redis-py Retries do no work with asyncio (Fix)

The Fix

pip install redis==7.1.0

Based on closed redis/redis-py issue #2179 · PR/commit linked

Production note: This usually shows up under retries/timeouts. Treat it as a side-effect risk until you can verify behavior with a canary + real traffic.

Jump to Verify Open PR/Commit

@@ -1157,7 +1157,7 @@ async def ensure_connection(self, connection: AbstractConnection):
             if await connection.can_read_destructive():
                 raise ConnectionError("Connection has data") from None
-        except (ConnectionError, OSError):
+        except (ConnectionError, TimeoutError, OSError):
             await connection.disconnect()

repro.py

from redis.asyncio import BlockingConnectionPool, StrictClient
from redis.exceptions import ConnectionError, TimeoutError
from redis.asyncio.retry import Retry

errors = (ConnectionError, TimeoutError)
retry = Retry(backoff=backoff, retries=retries, supported_errors=errors)
pool = BlockingConnectionPool(retry=retry, retry_on_timeout=True)
client = StrictClient(connection_pool=pool)

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\npip install redis==7.1.0\nWhen NOT to use: Do not use this fix if the application relies on immediate failure for ConnectionError.\n\n

Why This Fix Works in Production

Trigger: errors = (ConnectionError, TimeoutError)
Mechanism: The error handler in call_with_retry re-raises ConnectionError before retrying
Why the fix works: Fixes the retry mechanism in the asyncio mode of the Redis client, ensuring that retries occur for ConnectionError exceptions as well. (first fixed release: 7.1.0).

Production impact:

If left unfixed, retry loops can amplify load and turn a small outage into a cascade (thundering herd).

Why This Breaks in Prod

The error handler in call_with_retry re-raises ConnectionError before retrying
Production symptom (often without a traceback): from redis.exceptions import ConnectionError, TimeoutError

Proof / Evidence

GitHub issue: #2179
Fix PR: https://github.com/redis/redis-py/pull/1485
First fixed release: 7.1.0
Reproduced locally: No (not executed)
Last verified: 2026-02-07
Confidence: 0.75
Did this fix it?: Yes (upstream fix exists)
Own content ratio: 0.60

Discussion

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

Jump to Sources Open on GitHub

“does this relate to https://github.com/redis/redis-py/pull/1485 ?”

@donbowman · 2022-05-21 · source

“@donbowman no, this issue (and corresponding PR) is specific to the async API.”

@elemoine · 2022-05-23 · source

Failure Signature (Search String)

errors = (ConnectionError, TimeoutError)

Copy-friendly signature

signature.txt

Failure Signature
-----------------
from redis.exceptions import ConnectionError, TimeoutError
errors = (ConnectionError, TimeoutError)

Error Message

Signature-only (no traceback captured)

error.txt

Error Message
-------------
from redis.exceptions import ConnectionError, TimeoutError
errors = (ConnectionError, TimeoutError)

Minimal Reproduction

repro.py

from redis.asyncio import BlockingConnectionPool, StrictClient
from redis.exceptions import ConnectionError, TimeoutError
from redis.asyncio.retry import Retry

errors = (ConnectionError, TimeoutError)
retry = Retry(backoff=backoff, retries=retries, supported_errors=errors)
pool = BlockingConnectionPool(retry=retry, retry_on_timeout=True)
client = StrictClient(connection_pool=pool)

What Broke

Retries do not occur for ConnectionError exceptions, leading to failed commands.

Why It Broke

The error handler in call_with_retry re-raises ConnectionError before retrying

Fix Options (Details)

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

pip install redis==7.1.0

When NOT to use: Do not use this fix if the application relies on immediate failure for ConnectionError.

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

Fix reference: https://github.com/redis/redis-py/pull/1485

First fixed release: 7.1.0

Last verified: 2026-02-07. Validate in your environment.

When NOT to Use This Fix

Do not use this fix if the application relies on immediate failure for ConnectionError.

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 stress test that runs high-concurrency workloads and fails on thread dumps / blocked locks.
Enable watchdog dumps in prod (faulthandler, thread dump endpoint) to capture deadlocks quickly.
Track RSS + object counts after deployments; alert on monotonic growth and GC pressure.
Add a long-running test that repeats the failing call path and asserts stable memory.

Version Compatibility Table

Version	Status
7.1.0	Fixed

Related Issues

No related fixes found.

Cluster: redis-py:retry-storm redis-py hub redis-py best practices All hubs All clusters

Related clusters: Configuration error Data consistency Race condition

Sources

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