diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index f00cbb0a912e..bfbd316f269d 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
                 "yargs": "^15.3.1"
             },
             "engines": {
-                "vscode": "^1.78.0"
+                "vscode": "^1.78.0-20230421"
             }
         },
         "node_modules/@azure/abort-controller": {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8b364b5d60e6..a92875a230d4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
         "theme": "dark"
     },
     "engines": {
-        "vscode": "^1.78.0"
+        "vscode": "^1.78.0-20230421"
     },
     "keywords": [
         "python",
diff --git a/src/test/debuggerTest.ts b/src/test/debuggerTest.ts
index 36a0060b9303..949f14caee3d 100644
--- a/src/test/debuggerTest.ts
+++ b/src/test/debuggerTest.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import * as path from 'path';
 import { runTests } from '@vscode/test-electron';
 import { EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR_FOR_TESTS } from './constants';
-import { getVersion } from './utils/vscode';
+import { getChannel } from './utils/vscode';
 
 const workspacePath = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'src', 'testMultiRootWkspc', 'multi.code-workspace');
 process.env.IS_CI_SERVER_TEST_DEBUGGER = '1';
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ function start() {
         extensionDevelopmentPath: EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR_FOR_TESTS,
         extensionTestsPath: path.join(EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR_FOR_TESTS, 'out', 'test', 'index'),
         launchArgs: [workspacePath],
-        version: getVersion(),
+        version: getChannel(),
         extensionTestsEnv: { ...process.env, UITEST_DISABLE_INSIDERS: '1' },
     }).catch((ex) => {
         console.error('End Debugger tests (with errors)', ex);
diff --git a/src/test/multiRootTest.ts b/src/test/multiRootTest.ts
index 9a6d7cd1b904..c8c63b6dabe5 100644
--- a/src/test/multiRootTest.ts
+++ b/src/test/multiRootTest.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import { runTests } from '@vscode/test-electron';
 import { EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR_FOR_TESTS } from './constants';
 import { initializeLogger } from './testLogger';
-import { getVersion } from './utils/vscode';
+import { getChannel } from './utils/vscode';
 
 const workspacePath = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'src', 'testMultiRootWkspc', 'multi.code-workspace');
 process.env.IS_CI_SERVER_TEST_DEBUGGER = '';
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ function start() {
         extensionDevelopmentPath: EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR_FOR_TESTS,
         extensionTestsPath: path.join(EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR_FOR_TESTS, 'out', 'test', 'index'),
         launchArgs: [workspacePath],
-        version: getVersion(),
+        version: getChannel(),
         extensionTestsEnv: { ...process.env, UITEST_DISABLE_INSIDERS: '1' },
     }).catch((ex) => {
         console.error('End Multiroot tests (with errors)', ex);
diff --git a/src/test/standardTest.ts b/src/test/standardTest.ts
index c8416ebf1d7d..0562d1adf431 100644
--- a/src/test/standardTest.ts
+++ b/src/test/standardTest.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import { downloadAndUnzipVSCode, resolveCliPathFromVSCodeExecutablePath, runTests } from '@vscode/test-electron';
 import { JUPYTER_EXTENSION_ID, PYLANCE_EXTENSION_ID } from '../client/common/constants';
 import { EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR_FOR_TESTS } from './constants';
-import { getVersion } from './utils/vscode';
+import { getChannel } from './utils/vscode';
 
 // If running smoke tests, we don't have access to this.
 if (process.env.TEST_FILES_SUFFIX !== 'smoke.test') {
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ async function installPylanceExtension(vscodeExecutablePath: string) {
 async function start() {
     console.log('*'.repeat(100));
     console.log('Start Standard tests');
-    const channel = getVersion();
+    const channel = getChannel();
     console.log(`Using ${channel} build of VS Code.`);
     const vscodeExecutablePath = await downloadAndUnzipVSCode(channel);
     const baseLaunchArgs =
diff --git a/src/test/utils/vscode.ts b/src/test/utils/vscode.ts
index 44f745dbaf90..a10ceb2e8881 100644
--- a/src/test/utils/vscode.ts
+++ b/src/test/utils/vscode.ts
@@ -2,14 +2,22 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import * as fs from 'fs-extra';
 import { EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR } from '../../client/common/constants';
 
-export function getVersion(): string {
+const insidersVersion = /^\^(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)-(insider|\d{8})$/;
+
+export function getChannel(): string {
     if (process.env.VSC_PYTHON_CI_TEST_VSC_CHANNEL) {
         return process.env.VSC_PYTHON_CI_TEST_VSC_CHANNEL;
     }
     const packageJsonPath = path.join(EXTENSION_ROOT_DIR, 'package.json');
     if (fs.pathExistsSync(packageJsonPath)) {
         const packageJson = fs.readJSONSync(packageJsonPath);
-        return packageJson.engines.vscode.replace('^', '');
+        const engineVersion = packageJson.engines.vscode;
+        if (insidersVersion.test(engineVersion)) {
+            // Can't pass in the version number for an insiders build;
+            // https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-test/issues/176
+            return 'insiders';
+        }
+        return engineVersion.replace('^', '');
     }
     return 'stable';
 }