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bb60653
gh-138577: Fix keyboard shortcuts in getpass with echo_char
CuriousLearner Nov 15, 2025
31e35e4
Address reviews on dispatcher pattern + handle other ctrl chars
CuriousLearner Nov 16, 2025
b8609bd
Address reviews
CuriousLearner Nov 30, 2025
2691ad9
Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into fix-gh-138577
CuriousLearner Mar 21, 2026
6a59f3b
Address reviews
CuriousLearner Mar 22, 2026
d280ce9
fix: prevent prompt corruption during getpass echo_char line editing
CuriousLearner Mar 23, 2026
3f1a861
fix: disable IEXTEN in non-canonical mode to allow Ctrl+V (LNEXT) han…
CuriousLearner Mar 23, 2026
537392c
refactor: address review on getpass echo_char line editing
CuriousLearner Mar 23, 2026
e1e4aa3
fix: Add comments about ICANON and IEXTEN
CuriousLearner Mar 23, 2026
3e05fa3
Merge branch 'main' of github.com:python/cpython into fix-gh-138577
CuriousLearner Mar 23, 2026
90da605
Address reviews
CuriousLearner Mar 24, 2026
ef1efcb
Merge branch 'main' into fix-gh-138577
CuriousLearner Mar 24, 2026
a7c1de3
Remove prefix from private class methods
CuriousLearner Mar 24, 2026
78b2c6a
Merge branch 'fix-gh-138577' of github.com:CuriousLearner/cpython int…
CuriousLearner Mar 24, 2026
e1461a7
Merge branch 'main' of github.com:python/cpython into fix-gh-138577
CuriousLearner Mar 24, 2026
741a817
Apply suggestions from code review
vstinner Mar 24, 2026
cc5dc99
chore! update some documentation
picnixz Mar 29, 2026
0f5f5c8
fix! refresh screen on Ctrl+A/Ctrl-E
picnixz Mar 29, 2026
9d90dfa
refactor! use more handlers
picnixz Mar 29, 2026
3b2ae38
chore! reduce diff against `main`
picnixz Mar 29, 2026
919af5c
test: add cursor position tests for Ctrl+A/Ctrl+E in getpass echo_char
CuriousLearner Mar 30, 2026
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20 changes: 17 additions & 3 deletions Doc/library/getpass.rst
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -43,13 +43,27 @@ The :mod:`getpass` module provides two functions:
On Unix systems, when *echo_char* is set, the terminal will be
configured to operate in
:manpage:`noncanonical mode <termios(3)#Canonical_and_noncanonical_mode>`.
In particular, this means that line editing shortcuts such as
:kbd:`Ctrl+U` will not work and may insert unexpected characters into
the input.
Common terminal control characters are supported:

* :kbd:`Ctrl+A` - Move cursor to beginning of line
* :kbd:`Ctrl+E` - Move cursor to end of line
* :kbd:`Ctrl+K` - Kill (delete) from cursor to end of line
* :kbd:`Ctrl+U` - Kill (delete) entire line
* :kbd:`Ctrl+W` - Erase previous word
* :kbd:`Ctrl+V` - Insert next character literally (quote)
* :kbd:`Backspace`/:kbd:`DEL` - Delete character before cursor

These shortcuts work by reading the terminal's configured control
character mappings from termios settings.

.. versionchanged:: 3.14
Added the *echo_char* parameter for keyboard feedback.

.. versionchanged:: 3.15
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When using *echo_char* on Unix, keyboard shortcuts (including cursor
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movement and line editing) are now properly handled using the terminal's
control character configuration.

.. exception:: GetPassWarning

A :exc:`UserWarning` subclass issued when password input may be echoed.
Expand Down
225 changes: 202 additions & 23 deletions Lib/getpass.py
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -26,6 +26,52 @@
class GetPassWarning(UserWarning): pass


# Default POSIX control character mappings
_POSIX_CTRL_CHARS = {
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'ERASE': b'\x7f', # DEL/Backspace
'KILL': b'\x15', # Ctrl+U - kill line
'WERASE': b'\x17', # Ctrl+W - erase word
'LNEXT': b'\x16', # Ctrl+V - literal next
'EOF': b'\x04', # Ctrl+D - EOF
'INTR': b'\x03', # Ctrl+C - interrupt
'SOH': b'\x01', # Ctrl+A - start of heading (beginning of line)
'ENQ': b'\x05', # Ctrl+E - enquiry (end of line)
'VT': b'\x0b', # Ctrl+K - vertical tab (kill forward)
}


def _get_terminal_ctrl_chars(fd):
"""Extract control characters from terminal settings.

