httpx Docs deployment broken due to bug in mkautodoc? (Fix)

The Fix

Upgrade to version 0.13.0 or later.

Based on closed encode/httpx issue #541 · PR/commit linked

Production note: Most teams hit this during upgrades or environment changes. Roll out with a canary and smoke critical endpoints (health, OpenAPI/docs) before 100%.

Jump to Verify Open PR/Commit

@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 
+## 0.7.8 (November 17, 2019)
+
+### Added

repro.py

[...snip...]
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 159, in run
    self.render_members(autodoc_div, item)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 226, in render_members
    self.render_signature(members_elem, attribute, attribute_name)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 170, in render_signature
    signature = inspect.signature(item)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 3070, in signature
    return Signature.from_callable(obj, follow_wrapped=follow_wrapped)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 2820, in from_callable
    follow_wrapper_chains=follow_wrapped)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 2201, in _signature_from_callable
    raise TypeError('{!r} is not a callable object'.format(obj))
TypeError: <property object at 0x10b2d44a8> is not a callable object

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

fix.md

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release\nUpgrade to version 0.13.0 or later.\nWhen NOT to use: This fix should not be used if the documentation deployment is not affected by mkautodoc.\n\n

Why This Fix Works in Production

Trigger: [...snip...]
Mechanism: Release 0.7.8 addresses the issue with mkautodoc preventing documentation deployment.
Why the fix works: Release 0.7.8 addresses the issue with mkautodoc preventing documentation deployment. (first fixed release: 0.13.0).

Production impact:

If left unfixed, the same config can fail only in production (env differences), causing startup failures or partial feature outages.

Why This Breaks in Prod

Shows up under Python 3.7 in real deployments (not just unit tests).
Surfaces as: [...snip...]

Proof / Evidence

GitHub issue: #541
Fix PR: https://github.com/encode/httpx/pull/536
First fixed release: 0.13.0
Reproduced locally: No (not executed)
Last verified: 2026-02-09
Confidence: 0.75
Did this fix it?: Yes (upstream fix exists)
Own content ratio: 0.26

Discussion

High-signal excerpts from the issue thread (symptoms, repros, edge-cases).

Jump to Sources Open on GitHub

“@tomchristie I was able to release 0.7.8 just now, and the mkdocs gh-deploy command went just fine. I'm on 3.8.0, perhaps passing properties to inspect.signature()…”

@florimondmanca · 2019-11-19 · source

“Not reproducing for me. Let's close this off pending any further issues.”

@lovelydinosaur · 2019-11-27 · source

Failure Signature (Search String)

[...snip...]

Error Message

Stack trace

error.txt

Error Message
-------------
[...snip...]
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 159, in run
    self.render_members(autodoc_div, item)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 226, in render_members
    self.render_signature(members_elem, attribute, attribute_name)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 170, in render_signature
    signature = inspect.signature(item)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 3070, in signature
    return Signature.from_callable(obj, follow_wrapped=follow_wrapped)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 2820, in from_callable
    follow_wrapper_chains=follow_wrapped)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 2201, in _signature_from_callable
    raise TypeError('{!r} is not a callable object'.format(obj))
TypeError: <property object at 0x10b2d44a8> is not a callable object

Minimal Reproduction

repro.py

[...snip...]
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 159, in run
    self.render_members(autodoc_div, item)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 226, in render_members
    self.render_signature(members_elem, attribute, attribute_name)
  File "/Users/tomchristie/GitHub/encode/httpx/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mkautodoc/extension.py", line 170, in render_signature
    signature = inspect.signature(item)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 3070, in signature
    return Signature.from_callable(obj, follow_wrapped=follow_wrapped)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 2820, in from_callable
    follow_wrapper_chains=follow_wrapped)
  File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/inspect.py", line 2201, in _signature_from_callable
    raise TypeError('{!r} is not a callable object'.format(obj))
TypeError: <property object at 0x10b2d44a8> is not a callable object

Environment

Python: 3.7

What Broke

Documentation deployment fails due to an error in the mkautodoc extension.

Fix Options (Details)

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release Safe default (recommended)

Upgrade to version 0.13.0 or later.

When NOT to use: This fix should not be used if the documentation deployment is not affected by mkautodoc.

Use when you can deploy the upstream fix. It is usually lower-risk than long-lived workarounds.

Fix reference: https://github.com/encode/httpx/pull/536

First fixed release: 0.13.0

Last verified: 2026-02-09. Validate in your environment.

When NOT to Use This Fix

This fix should not be used if the documentation deployment is not affected by mkautodoc.

Verify Fix

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

Did This Fix Work in Your Case?

Quick signal helps us prioritize which fixes to verify and improve.

Prevention

Add a CI check that diffs key outputs after upgrades (OpenAPI schema snapshots, JSON payload shapes, CLI output).
Upgrade behind a canary and run integration tests against the canary before 100% rollout.

Version Compatibility Table

Version	Status
0.13.0	Fixed

Related Issues

No related fixes found.

Cluster: httpx:configuration-error All hubs All clusters

Related clusters: Data consistency Other Timeout

Sources

We don’t republish the full GitHub discussion text. Use the links above for context.