Docs: update GNU readline interface documentation to reflect that it is no longer supported

Summary

https://docs.python.org/3/library/readline.html
As per this issue (#118840), the python REPL after version 3.13 no longer supports readline. Readline can still be used if PYTHON_BASIC_REPL is set. The documentation should be changed to reflect this, it is rather difficult to understand why the example pythonrc.py on the page doesn't work otherwise.

Linked PRs

gh-137113 docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL after 3.13 #137142
[3.14] gh-137113 docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL after 3.13 (GH-137142) #143791
[3.13] gh-137113 docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL after 3.13 (GH-137142) #143792

Hi, I'd like to start contributing to CPython and was hoping to work on this issue. I've previously contributed to an open source project with 6.9k stars. I have also read the developer's guide. Could I please be assigned this issue? Thanks!

We don't assign issues (and star counts are neither here nor there). Feel free to have a stab, though.

A

Go ahead, anyone can start working on an issue if no one else says they have! We generally don't assign issues here.

Thank you, it is my first time trying to contribute to cpython. Will start work on this issue ASAP

docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL after 3.13

There is a similar claim in the tutorial that needs to be removed.

The interpreter’s line-editing features include interactive editing, history substitution and code completion on systems that support the GNU Readline library.

Perhaps the quickest check to see whether command line editing is supported is typing Ctrl+P at the first Python prompt you get. If it beeps, you have command line editing; see Appendix Interactive Input Editing and History Substitution for an introduction to the keys.

If nothing appears to happen, or if ^P is echoed, command line editing isn’t available; you’ll only be able to use Backspace to remove characters from the current line.

Do I remove this entire block?

@StanFromIreland

Hi @StanFromIreland I have removed the reference to readline in the tutorial. Please see #137142

Could I get a review please? Thanks!

gh-137113 docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL after 3.13 (G…

pythongh-137113 docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL after…

[3.14] gh-137113 docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL afte…

[3.13] gh-137113 docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL afte…

pythongh-137113 docs: note readline no longer supported in REPL after…

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Docs: update GNU readline interface documentation to reflect that it is no longer supported #137113

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Docs: update GNU readline interface documentation to reflect that it is no longer supported #137113

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Mariatta commented on Jul 25, 2025

Yuheng3107 commented on Jul 26, 2025

AA-Turner commented on Jul 26, 2025

StanFromIreland commented on Jul 26, 2025

Yuheng3107 commented on Jul 26, 2025

StanFromIreland commented on Sep 4, 2025

Yuheng3107 commented on Sep 5, 2025

Yuheng3107 commented on Nov 18, 2025

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