python / python/mypy

`Self` and `self` are not bound until after class definition, becoming `Any`/`Never` when passed through a decorator

Open
#16,554 5 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

bug
Dominant language
Python
Stars
20.6k
Forks
3.3k
PR merge metrics
PR metrics pending

Description

Bug Report

There is occasional use for a method that exhibits different behaviours when accessed via an instance vs the class. SQLAlchemy has one such example named hybrid_method (code). I was experimenting with a generic decorator for this pattern and found what appear to be two bugs in Mypy 1.7.0. The code works at runtime and passes type validation in Pyright 1.1.337 (barring a no-redef error).

First problem, given the following code pattern:

class Host:
    # T = TypeVar, P = ParamSpec, R = TypeVar
    @Decorator  # (Callable[Concatenate[T, P], R]) -> Decorator[Generic[T, P, R]]
    def method(self) -> Self:
        return self

    reveal_type(method)  #  T=Never, R=Any

Type T is self and R is Self, and both should be the same. The decorator has to be Generic[P, R] to return Callable[P, R] in __get__, but R then turns into Any. If the decorator is Generic[T, P, R], then R becomes Never and Host().method() errors on the self parameter: expected Never, got Host. reveal_type shows that self's type is lost within the class definition itself. Pyright processes it correctly.

Second problem, when the decorator implements the @prop.setter pattern to replace itself with a new object with different generic binds. Mypy raises a no-redef error, which can be type-ignored, but the revealed type continues to show the old generic binds. This problem goes away when the second method is given a different name.

To Reproduce

Here's sample code with a functioning decorator and three ways to use it. This code works at runtime and passes Pyright (barring one redef), but each of these versions has different errors or loss of type information in Mypy.

https://mypy-play.net/?mypy=latest&python=3.11&gist=03abdb6bef5ae78eea51d6ae07a0e778

Tested in Mypy 1.7, Pyright 1.1, Python 3.9 and 3.11

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 the linked mypy-play reproduction using Python 3.11 and compare its revealed types and errors with Pyright's results. Trace how mypy binds Self, self, and generic decorator parameters during class-body analysis, then verify that both decorator forms preserve the expected types and that the setter pattern no longer reports stale bindings or an incorrect redefinition.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
compilers, devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
28/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.