Add FreeList<T> wrapper to drain cached objects on thread teardown

Replace Cell<Vec<*mut PyObject>> with Cell<FreeList<T>> which implements Drop to properly deallocate PyInner<T> when threads exit. Also fix freelist_pop safety doc to match actual contract.
RustPython · youknowone · Mar 4, 2026 · Mar 3, 2026 · Mar 3, 2026 · Mar 3, 2026
commit c0b33a68842c858ae95ccb7d81e71df39ea6c396
diff --git a/crates/vm/src/builtins/dict.rs b/crates/vm/src/builtins/dict.rs
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ impl fmt::Debug for PyDict {
 }
 
 thread_local! {
-    static DICT_FREELIST: Cell<Vec<*mut PyObject>> = const { Cell::new(Vec::new()) };
+    static DICT_FREELIST: Cell<crate::object::FreeList<PyDict>> = const { Cell::new(crate::object::FreeList::new()) };
 }
 
 impl PyPayload for PyDict {

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/builtins/float.rs b/crates/vm/src/builtins/float.rs
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ impl PyFloat {
 }
 
 thread_local! {
-    static FLOAT_FREELIST: Cell<Vec<*mut PyObject>> = const { Cell::new(Vec::new()) };
+    static FLOAT_FREELIST: Cell<crate::object::FreeList<PyFloat>> = const { Cell::new(crate::object::FreeList::new()) };
 }
 
 impl PyPayload for PyFloat {

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/builtins/list.rs b/crates/vm/src/builtins/list.rs
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ unsafe impl Traverse for PyList {
 }
 
 thread_local! {
-    static LIST_FREELIST: Cell<Vec<*mut PyObject>> = const { Cell::new(Vec::new()) };
+    static LIST_FREELIST: Cell<crate::object::FreeList<PyList>> = const { Cell::new(crate::object::FreeList::new()) };
 }
 
 impl PyPayload for PyList {

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/builtins/slice.rs b/crates/vm/src/builtins/slice.rs
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ pub struct PySlice {
 }
 
 thread_local! {
-    static SLICE_FREELIST: Cell<Vec<*mut PyObject>> = const { Cell::new(Vec::new()) };
+    static SLICE_FREELIST: Cell<crate::object::FreeList<PySlice>> = const { Cell::new(crate::object::FreeList::new()) };
 }
 
 impl PyPayload for PySlice {

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/object/core.rs b/crates/vm/src/object/core.rs
@@ -822,13 +822,50 @@ impl<T: PyPayload + core::fmt::Debug> PyInner<T> {
     }
 }
 
-/// Drop a freelist-cached object, properly deallocating the `PyInner<T>`.
+/// Thread-local freelist storage that properly deallocates cached objects
+/// on thread teardown.
 ///
-/// # Safety
-/// `ptr` must point to a valid `PyInner<T>` allocation that was stored in a freelist.
-#[allow(dead_code)]
-pub(crate) unsafe fn drop_freelist_object<T: PyPayload>(ptr: *mut PyObject) {
-    drop(unsafe { Box::from_raw(ptr as *mut PyInner<T>) });
+/// Wraps a `Vec<*mut PyObject>` and implements `Drop` to convert each
+/// raw pointer back into `Box<PyInner<T>>` for proper deallocation.
+pub(crate) struct FreeList<T: PyPayload> {
+    items: Vec<*mut PyObject>,
+    _marker: core::marker::PhantomData<T>,
+}
+
+impl<T: PyPayload> FreeList<T> {
+    pub(crate) const fn new() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            items: Vec::new(),
+            _marker: core::marker::PhantomData,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: PyPayload> Default for FreeList<T> {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self::new()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: PyPayload> Drop for FreeList<T> {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        for ptr in self.items.drain(..) {
+            drop(unsafe { Box::from_raw(ptr as *mut PyInner<T>) });
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: PyPayload> core::ops::Deref for FreeList<T> {
+    type Target = Vec<*mut PyObject>;
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        &self.items
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: PyPayload> core::ops::DerefMut for FreeList<T> {
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Self::Target {
+        &mut self.items
+    }
 }
 
 /// The `PyObjectRef` is one of the most used types. It is a reference to a

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/object/payload.rs b/crates/vm/src/object/payload.rs
@@ -71,7 +71,9 @@ pub trait PyPayload: MaybeTraverse + PyThreadingConstraint + Sized + 'static {
     /// reinitialize `ref_count`, `gc_bits`, and `payload`.
     ///
     /// # Safety
-    /// The returned pointer (if Some) points to uninitialized/stale payload.
+    /// The returned pointer (if Some) must point to a valid `PyInner<Self>`
+    /// whose payload is still initialized from a previous allocation. The caller
+    /// will drop and overwrite `payload` before reuse.
     #[inline]
     unsafe fn freelist_pop() -> Option<NonNull<PyObject>> {
         None