the extension using pip, see our PyPI page:

pip install jupyterlab-deepnote

The extension will be automatically enabled after installation.

Verify installation

Check that the extension is properly installed and enabled:

# Check server extension
jupyter server extension list

# Check frontend extension
jupyter labextension list

You should see jupyterlab_deepnote listed in both outputs.

Opening Deepnote files

1. Launch JupyterLab:

2. Open a .deepnote file:

   • Use the file browser to navigate to your .deepnote file
   • Double-click the file to open it in the notebook viewer

3. Switch between notebooks (if the .deepnote file contains multiple notebooks):

   • Use the notebook picker dropdown in the toolbar
   • Select the notebook you want to view

Architecture

This extension consists of two main components:

• Server extension: Handles .deepnote file parsing and conversion to Jupyter notebook format. Not all the blocks are supported; visit docs to learn more
• Frontend extension: Provides the JupyterLab UI integration and notebook picker widget

The extension uses a custom content provider to intercept .deepnote file requests and transform them into Jupyter-compatible notebook content.

Troubleshooting

Extension not loading

If the extension doesn't appear to be working:

1. Verify installation:

   jupyter server extension list
   jupyter labextension list

2. Rebuild JupyterLab (if installed from source):

3. Check for errors:

Common issues

• .deepnote files not opening: Ensure the file extension is exactly .deepnote
• Missing notebooks: Verify the .deepnote file contains valid YAML-formatted Deepnote project data
• Extension conflicts: Try disabling other notebook-related extensions temporarily

Getting help

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the GitHub Issues for similar problems
2. Review the CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup
3. Open a new issue with detailed information about your environment and the problem

Uninstall

To remove the extension:

pip uninstall jupyterlab_deepnote

After uninstalling, restart JupyterLab for the changes to take effect.

Compatibility

JupyterLab version support

This extension is compatible with JupyterLab 4.4.0 or higher. It requires the content provider registry API introduced in JupyterLab 4.4.

Upper bound: The extension sets an upper bound of < 5.0.0 to prevent automatic installation with potentially incompatible future major versions of JupyterLab.

Maintenance policy

Following JupyterLab's extension development guidelines, we adhere to semantic versioning principles:

• Major releases (e.g., 1.0.0 → 2.0.0): May introduce breaking changes and require user action
• Minor releases (e.g., 1.0.0 → 1.1.0): Add new features while maintaining backwards compatibility
• Patch releases (e.g., 1.0.0 → 1.0.1): Bug fixes and minor improvements only

When JupyterLab 5.x is released, we will:

1. Evaluate the changes and update the extension as needed
2. Release a new major or minor version with explicit JupyterLab 5.x support
3. Clearly document any breaking changes in the changelog

Backwards compatibility

This extension follows semantic versioning for its own API:

• Current version (0.x.x): Pre-release phase. APIs may change without prior notice.
• Version 1.0.0 onwards: We will maintain backwards compatibility within major versions and clearly document breaking changes between major versions.

Note: This extension does not support JupyterLab 3.x or earlier versions.

Need help?

• Join our Community!
• Open an issue for bug reports or feature requests
• Check out source code of related repositories: Deepnote Open Source, JupyterLab extension and Deepnote Toolkit.
• Check out our documentation
• Want a low-code experience? Visit Deepnote Cloud together with Deepnote AI agent

Contributing

For development setup, testing, and contributing guidelines, please see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Built with 💙