Test attached unittest_leak.py script: you will see MyException.ninstance counter increased up to 10, whereas I expect that MyException is destroyed at TestCase.run() exit.

It looks like a tricky reference cycle between:

- frames
- exc_info local variable of _Outcome.testPartExecutor() context manager
- _Outcome.errors list
- _Outclass instance

Attached unittest_workaround.patch patch works around the issue.

contextmanager_leak.py: shorter script to demonstrate the issue.

Replacing "exc_info = sys.exc_info()" with "sys.exc_info()" works around the issue.

contextmanager_leak2.py: even simpler example, storing a current frame in a local variable of the frame is enough.

generator_workaround.patch is another workaround: call frame.clear() when at generator exit to explicitly break the reference cycle.

frame_ref_cycle.py: if I understood correctly, unittest_leak.py can be simplified to this script. A frame contains a local variable which contains the frame: reference cycle.

I found this issue while working the memory limit feature of tracemalloc module (issue #19817). I opened #19835 to workaround an unlimited loop on PyErr_NoMemory() when Python is out of memory.

See also the issue #17807 and the PEP 442 for a similar reference cycle with generators.

unittest_leak.patch: Fix the the initial bug, unittest_leak.py.

I don't think that it's possible to write a generic fix for frame_ref_cycle.py. Storing sys.exc_info() to format it as a traceback later is a common pattern. Clearing a frame at function exit breaks this use case.

New changeset 09658ea0b93d by Victor Stinner in branch 'default':
Close #19880: Fix a reference leak in unittest.TestCase. Explicitly break
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/09658ea0b93d