LOAD_FAST access names outside of co_varnames
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Description
Documentation
LOAD_FAST is documented (https://docs.python.org/3.13/library/dis.html#opcode-LOAD_FAST) as:
Pushes a reference to the local co_varnames[var_num] onto the stack.
However running dis on the following snippet shows that it may load other names:
def simple_cellvar(): # a cellvar in f
a = 1
def g(): # a freevar in g
return a
return g
import dis
dis.dis(simple_cellvar)
print()
print(f"Var names {simple_cellvar.__code__.co_varnames}")
Output
-- MAKE_CELL 1 (a)
5 RESUME 0
6 LOAD_CONST 1 (1)
STORE_DEREF 1 (a)
8 LOAD_FAST 1 (a) <---- a does not appear in the co_varnames !!!
BUILD_TUPLE 1
LOAD_CONST 2 (<code object g at 0x0000027404FB0ED0, ...)
MAKE_FUNCTION
SET_FUNCTION_ATTRIBUTE 8 (closure)
STORE_FAST 0 (g)
11 LOAD_FAST 0 (g)
RETURN_VALUE
Disassembly of <code object g at 0x0000027404FB0ED0, ...>:
-- COPY_FREE_VARS 1
8 RESUME 0
9 LOAD_DEREF 0 (a)
RETURN_VALUE
Var names ('g',)
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with the LOAD_FAST entry in the linked Python 3.13 dis documentation and reproduce the supplied simple_cellvar disassembly. Check how the displayed name relates to co_varnames and cell variables, then update the documentation so its description matches the demonstrated behavior.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- documentation
- Issue type
- Documentation
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- Half a day
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 48/100