pytest-dev/pytest · error · AttributeError

path not available in

Error message

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

What it means

request.path returns the filesystem path where the test was collected, available in 'function', 'class', 'module', and 'package' scopes. In a session scope there is no single path, so pytest raises AttributeError naming 'session' as the scope.

Solutions

1. Move the request.path access into a function/class/module/package-scoped fixture.
2. If you need the path in a wider scope, depend on a narrower fixture that passes the path up.
3. Guard access with 'if request.scope in ("function", "class", "module", "package"):'.

Example fix

// before
@pytest.fixture(scope='session')
def sess(request):
    return request.path
// after
@pytest.fixture
def per_test(request):
    return request.path

null

def has_path_scope(request) -> bool:
    return getattr(request, 'scope', None) in ('function', 'class', 'module', 'package')

if has_path_scope(request):
    p = request.path

null

When it happens

Trigger: Calling request.path from a session-scoped fixture; an autouse session fixture reaching for the test file path.

Common situations: Promoting a fixture to session scope; writing session-level setup that assumed per-file context.

Related errors

• cls not available in
• function not available in
• module 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/98e1b970a68f6922. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/_pytest/fixtures.py:616

        """Instance (can be None) on which test function was collected."""
        if self.scope != "function":
            return None
        return getattr(self._pyfuncitem, "instance", None)

    @property
    def module(self):
        """Python module object where the test function was collected."""
        if self.scope not in ("function", "class", "module"):
            raise AttributeError(f"module not available in {self.scope}-scoped context")
        mod = self._pyfuncitem.getparent(_pytest.python.Module)
        assert mod is not None
        return mod.obj

    @property
    def path(self) -> Path:
        """Path where the test function was collected."""
        if self.scope not in ("function", "class", "module", "package"):
            raise AttributeError(f"path not available in {self.scope}-scoped context")
        return self._pyfuncitem.path

    @property
    def keywords(self) -> MutableMapping[str, Any]:
        """Keywords/markers dictionary for the underlying node."""
        node: nodes.Node = self.node
        return node.keywords

    @property
    def session(self) -> Session:
        """Pytest session object."""
        return self._pyfuncitem.session

    @abc.abstractmethod
    def addfinalizer(self, finalizer: Callable[[], object]) -> None:
        """Add finalizer/teardown function to be called without arguments after
        the last test within the requesting test context finished execution."""
        raise NotImplementedError()

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