python-trio / python-trio/trio

Cancellation blocks `task_status.started`

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Python
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Description

The problem: when a task starts a shielded subtask, but is cancelled before the subtask re-parents itself, the cancellation isn't propagated until the subtask ends.

Consider this code:

import trio

async def t(task_status):
    with trio.CancelScope(shield=True) as sc:  # turn off shielding, the code works
        await trio.sleep(2)
        print("Send",sc)
        task_status.started(sc)
        await trio.sleep(3)
        print("Terminating")

async def r(tg):
    sc = await tg.start(t)
    print("Receive",sc)
    sc.cancel()

async def main():
    async with trio.open_nursery() as tg:
        tg.start_soon(r,tg)
        await trio.sleep(1)
        tg.cancel_scope.cancel()  # comment this off, the code works

trio.run(main)

What I expect to happen is that tg.start returns the value from task_status.started, task t gets cancelled, this code takes one second to run.

In my "real" usecase the subtask starts a database connection which must be (a) cached and (b) closed properly. Thus turning off the shield won't work. The cancellation in the last line of main is a stand-in for any kund of exception that might happen in the rest of the program.

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Research direction

Reproduce the example with trio.open_nursery, Nursery.start, task_status.started, and a shielded CancelScope. Trace how cancellation from the nursery reaches the task before task_status.started returns. Done means the cancellation propagates promptly while preserving the expected startup value and cleanup behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
backend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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