mypy incorrectly flags a type-var error when a descriptor overrides a protocol property in a different file.
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Description
Bug Report
To Reproduce
- Create an
app.pyfile with this inside:
from __future__ import annotations
from typing import Protocol
# PROTOCOL
class ServiceProto(Protocol):
@property
def value(self) -> int: ...
# DESCRIPTOR
class Descriptor:
def __get__(self, instance: ServiceImpl, owner: type[ServiceImpl]) -> int:
return 5
# IMPLEMENTATION
class ServiceImpl:
value = Descriptor()
class App[ServiceT: ServiceProto]:
def __init__(self, service: ServiceT) -> None:
self.service = service
- create a second file (important) with this inside (mine is named
run.py):
from __future__ import annotations
from .app import App, ServiceImpl
def bootstrap() -> App[ServiceImpl]:
return App(ServiceImpl())
Expected Behavior
No errors
Actual Behavior
mypy src/
run.py:5: error: Type argument "ServiceImpl" of "App" must be a subtype of "ServiceProto" [type-var]
run.py:6: error: Value of type variable "ServiceT" of "App" cannot be "ServiceImpl" [type-var]
Found 2 errors in 1 file (checked 3 source files)
Your Environment
- Mypy version used: mypy 1.18.2 (compiled: yes)
- Mypy command-line flags: none
- Mypy configuration options from
mypy.ini(and other config files): none - Python version used: Python 3.13.7 (via uv)
Weird Behavior
Merge both files, remove redundant imports. No more errors.
PS: Feel free to edit the title. This was a hard one to describe in one sentence without knowing the root cause.
PPS: This is a toy example with integers to illustrate the bug. My real use case is more complex: the descriptor is a lazy instantiator that works like cached_property (the descriptor is given a class object on instantiation, it instantiates and caches an instance of that class on the owning service instance, then serves the cached instance on further accesses).
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 report using the separate app.py and run.py files, then run mypy src/ with Python 3.13.7 and mypy 1.18.2. Trace how the descriptor-backed ServiceImpl is checked against ServiceProto across the file boundary and how App[ServiceImpl] produces the type-var errors. Done means the two-file example reports no errors while the behavior remains covered by an appropriate regression test.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- compilers, devtools
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100