sqlite3 Connection maintains an unused list of weakrefs to Cursor objects

The sqlite3 Connection object creates a list to hold weakrefs to Cursors, and each cursor registers itself in that list when it's created.

cpython/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c

Lines 289 to 293 in b625601

    
           PyObject *cursors = PyList_New(0); 
        
           if (cursors == NULL) { 
        
               Py_DECREF(statement_cache); 
        
               goto error; 
        
           }

cpython/Modules/_sqlite/cursor.c

Lines 108 to 122 in b625601

    
           register_cursor(pysqlite_Connection *connection, PyObject *cursor) 
        
           { 
        
               PyObject *weakref = PyWeakref_NewRef((PyObject *)cursor, NULL); 
        
               if (weakref == NULL) { 
        
                   return 0; 
        
               } 
        
               if (PyList_Append(connection->cursors, weakref) < 0) { 
        
                   Py_CLEAR(weakref); 
        
                   return 0; 
        
               } 
        
               Py_DECREF(weakref); 
        
               return 1; 
        
           }

There's code to periodically clear out dead weakrefs from the list, but nothing I can see that actually uses it. It looks like the use was removed in #26026.

Linked PRs

gh-144377: Clean up sqlite3 Connection's list of weakrefs to Cursor objects #144378

gh-144377: Clean up sqlite3 Connection's list of weakrefs to Cursor o…

pythongh-144377: Clean up sqlite3 Connection's list of weakrefs to Cu…

@takluyver

Thanks, @takluyver; happy to see this code go!

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sqlite3 Connection maintains an unused list of weakrefs to Cursor objects #144377

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	PyObject *cursors = PyList_New(0);
	if (cursors == NULL) {
	Py_DECREF(statement_cache);
	goto error;
	}

	register_cursor(pysqlite_Connection connection, PyObject cursor)
	{
	PyObject weakref = PyWeakref_NewRef((PyObject )cursor, NULL);
	if (weakref == NULL) {
	return 0;
	}

	if (PyList_Append(connection->cursors, weakref) < 0) {
	Py_CLEAR(weakref);
	return 0;
	}

	Py_DECREF(weakref);
	return 1;
	}

sqlite3 Connection maintains an unused list of weakrefs to Cursor objects #144377

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erlend-aasland commented on Feb 27, 2026

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