python / python/mypy

TypedDict accepts an Enum member as a key and reveals the value type, but KeyErrors at runtime

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Description

mypy lets you index a TypedDict with an Enum member, and reveal_type gives the correct value type. But it's a KeyError at runtime. Under the hood mypy substitutes the member's .value for the key, a substitution it refuses to make anywhere else.

To Reproduce

from enum import Enum
from typing import Literal, TypedDict

class Foo(Enum):
    One = "One"

class TD(TypedDict):
    One: int

td: TD = {"One": 1}
d: dict[str, int] = {"One": 1}

reveal_type(td[Foo.One])       # Revealed type is "int"  -- accepted
x: Literal["One"] = Foo.One    # error: incompatible types  -- member is not the literal
d[Foo.One]                     # error: invalid index type  -- not a valid str key

Only the TypedDict line gets through. The other two are rejected, and correctly so: Foo.One is Literal[Foo.One], not Literal["One"], and it isn't a str. So mypy already knows the member isn't its value, everywhere except TypedDict subscription.

At runtime a plain Enum member doesn't compare equal to its value, so the "type-safe" access is the thing that breaks:

>>> td[Foo.One]
KeyError: <Foo.One: 'One'>

Expected Behavior

td[Foo.One] should be an error, the same way d[Foo.One] on a dict[str, int] is. pyright rejects it: "Could not access item in TypedDict."

Actual Behavior

Accepted. reveal_type is int. KeyError when you run it.

One wrinkle worth noting: the only case where the runtime agrees with mypy is a str-mixin enum (StrEnum, or class Foo(str, Enum)), because there the member genuinely is the string. So the acceptance happens to be sound for str enums and is a false negative for every other Enum.

Your Environment

  • mypy 2.2.0 (compiled). Reproduces with and without --strict.
  • Python 3.12.8
  • No flags beyond the above; no plugins.
  • For comparison: pyright 1.1.411 flags it.

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 by running the TypedDict and Enum reproduction with mypy, then trace the TypedDict subscription type-checking path responsible for accepting Foo.One. Done means plain Enum members are rejected like dict[str, int] keys, while str-mixin enums remain accepted; add or update a regression test for both cases.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
compilers, devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
62/100

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