python / python/cpython

New REPL (pyrepl) calls PyOS_InputHook with the terminal in raw mode, so output from input-hook callbacks loses carriage returns

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stdlib topic-repl type-bug
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Bug report

Bug description:

In the new REPL (_pyrepl), the terminal is put into raw mode with output post-processing (OPOST) disabled while the reader waits for input, and PyOS_InputHook is invoked from within that raw-mode read loop. As a result, any text an input-hook callback writes to the terminal is emitted with bare \n and no \r, so multi-line output "staircases" down and to the right instead of returning to column 0.

This is a regression from the classic (readline-based) REPL, which kept OPOST on and so let input-hook callbacks print normally. Setting PYTHON_BASIC_REPL=1 restores the old, correct behavior.

Input hooks are how GUI toolkits keep their event loops alive at the interactive prompt (Tkinter, and via their bindings PyQt/PySide, etc.). Any callback that runs during event processing and writes to the terminal — a logged warning, a traceback, a print — is affected. Confirmed with matplotlib (QtAgg) and PyVista/pyvistaqt, both purely through the standard PyOS_InputHook path.

Minimal reproducer (pure stdlib, no third-party packages)
# repro.py  --  run with:  python -i repro.py
# Then just sit at the >>> prompt for a couple of seconds and watch the output.
import ctypes, sys, time

_last = [0.0]
_HOOK = ctypes.CFUNCTYPE(ctypes.c_int)

def _hook():
    now = time.time()
    if now - _last[0] > 1.0:            # print ~once/sec while waiting at the prompt
        _last[0] = now
        sys.stderr.write("line1\nline2\nline3\n")
        sys.stderr.flush()
    return 0

_cb = _HOOK(_hook)
ctypes.c_void_p.in_dll(ctypes.pythonapi, "PyOS_InputHook").value = \
    ctypes.cast(_cb, ctypes.c_void_p).value
print("Sit at the >>> prompt and watch how line1/line2/line3 are laid out.")

Run it and leave the prompt idle:

python -i repro.py

Actual (new REPL) — the lines march diagonally across the screen; each new line begins at the column where the previous one ended (bare \n, no \r):

>>> line1
         line2
              line3

Expected (and what PYTHON_BASIC_REPL=1 python -i repro.py produces):

>>> line1
line2
line3

Captured raw bytes make the difference unambiguous (pty, TERM=xterm-256color):

new REPL:                line1<LF>line2<LF>line3<LF>          # OPOST off, no CR
PYTHON_BASIC_REPL=1:     line1<CR><LF>line2<CR><LF>line3<CR><LF>
Root cause

_pyrepl.unix_console.UnixConsole.prepare() clears OPOST when entering raw mode:

# Lib/_pyrepl/unix_console.py  (prepare)
self.__svtermstate = tcgetattr(self.input_fd)
raw = self.__svtermstate.copy()
...
raw.oflag &= ~(termios.OPOST)

and Lib/_pyrepl/reader.py calls the input hook while still in that raw state:

# Lib/_pyrepl/reader.py
input_hook = self.console.input_hook
if input_hook:
    try:
        input_hook()
    except Exception:
        pass

So the callback runs with OPOST disabled and its output is not translated (\n is not mapped to \r\n).

Suggested fix

pyrepl needs OPOST cleared for its own cursor/screen rendering, so it can't simply leave it on. But the input-hook call is exactly when pyrepl is not drawing, and hook callbacks legitimately expect normal cooked-mode output (as they had under the readline REPL). UnixConsole.prepare() already saves the original terminal state in self.__svtermstate (and restore() re-applies it via self.__input_fd_set(self.__svtermstate)), so the fix can be localized: around the input_hook() call, temporarily restore the original output flags — or at least OPOST/ONLCR — then re-enter raw mode. A fix here benefits every input-hook provider (Tkinter, PyQt, PySide, …) rather than requiring each GUI binding to work around it individually.

I have verified this fix works in manual testing in https://github.com/pyvista/pyvistaqt/pull/843 as well.

Related (both closed)
  • gh-119842 — "Honor PyOS_InputHook in the new REPL" (got the hook called at all)
  • gh-121497 — "Pyrepl doesn't respect correctly the history with input hook set" (a separate display bug with hooks)

Neither addresses the terminal output-mode problem described here. The relevant code (prepare() clearing OPOST, input_hook returning posix._inputhook) is unchanged on main as of filing.

Disclosure

An AI tool (Claude) was used to help investigate and write up this report. I reviewed it in full and take responsibility for its content. The behavior, the minimal reproducer, and the PYTHON_BASIC_REPL=1 contrast were verified on a real CPython 3.13.9 build, and the unix_console.py/reader.py references were checked against the current main source.

CPython versions tested on:

3.13

Operating systems tested on:

macOS

Linked PRs
  • gh-153389

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

Start with Lib/_pyrepl/unix_console.py, especially UnixConsole.prepare() and restore(), then follow the input-hook call in Lib/_pyrepl/reader.py. Reproduce the issue with the provided python -i repro.py script and compare the new REPL with PYTHON_BASIC_REPL=1; done means hook output retains normal carriage returns without disrupting pyrepl rendering.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
cli, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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