Returns a dict mapping control char names to their byte values.
Falls back to POSIX defaults if termios isn't available.
"""
try:
old = termios.tcgetattr(fd)
cc = old[6] # Index 6 is the control characters array
return {
'ERASE': cc[termios.VERASE] if termios.VERASE < len(cc) else _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['ERASE'],
'KILL': cc[termios.VKILL] if termios.VKILL < len(cc) else _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['KILL'],
'WERASE': cc[termios.VWERASE] if termios.VWERASE < len(cc) else _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['WERASE'],
'LNEXT': cc[termios.VLNEXT] if termios.VLNEXT < len(cc) else _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['LNEXT'],
'EOF': cc[termios.VEOF] if termios.VEOF < len(cc) else _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['EOF'],
'INTR': cc[termios.VINTR] if termios.VINTR < len(cc) else _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['INTR'],
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# Ctrl+A/E/K are not in termios, use POSIX defaults
'SOH': _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['SOH'],
'ENQ': _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['ENQ'],
'VT': _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS['VT'],
}
except (termios.error, OSError):
return _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS.copy()
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def _decode_ctrl_char(char_value):
"""Convert a control character from bytes to str."""
if isinstance(char_value, bytes):
return char_value.decode('latin-1')
return char_value


def unix_getpass(prompt='Password: ', stream=None, *, echo_char=None):
"""Prompt for a password, with echo turned off.

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -73,15 +119,19 @@ def unix_getpass(prompt='Password: ', stream=None, *, echo_char=None):
old = termios.tcgetattr(fd) # a copy to save
new = old[:]
new[3] &= ~termios.ECHO # 3 == 'lflags'
# Extract control characters before changing terminal mode
term_ctrl_chars = None
if echo_char:
new[3] &= ~termios.ICANON
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term_ctrl_chars = _get_terminal_ctrl_chars(fd)
tcsetattr_flags = termios.TCSAFLUSH
if hasattr(termios, 'TCSASOFT'):
tcsetattr_flags |= termios.TCSASOFT
try:
termios.tcsetattr(fd, tcsetattr_flags, new)
passwd = _raw_input(prompt, stream, input=input,
echo_char=echo_char)
echo_char=echo_char,
term_ctrl_chars=term_ctrl_chars)

finally:
termios.tcsetattr(fd, tcsetattr_flags, old)
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -159,7 +209,8 @@ def _check_echo_char(echo_char):
f"character, got: {echo_char!r}")


def _raw_input(prompt="", stream=None, input=None, echo_char=None):
def _raw_input(prompt="", stream=None, input=None, echo_char=None,
term_ctrl_chars=None):
# This doesn't save the string in the GNU readline history.
if not stream:
stream = sys.stderr
Expand All @@ -177,7 +228,8 @@ def _raw_input(prompt="", stream=None, input=None, echo_char=None):
stream.flush()
# NOTE: The Python C API calls flockfile() (and unlock) during readline.
if echo_char:
return _readline_with_echo_char(stream, input, echo_char)
return _readline_with_echo_char(stream, input, echo_char,
term_ctrl_chars)
line = input.readline()
if not line:
raise EOFError
Expand All @@ -186,33 +238,160 @@ def _raw_input(prompt="", stream=None, input=None, echo_char=None):
return line


def _readline_with_echo_char(stream, input, echo_char):
passwd = ""
eof_pressed = False
class _PasswordLineEditor:
"""Handles line editing for password input with echo character."""

def __init__(self, stream, echo_char, ctrl_chars):
self.stream = stream
self.echo_char = echo_char
self.passwd = ""
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self.cursor_pos = 0
self.eof_pressed = False
self.literal_next = False
self.ctrl = {name: _decode_ctrl_char(value)
for name, value in ctrl_chars.items()}
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Can't we have the POSIX defaults already decoded?

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Refactored this in b8609bd


def refresh_display(self):
"""Redraw the entire password line with asterisks."""
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self.stream.write('\r' + ' ' * (len(self.passwd) + 20) + '\r')
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Why are we adding 20 extra characters?

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The +20 was an arbitrary buffer and has been removed. The current implementation now uses just len(self.passwd) to clear only the necessary characters:

self.stream.write('\r' + ' ' * len(self.passwd) + '\r')

self.stream.write(self.echo_char * len(self.passwd))
if self.cursor_pos < len(self.passwd):
self.stream.write('\b' * (len(self.passwd) - self.cursor_pos))
self.stream.flush()

def erase_chars(self, count):
"""Erase count asterisks from display."""
self.stream.write("\b \b" * count)

def insert_char(self, char):
"""Insert character at cursor position."""
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self.passwd = self.passwd[:self.cursor_pos] + char + self.passwd[self.cursor_pos:]
self.cursor_pos += 1
# Only refresh if inserting in middle
if self.cursor_pos < len(self.passwd):
self.refresh_display()
else:
self.stream.write(self.echo_char)
self.stream.flush()

