How to Resolve 'AsyncClientSession has no execute_batch' in gql with HTTPXAsyncTransport

See why execute_batch is missing in Python gql over httpx: it arrives in gql v4 beta. Fix the AttributeError and enable batching with HTTPXAsyncTransport.

When wiring up a Python GraphQL client on top of httpx, it’s tempting to batch operations for throughput and fewer round trips. A common stumbling block appears as soon as you try to call execute_batch on the session: AttributeError: 'AsyncClientSession' object has no attribute 'execute_batch'. Below is a minimal walkthrough of why that happens and the straight path to make it work.

Reproducing the issue

The pattern usually looks like this: create a Client with HTTPXAsyncTransport, open an async context, and call execute_batch with a list of GraphQLRequest objects.

from gql import Client, GraphQLRequest
from gql.transport.httpx import HTTPXAsyncTransport
from itertools import batched
import asyncio

async def run():
    async with Client(
        transport=HTTPXAsyncTransport(url=GQL_URL, headers=GQL_HEADERS, timeout=3000),
        batch_interval=5
    ) as ctx:
        result = await ctx.execute_batch([
            GraphQLRequest(document=QUERY, variable_values=VARIABLES) for chunk in batched(DATA, 1000)
        ])
        print(result)

asyncio.run(run())

What’s going on

The execute_batch API is not available in the currently installed release line of the gql library. According to the project’s releases, execute_batch will be introduced in version 4 of gql, which is still in beta. That’s why the session object does not expose this attribute and raises the AttributeError at runtime.

How to fix it

If you’re comfortable using a beta release, install the v4 beta to unlock execute_batch:

pip install gql==v4.0.0b0

With that in place, the same client code can invoke execute_batch as intended.

from gql import Client, GraphQLRequest
from gql.transport.httpx import HTTPXAsyncTransport
from itertools import batched
import asyncio

async def run():
    async with Client(
        transport=HTTPXAsyncTransport(url=GQL_URL, headers=GQL_HEADERS, timeout=3000),
        batch_interval=5
    ) as ctx:
        result = await ctx.execute_batch([
            GraphQLRequest(document=QUERY, variable_values=VARIABLES) for chunk in batched(DATA, 1000)
        ])
        print(result)

asyncio.run(run())

Why this detail matters

API availability often changes between major versions. Reaching for a method that only exists in an upcoming release yields confusing runtime errors, especially in async contexts where stack traces can be noisy. Knowing which version introduces a feature helps you plan dependency upgrades deliberately and avoid chasing non-existent bugs in your own code.

Takeaways

If you need execute_batch today, use gql v4’s beta build. If you prefer to stay on stable-only dependencies, hold off on that API until v4 is released. Either way, verify your installed package versions against the features you intend to use, and keep an eye on the project’s release notes before adopting new methods.