pytest-dev/pytest · error · AttributeError

function not available in

Error message

function not available in {self.scope}-scoped context

What it means

request.function returns the test function object, but only when the current request scope is 'function'. Accessing it from a wider scope (module, package, session) raises AttributeError because there is no single per-function target. The message names the offending scope.

Solutions

1. Move the request.function access into a function-scoped fixture or test body.
2. If you need the function in a wider scope, pass it in explicitly via a parametrized fixture or a function-scoped fixture that depends on the wider one.
3. Guard with 'if request.scope == "function":' before accessing .function.

Example fix

// before
@pytest.fixture(scope='session')
def sess(request):
    return request.function.__name__
// after
@pytest.fixture(scope='session')
def sess():
    return 'session-wide'

@pytest.fixture
def per_test(request, sess):
    return request.function.__name__

null

def is_function_scope(request) -> bool:
    return getattr(request, 'scope', None) == 'function'

# usage
if is_function_scope(request):
    fn = request.function

null

When it happens

Trigger: Calling request.function inside a session- or module-scoped fixture; using request.getfixturevalue('request').function in setup of a class-scoped fixture.

Common situations: Refactoring a function-scoped fixture to module scope without removing request.function usage; copying fixture code into a conftest session fixture.

Related errors

• cls not available in
• module not available in
• path not available in
• Error evaluating while defining fixture ' '. Expected a…
• is the lower-most scope

AI-assisted analysis of pytest-dev/pytest@0d6fbdeffa (2026-08-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e2cb6adfc430c2c5. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/_pytest/fixtures.py:582

        result.extend(set(self._fixture_defs).difference(result))
        return result

    @property
    @abc.abstractmethod
    def node(self):
        """Underlying collection node (depends on current request scope)."""
        raise NotImplementedError()

    @property
    def config(self) -> Config:
        """The pytest config object associated with this request."""
        return self._pyfuncitem.config

    @property
    def function(self):
        """Test function object if the request has a per-function scope."""
        if self.scope != "function":
            raise AttributeError(
                f"function not available in {self.scope}-scoped context"
            )
        return self._pyfuncitem.obj

    @property
    def cls(self):
        """Class (can be None) where the test function was collected."""
        if self.scope not in ("class", "function"):
            raise AttributeError(f"cls not available in {self.scope}-scoped context")
        clscol = self._pyfuncitem.getparent(_pytest.python.Class)
        if clscol:
            return clscol.obj

    @property
    def instance(self):
        """Instance (can be None) on which test function was collected."""
        if self.scope != "function":
            return None

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