Implement `anext` and `aiter` in pure Python
@kumaraditya303 is already working on this.
Since Sep 12, 2026.
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Description
Feature or enhancement
Feature or enhancement
I propose to implement anext() and aiter() in Python instead of C, compiled at interpreter startup and copied into builtins. This removes the private anext_awaitable, async_callable_iterator and async_callable_iterator_awaitable types.
anext(it, default) becomes a plain coroutine that awaits type(it).__anext__(it) and converts StopAsyncIteration into the default. The callable form of aiter() (gh-64862) becomes a small class with async def __anext__ that calls and awaits the callable and turns the sentinel or stop_exception into StopAsyncIteration. Semantics stay the same.
The motivation is #157032 and #157044: the C awaitables break the asyncio await graph. capture_call_graph walks cr_await/ag_await, and these types have neither, so the graph stops at the frame calling anext(it, default) or iterating aiter(callable, sentinel) and hides where the task is actually suspended. This would fix #157032, #157044 without any special casing.
Repro with a class-based async iterator:
import asyncio
async def fetch():
await asyncio.sleep(10)
class AIter:
def __aiter__(self): return self
async def __anext__(self):
await fetch()
return 1
async def consumer():
await anext(AIter(), None)
async def main():
t = asyncio.create_task(consumer(), name="consumer")
for _ in range(3):
await asyncio.sleep(0)
asyncio.print_call_graph(t)
t.cancel()
asyncio.run(main())
Before:
* Task(name='consumer', id=0x10a42c7d0)
+ Call stack:
| File 'demo.py', line 13, in async consumer()
After:
* Task(name='consumer', id=0x108959b80)
+ Call stack:
| File 'Lib/asyncio/tasks.py', line 707, in async sleep()
| File 'demo.py', line 4, in async fetch()
| File 'demo.py', line 9, in async AIter.__anext__()
| File '<builtins>', line 26, in async _anext_with_default()
| File 'demo.py', line 13, in async consumer()
Linked PRs
- gh-157362
- gh-157687
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