youknowone · Oct 5, 2026 · Oct 2, 2026 · Oct 5, 2026
diff --git a/crates/vm/src/builtins/mod.rs b/crates/vm/src/builtins/mod.rs
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ pub(crate) mod type_;
 pub use type_::{PyType, PyTypeRef};
 pub(crate) mod range;
 pub use range::PyRange;
+pub(crate) mod sentinel;
+pub use sentinel::PySentinel;
 pub(crate) mod set;
 pub use set::{PyFrozenSet, PySet};
 pub(crate) mod singletons;

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/builtins/sentinel.rs b/crates/vm/src/builtins/sentinel.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+use super::{PyStrRef, PyType, union_};
+use crate::{
+    Context, Py, PyObject, PyObjectRef, PyPayload, PyRef, PyResult, VirtualMachine,
+    class::PyClassImpl,
+    object::{PyAtomicRef, Traverse, TraverseFn},
+    protocol::PyNumberMethods,
+    types::{AsNumber, Constructor, Representable},
+};
+
+/// Create a unique sentinel object with the given name.
+#[pyclass(module = false, name = "sentinel", traverse = "manual")]
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct PySentinel {
+    #[pymember(name = "__name__", type = "object_ex")]
+    name: PyStrRef,
+    #[pymember(name = "__module__", type = "object_ex", writable)]
+    module: PyAtomicRef<Option<PyObject>>,
+    repr: Option<PyStrRef>,
+}
+
+// SAFETY: Visit each owned Python reference once, without cloning it.
+unsafe impl Traverse for PySentinel {
+    fn traverse(&self, tracer_fn: &mut TraverseFn<'_>) {
+        self.name.traverse(tracer_fn);
+        self.module.traverse(tracer_fn);
+        self.repr.traverse(tracer_fn);
+    }
+
+    fn clear(&mut self, out: &mut Vec<PyObjectRef>) {
+        // String subclasses may own references back to this sentinel.
+        let name = core::mem::replace(&mut self.name, Context::genesis().empty_str.to_owned());
+        out.push(name.into());
+        if let Some(module) = self.module.store(None) {
+            out.push(module);
+        }
+        if let Some(repr) = self.repr.take() {
+            out.push(repr.into());
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl PyPayload for PySentinel {
+    #[inline]
+    fn class(ctx: &Context) -> &'static Py<PyType> {
+        ctx.types.sentinel_type
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(FromArgs)]
+pub struct SentinelArgs {
+    #[pyarg(positional, error_msg = "sentinel() argument 1 must be str")]
+    name: PyStrRef,
+    #[pyarg(
+        named,
+        optional,
+        error_msg = "sentinel() argument 'repr' must be str or None"
+    )]
+    repr: Option<PyStrRef>,
+}
+
+impl Constructor for PySentinel {
+    type Args = SentinelArgs;
+
+    fn py_new(_cls: &Py<PyType>, args: Self::Args, vm: &VirtualMachine) -> PyResult<Self> {
+        let module = if let Some(frame) = vm.current_frame()
+            && let Some(function) = frame.iframe().func_obj()
+        {
+            // Use the module captured by the caller function, including the
+            // synthetic functions used for module, eval, and exec code.
+            function.get_attr(identifier!(vm, __module__), vm)?
+        } else {
+            vm.ctx.none()
+        };
+        Ok(Self {
+            name: args.name,
+            module: PyAtomicRef::from(Some(module)),
+            repr: args.repr,
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[pyclass(with(Constructor, Representable, AsNumber), flags(HAVE_GC))]
+impl PySentinel {
+    #[pymethod]
+    fn __copy__(zelf: PyRef<Self>) -> PyRef<Self> {
+        zelf
+    }
+
+    #[pymethod]
+    fn __deepcopy__(zelf: PyRef<Self>, _memo: PyObjectRef) -> PyRef<Self> {
+        zelf
+    }
+
+    #[pymethod]
+    fn __reduce__(zelf: &Py<Self>) -> PyStrRef {
+        zelf.name.clone()
+    }
+}
+
+impl Representable for PySentinel {
+    fn repr(zelf: &Py<Self>, _vm: &VirtualMachine) -> PyResult<PyStrRef> {
+        Ok(zelf.repr.as_ref().unwrap_or(&zelf.name).clone())
+    }
+}
+
+impl AsNumber for PySentinel {
+    fn as_number() -> &'static PyNumberMethods {
+        static AS_NUMBER: PyNumberMethods = PyNumberMethods {
+            or: Some(|a, b, vm| union_::or_op(a.to_owned(), b.to_owned(), vm)),
+            ..PyNumberMethods::NOT_IMPLEMENTED
+        };
+        &AS_NUMBER
+    }
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn init(context: &'static Context) {
+    PySentinel::extend_class(context, context.types.sentinel_type);
+}
diff --git a/crates/vm/src/builtins/union.rs b/crates/vm/src/builtins/union.rs
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ impl Py<PyUnion> {
 fn is_unionable(obj: &PyObject, vm: &VirtualMachine) -> bool {
     let cls = obj.class();
     cls.is(vm.ctx.types.none_type)
+        || cls.is(vm.ctx.types.sentinel_type)
         || obj.downcastable::<PyType>()
         || cls.fast_issubclass(vm.ctx.types.generic_alias_type)
         || cls.is(vm.ctx.types.union_type)

