Resolves by deprecating the incorrect usage pattern and documenting the correct approach (#10819) (#14011)

changelog/10819.deprecation.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+Added a deprecation warning for class-scoped fixtures defined as instance methods (without ``@classmethod``). Such fixtures set attributes on a different instance than the test methods use, leading to unexpected behavior. Use ``@classmethod`` decorator instead -- by :user:`yastcher`.
+
+See :issue:`10819` and :issue:`14011`.

doc/en/deprecations.rst

@@ -113,6 +113,53 @@ You can fix it by convert generators and iterators to lists or tuples:
 Note that :class:`range` objects are ``Collection`` and are not affected by this deprecation.
 
 
+.. _class-scoped-fixture-as-instance-method:
+
+Class-scoped fixture as instance method
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. deprecated:: 9.1
+
+Defining a class-scoped fixture as an instance method (without ``@classmethod``) is deprecated
+and will be removed in pytest 10.0.
+
+When a class-scoped fixture is defined as an instance method, any attributes set on ``self``
+will not be visible to test methods. This happens because pytest creates a new instance of the
+test class for each test method, while the fixture runs only once per class on a different instance.
+
+**Before** (deprecated):
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    class TestExample:
+        @pytest.fixture(scope="class")
+        def setup_data(self):
+            self.data = [1, 2, 3]  # This won't be visible to tests!
+
+        def test_something(self, setup_data):
+            assert self.data == [
+                1,
+                2,
+                3,
+            ]  # AttributeError: 'TestExample' object has no attribute 'data'
+
+**After** (recommended):
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    class TestExample:
+        @pytest.fixture(scope="class")
+        @classmethod
+        def setup_data(cls):
+            cls.data = [1, 2, 3]
+
+        def test_something(self, setup_data):
+            assert self.data == [1, 2, 3]  # Works correctly
+
+Using ``@classmethod`` ensures attributes are set on the class itself, making them accessible
+to all test methods.
+
+
 .. _monkeypatch-fixup-namespace-packages:
 
 ``monkeypatch.syspath_prepend`` with legacy namespace packages

src/_pytest/deprecated.py

@@ -35,6 +35,14 @@
     "Use @pytest.fixture instead; they are the same."
 )
 
+CLASS_FIXTURE_INSTANCE_METHOD = PytestRemovedIn10Warning(
+    "Class-scoped fixture defined as instance method is deprecated.\n"
+    "Instance attributes set in this fixture will NOT be visible to test methods,\n"
+    "as each test gets a new instance while the fixture runs only once per class.\n"
+    "Use @classmethod decorator and set attributes on cls instead.\n"
+    "See https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/deprecations.html#class-scoped-fixture-as-instance-method"
+)
+
 # This deprecation is never really meant to be removed.
 PRIVATE = PytestDeprecationWarning("A private pytest class or function was used.")
 

src/_pytest/fixtures.py

@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 from _pytest.config import ExitCode
 from _pytest.config.argparsing import Parser
 from _pytest.deprecated import check_ispytest
+from _pytest.deprecated import CLASS_FIXTURE_INSTANCE_METHOD
 from _pytest.deprecated import YIELD_FIXTURE
 from _pytest.main import Session
 from _pytest.mark import ParameterSet
@@ -1148,6 +1149,16 @@ def resolve_fixture_function(
     # request.instance so that code working with "fixturedef" behaves
     # as expected.
     instance = request.instance
+
+    if fixturedef._scope is Scope.Class:
+        # Check if fixture is an instance method (bound to instance, not class)
+        if hasattr(fixturefunc, "__self__"):
+            bound_to = fixturefunc.__self__
+            # classmethod: bound_to is the class itself (a type)
+            # instance method: bound_to is an instance (not a type)
+            if not isinstance(bound_to, type):
+                warnings.warn(CLASS_FIXTURE_INSTANCE_METHOD, stacklevel=2)
+
     if instance is not None:
         # Handle the case where fixture is defined not in a test class, but some other class
         # (for example a plugin class with a fixture), see #2270.

testing/deprecated_test.py

@@ -107,3 +107,24 @@ def collect(self):
             parent=mod.parent,
             fspath=legacy_path("bla"),
         )
+
+
+def test_class_scope_instance_method_is_deprecated(pytester: Pytester) -> None:
+    pytester.makepyfile(
+        """
+        import pytest
+
+        class TestClass:
+            @pytest.fixture(scope="class")
+            def fix(self):
+                self.attr = True
+
+            def test_foo(self, fix):
+                pass
+        """
+    )
+    result = pytester.runpytest("-Werror::pytest.PytestRemovedIn10Warning")
+    result.assert_outcomes(errors=1)
+    result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(
+        ["*PytestRemovedIn10Warning: Class-scoped fixture defined as instance method*"]
+    )