def handle_literal_next(self, char):
"""Insert next character literally (Ctrl+V)."""
self.insert_char(char)
self.literal_next = False
self.eof_pressed = False

def handle_move_start(self):
"""Move cursor to beginning (Ctrl+A)."""
self.cursor_pos = 0
self.eof_pressed = False

def handle_move_end(self):
"""Move cursor to end (Ctrl+E)."""
self.cursor_pos = len(self.passwd)
self.eof_pressed = False

def handle_erase(self):
"""Delete character before cursor (Backspace/DEL)."""
if self.cursor_pos > 0:
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self.passwd = self.passwd[:self.cursor_pos-1] + self.passwd[self.cursor_pos:]
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self.cursor_pos -= 1
# Only refresh if deleting from middle
if self.cursor_pos < len(self.passwd):
self.refresh_display()
else:
self.stream.write("\b \b")
self.stream.flush()
self.eof_pressed = False

def handle_kill_line(self):
"""Erase entire line (Ctrl+U)."""
self.erase_chars(len(self.passwd))
self.passwd = ""
self.cursor_pos = 0
self.stream.flush()
self.eof_pressed = False

def handle_kill_forward(self):
"""Kill from cursor to end (Ctrl+K)."""
chars_to_delete = len(self.passwd) - self.cursor_pos
self.passwd = self.passwd[:self.cursor_pos]
self.erase_chars(chars_to_delete)
self.stream.flush()
self.eof_pressed = False

def handle_erase_word(self):
"""Erase previous word (Ctrl+W)."""
old_cursor = self.cursor_pos
# Skip trailing spaces
while self.cursor_pos > 0 and self.passwd[self.cursor_pos-1] == ' ':
self.cursor_pos -= 1
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You can actually skip the trailing spaces as follows:

stripped = self.passwd.rstrip(' ')
self.cursor_pos = self.cursor_pos - (len(self.passwd) - len(stripped))

# Delete the word
while self.cursor_pos > 0 and self.passwd[self.cursor_pos-1] != ' ':
self.cursor_pos -= 1
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And here, use str.rfind using the start of the new cursor position.

# Remove the deleted portion
self.passwd = self.passwd[:self.cursor_pos] + self.passwd[old_cursor:]
self.refresh_display()
self.eof_pressed = False

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def build_dispatch_table(self):
"""Build dispatch table mapping control chars to handlers."""
return {
self.ctrl['SOH']: self.handle_move_start, # Ctrl+A
self.ctrl['ENQ']: self.handle_move_end, # Ctrl+E
self.ctrl['VT']: self.handle_kill_forward, # Ctrl+K
self.ctrl['KILL']: self.handle_kill_line, # Ctrl+U
self.ctrl['WERASE']: self.handle_erase_word, # Ctrl+W
self.ctrl['ERASE']: self.handle_erase, # DEL
'\b': self.handle_erase, # Backspace
}


def _readline_with_echo_char(stream, input, echo_char, term_ctrl_chars=None):
"""Read password with echo character and line editing support."""
if term_ctrl_chars is None:
term_ctrl_chars = _POSIX_CTRL_CHARS.copy()
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editor = _PasswordLineEditor(stream, echo_char, term_ctrl_chars)
dispatch = editor.build_dispatch_table()

while True:
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char = input.read(1)
if char == '\n' or char == '\r':

# Check for line terminators
if char in ('\n', '\r'):
break
elif char == '\x03':

# Handle literal next mode FIRST (Ctrl+V quotes next char)
if editor.literal_next:
editor.handle_literal_next(char)
continue
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# Check if it's the LNEXT character
if char == editor.ctrl['LNEXT']:
editor.literal_next = True
editor.eof_pressed = False
continue

# Check for special control characters
if char == editor.ctrl['INTR']:
raise KeyboardInterrupt
elif char == '\x7f' or char == '\b':
if passwd:
stream.write("\b \b")
stream.flush()
passwd = passwd[:-1]
elif char == '\x04':
if eof_pressed:
if char == editor.ctrl['EOF']:
if editor.eof_pressed:
break
else:
eof_pressed = True
elif char == '\x00':
editor.eof_pressed = True
continue
if char == '\x00':
continue

# Dispatch to handler or insert as normal character
handler = dispatch.get(char)
if handler:
handler()
else:
passwd += char
stream.write(echo_char)
stream.flush()
eof_pressed = False
return passwd
editor.insert_char(char)
editor.eof_pressed = False
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return editor.passwd


def getuser():
Expand Down
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