Attributeerror: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’

Are you dealing with Attributeerror: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘sftp_live’ error?

Well, in this article we will show you various solutions to fix this error as well as how this error occurs.

But before proceeding to solutions, let’s understand first the error…

What is Attributeerror: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’?

The error AttributeError: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’ means that the code is trying to access an attribute called ‘_sftp_live’ on an object of the ‘connection’ class, but the attribute does not exist.

In addition, this error can occur when using the paramiko library to establish an SSH connection and transfer files over SFTP.

Further, ‘_sftp_live‘ attribute is used to check if an SFTP session is currently active, but it is not present in all versions of the library.

How this Error occur?

Here’s an example of how the error “AttributeError: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’” can occur in Python:

import paramiko

ssh = paramiko.SSHClient()
ssh.set_missing_host_key_policy(paramiko.AutoAddPolicy())
ssh.connect('example.com', username='username', password='password')

sftp = ssh.open_sftp()
if sftp._sftp_live:
    print("SFTP session is active")
else:
    print("SFTP session is not active")

In this example, the paramiko library is used to establish an SSH connection to a remote server and open an SFTP session.

Further the code then tries to check if the SFTP session is active. It is done by accessing the ‘_sftp_live’ attribute of the SFTP object ‘sftp’.

However, if the version of paramiko being used does not have the ‘_sftp_live’ attribute, the code will raise the error: AttributeError: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’.

How to fix Attributeerror: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’

There are several ways to fix the AttributeError: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’ error.

Here are some possible solutions:

1. Upgrade paramiko

If the version of paramiko being used does not have the ‘_sftp_live‘ attribute, upgrading to a newer version may fix the issue.

Example command:

pip install --upgrade paramiko

2. Check if SFTP session is active using another approach

Instead of checking the ‘_sftp_live‘ attribute, you can use the ‘get_channel’ method to retrieve the SFTP channel and check if it is still open.

For example:

import paramiko

ssh = paramiko.SSHClient()
ssh.set_missing_host_key_policy(paramiko.AutoAddPolicy())
ssh.connect('example.com', username='username', password='password')

sftp = ssh.open_sftp()
channel = sftp.get_channel()
if channel:
    print("SFTP session is active")
else:
    print("SFTP session is not active")

3. Avoid referencing the ‘_sftp_live’ attribute

If you don’t need to check if the SFTP session is active, you can simply skip the check and perform the necessary SFTP operations.

For example:

import paramiko

ssh = paramiko.SSHClient()
ssh.set_missing_host_key_policy(paramiko.AutoAddPolicy())
ssh.connect('example.com', username='username', password='password')

sftp = ssh.open_sftp()
sftp.put('local_file.txt', 'remote_file.txt')
sftp.close()
ssh.close()

In this example, the code performs an SFTP file transfer. Then closes the SFTP and SSH sessions without checking if the SFTP session is active.

Common Causes of Attributeerror: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’

Here are some common causes of the AttributeError: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘_sftp_live’ error in Python:

• Using an older version of the paramiko library
• Using a different library or method for SFTP
• Incorrectly referencing the ‘_sftp_live’ attribute on a different object than the SFTP session
• Connection issues such as incorrect credentials or network connectivity problems
• Operating system differences in which the ‘_sftp_live’ attribute may behave differently or not be available

Anyway, if you are finding solutions to some errors you might encounter we also have Attributeerror: ‘dict’ object has no attribute ‘read’.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the AttributeError: ‘connection’ object has no attribute ‘sftp_live’ error can occur when using the paramiko library to establish an SSH connection. Along with transferring files over SFTP.

The error is caused by trying to access an attribute called ‘_sftp_live‘ on an object of the ‘connection’ class, but the attribute does not exist in some versions of the library.

Following the solutions that work best for you can resolve this error and continue in your Python programs.

Thank you for reading!

Python AttributeError debugging checklist

• Print the actual type. Insert print(type(obj)) before the failing line — usually reveals the mismatch immediately.
• Use dir(). print(dir(obj)) lists all available attributes on the object.
• Check version compatibility. Many AttributeErrors come from methods that were renamed or removed between library versions.
• Guard with hasattr(). if hasattr(obj, "method"): obj.method() — useful for cross-version code.
• Use type hints + mypy. Static type checking catches most AttributeErrors before you run the code.

Common root causes across all AttributeError variants

• None return values. A function returned None when the caller expected an object.
• Version drift. Library API changed between versions.
• Variable overwrite. A local variable was reassigned with the wrong type (list → dict, str → int).
• Method vs attribute confusion. Calling a property with () or accessing a method without ().
• Missing initialization. Some frameworks require init() before accessing certain attributes.

Modern Python tooling to prevent AttributeError

• Type hints + Optional[T]. Explicit null-handling in signatures.
• mypy or Pyright. Runs your codebase through a type checker before you run it.
• Ruff. Fast linter that catches many attribute-access issues.
• pydantic v2. Runtime validation with the same syntax as static types.
• pytest fixtures. Test with edge-case inputs to catch AttributeError paths early.

Glay Eliver

Programmer & Technical Writer at PIES IT Solution

Glay Eliver is a programmer and writer at PIES IT Solution, author of over 600 tutorials at itsourcecode.com. Specializes in JavaScript tutorials, Microsoft Office how-tos (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), and Python error debugging covering ImportError, TypeError, AttributeError, ModuleNotFoundError, and JavaScript ReferenceError. Authored several of the site’s highest-traffic Excel and MS Office reference articles.

Expertise: JavaScript · MS Excel · MS Word · MS PowerPoint · Python · Python ImportError · Python TypeError · Python AttributeError · ModuleNotFoundError · JavaScript ReferenceError · Pygame
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