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/stdlib/builtins.rs b/crates/vm/src/stdlib/builtins.rs
@@ -1479,6 +1479,7 @@ pub fn init_module(vm: &VirtualMachine, module: &Py<PyModule>) {
         "object" => ctx.types.object_type.to_owned(),
         "property" => ctx.types.property_type.to_owned(),
         "range" => ctx.types.range_type.to_owned(),
+        "sentinel" => ctx.types.sentinel_type.to_owned(),
         "set" => ctx.types.set_type.to_owned(),
         "slice" => ctx.types.slice_type.to_owned(),
         "staticmethod" => ctx.types.staticmethod_type.to_owned(),

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/types/slot.rs b/crates/vm/src/types/slot.rs
@@ -253,6 +253,7 @@ bitflagset::bitflagset! {
         const IMMUTABLETYPE = 8;
         const HEAPTYPE = 9;
         const BASETYPE = 10;
+        const HAVE_GC = 14;
         const METHOD_DESCRIPTOR = 17;
         const IS_ABSTRACT = 20;
         // Built-in types that match the subject itself in pattern matching

diff --git a/crates/vm/src/types/zoo.rs b/crates/vm/src/types/zoo.rs
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ use crate::{
         asyncgenerator, bool_, builtin_func, bytearray, bytes, capsule, classmethod, code, complex,
         coroutine, descriptor, dict, enumerate, filter, float, frame, frame_locals_proxy, function,
         generator, genericalias, getset, int, interpolation, iter, list, map, mappingproxy, memory,
-        module, namespace, object, property, pystr, range, set, singletons, slice, staticmethod,
-        super_, template, traceback, tuple,
+        module, namespace, object, property, pystr, range, sentinel, set, singletons, slice,
+        staticmethod, super_, template, traceback, tuple,
         type_::{self, PyType},
         union_, weakproxy, weakref, zip,
     },
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ pub struct TypeZoo {
     pub memoryviewiterator_type: &'static Py<PyType>,
     pub tuple_type: &'static Py<PyType>,
     pub tuple_iterator_type: &'static Py<PyType>,
+    pub sentinel_type: &'static Py<PyType>,
     pub set_type: &'static Py<PyType>,
     pub set_iterator_type: &'static Py<PyType>,
     pub staticmethod_type: &'static Py<PyType>,
@@ -145,6 +146,7 @@ impl TypeZoo {
             memoryview_type: memory::PyMemoryView::init_builtin_type(),
             property_type: property::PyProperty::init_builtin_type(),
             range_type: range::PyRange::init_builtin_type(),
+            sentinel_type: sentinel::PySentinel::init_builtin_type(),
             set_type: set::PySet::init_builtin_type(),
             slice_type: slice::PySlice::init_builtin_type(),
             staticmethod_type: staticmethod::PyStaticMethod::init_builtin_type(),
@@ -265,6 +267,7 @@ impl TypeZoo {
         weakref::init(context);
         weakproxy::init(context);
         singletons::init(context);
+        sentinel::init(context);
         module::init(context);
         namespace::init(context);
         mappingproxy::init(context);