asyncio.StreamReader raises BufferError with active memoryview
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Description
Bug report
Bug description:
Summary
When StreamReader has an active memoryview export of its internal buffer, methods that mutate the buffer in place can raise:
BufferError: Existing exports of data: object cannot be re-sized
This appears in real workloads with async database drivers, but the root cause is in StreamReader buffer mutation behavior.
Steps to reproduce
import asyncio
async def main():
r = asyncio.StreamReader()
r.feed_data(b"AABBCCDD")
# Simulate a consumer that keeps a memoryview alive
mv = memoryview(r._buffer)
# Triggers BufferError in current implementation
await r.readexactly(4)
mv.release()
asyncio.run(main())
Expected behavior
readexactly(4) should return b"AABB" without raising BufferError.
Actual behavior
BufferError: Existing exports of data: object cannot be re-sized
Why this happens
Some StreamReader paths mutate bytearray in place, for example slice deletion and clear operations. In-place resize is not allowed while a memoryview export exists.
Affected methods
readreadlinereaduntilreadexactly
Environment
- Python: 3.13.x, 3.14.x (also reproducible in local tests with newer builds)
- OS: macOS (also observed in Linux server workloads)
- Third-party context where this is frequently hit: async DB drivers using memoryview over packet buffers
Possible fix direction
Replace in-place buffer mutations with non-mutating replacement assignments, for example:
- replace slice delete with reassignment to remaining bytes
- replace clear with assigning a new empty bytearray
If useful, I can open a PR with tests covering the regression paths.
CPython versions tested on:
3.13
Operating systems tested on:
macOS
Linked PRs
- gh-146380
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 asyncio.StreamReader and the read, readline, readuntil, and readexactly paths described in the report; run the supplied reproduction to observe the BufferError with an active memoryview. Done means these methods return the expected data without raising, with regression coverage for the affected buffer-mutation paths.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- backend
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100