duckdb / duckdb/duckdb-python

Possible reference leak of the argument tuple in `FunctionCall()`

Open
#534 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
needs triage
Dominant language
Python
Stars
187
Forks
112
Avg merge
13h 29m
Merged PRs (30d)
17

Description

### What happens?

`FunctionCall()` passes a newly created tuple directly to `PyObject_CallObject()`:

File: `src/map.cpp`

Function: `FunctionCall`

```cpp
auto *df_obj = PyObject_CallObject(function, PyTuple_Pack(1, in_df.ptr()));
```

`PyTuple_Pack()` returns a new reference, while `PyObject_CallObject()` does
not steal its `args` reference. Because the tuple is not stored in a local
variable, it is never passed to `Py_DECREF()`.

As a result, every invocation leaks one tuple. The tuple also owns a reference
to `in_df`, so the input pandas DataFrame remains alive after `FunctionCall()`
returns. This occurs on both successful and failed calls.

The function is used during bind-time schema inference and query execution, so
the leak is reachable through ordinary `DuckDBPyRelation.map()` operations.

The handling of `df_obj` is unrelated and correct:

```cpp
auto df = py::reinterpret_steal(df_obj);
```

`PyObject_CallObject()` returns a new reference on success, which
`reinterpret_steal()` adopts.

### To Reproduce

This issue can be confirmed directly from the reference ownership in
`src/map.cpp`.

In `FunctionCall()`, the argument tuple is created inline:

```cpp
auto *df_obj = PyObject_CallObject(function, PyTuple_Pack(1, in_df.ptr()));
```

According to the CPython C API reference ownership rules:

1. `PyTuple_Pack()` returns a new reference.
2. `PyObject_CallObject()` does not steal the reference passed as `args`.
3. The tuple pointer is not stored, so there is no subsequent
`Py_DECREF()` for that new reference.
4. The tuple therefore leaks on every call and retains its reference to
`in_df`.

This issue is specific to the Python API and is not reproducible through plain
SQL in the DuckDB CLI.

### OS:

x86_64

### DuckDB Package Version:

latest version

### Python Version:

3.12

### Full Name:

Ksx

### Affiliation:

SMU

### What is the latest build you tested with? If possible, we recommend testing with the latest nightly build.

I have not tested with any build

### Did you include all relevant data sets for reproducing the issue?

No - Other reason (please specify in the issue body)

### Did you include all code required to reproduce the issue?

- [ ] Yes, I have

### Did you include all relevant configuration to reproduce the issue?

- [ ] Yes, I have

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Assessment

This issue has not been assessed yet.

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.