python / python/cpython

Exception that calls `super().__init__` breaks `copy.copy`

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3.12 3.13 3.14 stdlib type-bug
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Bug report

Bug description:

For some reason calling Exception.__init__ breaks copy.copys ability to detect args. The following code

import copy

class MyException(Exception):
    def __init__(self, x):
        super().__init__()
        self.x = x

my_exc = MyException(5)
copy.copy(my_exc)

gives

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "./foo.py", line 9, in <module>
    copy.copy(my_exc)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.12/copy.py", line 97, in copy
    return _reconstruct(x, None, *rv)
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/usr/lib/python3.12/copy.py", line 253, in _reconstruct
    y = func(*args)
        ^^^^^^^^^^^
TypeError: MyException.__init__() missing 1 required positional argument: 'x'

Removing the super().__init__() line makes everything work as expected, but given that it's generally seen as good practice to call super().__init__() in child classes, and you may be working with a more complex class structure, this seems like pretty bad behavior.
I haven't dug deep enough into copy.copy or BaseException.__init__ to decide which one deserves the blame.

For the reason why I want to copy exceptions, see https://github.com/python-trio/flake8-async/issues/298

CPython versions tested on:

3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14

Operating systems tested on:

Linux

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the example with copy.copy and inspect the behavior in /usr/lib/python3.12/copy.py alongside BaseException.init. Determine the expected copying behavior for an exception whose initializer calls super().init(), then add a regression test showing that copying preserves the required constructor state without raising TypeError.

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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