sys.setprofile and equivalent C API don't track all callable C code
Nobody has claimed this yet.
- Dominant language
- Python
- Stars
- 77.2k
- Forks
- 35.9k
- PR merge metrics
- PR metrics pending
Description
Bug report
Bug description:
import sys
import mmap
def prof(frame, event, arg):
print(event, arg)
sys.setprofile(prof)
x = mmap.mmap(-1, 10_000)
open("/dev/null")
When run with Python 3.13 on Linux:
c_call <built-in function open>
call None
call None
return None
return None
c_return <built-in function open>
return None
No mention of mmap.mmap(), perhaps because it's a constructor of a type object.
(This is really an issue with the underlying C API, PyTrace_C_CALL is similarly not happening.)
As someone doing profiling, this means that any code running inside C type constructors is invisible, which is problematic and means I'm going to have to change how one of my profilers works.
CPython versions tested on:
3.12, 3.13
Operating systems tested on:
Linux
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
Reproduce the Linux example with sys.setprofile, mmap.mmap(), and open(), then trace the profiling path around PyTrace_C_CALL and C type constructors. Compare the observed events with the expected visibility of callable C code; done means the relevant constructor activity is reported consistently through sys.setprofile and the equivalent C API.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- c, python
- Domain
- devtools
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100