Improve error messages when positional arguments are missing

mypy/checkexpr.py

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 from mypy.maptype import map_instance_to_supertype
 from mypy.meet import is_overlapping_types, narrow_declared_type
 from mypy.message_registry import ErrorMessage
-from mypy.messages import MessageBuilder, format_type
+from mypy.messages import MessageBuilder, callable_name, format_type
 from mypy.nodes import (
     ARG_NAMED,
     ARG_POS,
@@ -1798,20 +1798,27 @@ def check_callable_call(
 
         arg_types = self.infer_arg_types_in_context(callee, args, arg_kinds, formal_to_actual)
 
-        self.check_argument_count(
-            callee,
-            arg_types,
-            arg_kinds,
-            arg_names,
-            formal_to_actual,
-            context,
-            object_type,
-            callable_name,
-        )
+        if not self._detect_missing_positional_arg(callee, arg_types, arg_kinds, args, context):
+            self.check_argument_count(
+                callee,
+                arg_types,
+                arg_kinds,
+                arg_names,
+                formal_to_actual,
+                context,
+                object_type,
+                callable_name,
+            )
 
-        self.check_argument_types(
-            arg_types, arg_kinds, args, callee, formal_to_actual, context, object_type=object_type
-        )
+            self.check_argument_types(
+                arg_types,
+                arg_kinds,
+                args,
+                callee,
+                formal_to_actual,
+                context,
+                object_type=object_type,
+            )
 
         if (
             callee.is_type_obj()
@@ -2340,6 +2347,53 @@ def apply_inferred_arguments(
         # arguments.
         return self.apply_generic_arguments(callee_type, inferred_args, context)
 
+    def _detect_missing_positional_arg(
+        self,
+        callee: CallableType,
+        arg_types: list[Type],
+        arg_kinds: list[ArgKind],
+        args: list[Expression],
+        context: Context,
+    ) -> bool:
+        """Try to identify a single missing positional argument using type alignment.
+
+        If the caller and callee are just positional arguments and exactly one arg is missing,
+        we scan left to right to find which argument skipped. If there is an error, report it
+        and return True, or return False to fall back to normal checking.
+        """
+        if not all(k == ARG_POS for k in callee.arg_kinds):
+            return False
+        if not all(k == ARG_POS for k in arg_kinds):
+            return False
+        if len(arg_kinds) != len(callee.arg_kinds) - 1:
+            return False
+
+        skip_idx: int | None = None
+        j = 0
+        for i in range(len(callee.arg_types)):
+            if j >= len(arg_types):
+                skip_idx = i
+                break
+            if is_subtype(arg_types[j], callee.arg_types[i], options=self.chk.options):
+                j += 1
+            elif skip_idx is None:
+                skip_idx = i
+            else:
+                return False
+
+        if skip_idx is None or j != len(arg_types):
+            return False
+
+        param_name = callee.arg_names[skip_idx]
+        callee_name = callable_name(callee)
+        if param_name is None or callee_name is None:
+            return False
+
+        msg = f'Missing positional argument "{param_name}" in call to {callee_name}'
+        ctx = args[skip_idx] if skip_idx < len(args) else context
+        self.msg.fail(msg, ctx, code=codes.CALL_ARG)
+        return True
+
     def check_argument_count(
         self,
         callee: CallableType,

test-data/unit/check-columns.test

@@ -409,6 +409,14 @@ main:2:10:2:17: error: Incompatible types in assignment (expression has type "st
 main:6:3:7:1: error: Argument 1 to "f" has incompatible type "int"; expected "str"
 main:8:1:8:4: error: Value of type "int" is not indexable
 
+[case testColumnsMissingPositionalArgShiftDetected]
+def f(x: int, y: str, z: bytes, aa: int) -> None: ...
+f(1, b'x', 1) # E:6: Missing positional argument "y" in call to "f"
+def g(x: int, y: str, z: bytes) -> None: ...
+g("hello", b'x') # E:3: Missing positional argument "x" in call to "g"
+g(1, "hello") # E:1: Missing positional argument "z" in call to "g"
+[builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
+
 [case testEndColumnsWithTooManyTypeVars]
 # flags: --pretty
 import typing

test-data/unit/check-functions.test

@@ -3703,3 +3703,74 @@ foo(*args)  # E: Argument 1 to "foo" has incompatible type "*list[object]"; expe
 kwargs: dict[str, object]
 foo(**kwargs)  # E: Argument 1 to "foo" has incompatible type "**dict[str, object]"; expected "P"
 [builtins fixtures/dict.pyi]
+
+[case testMissingPositionalArgShiftDetectedMiddle]
+def f(x: int, y: str, z: bytes, aa: int) -> None: ...
+
+f(1, b'x', 1)
+[builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
+[out]
+main:3: error: Missing positional argument "y" in call to "f"
+
+[case testMissingPositionalArgShiftDetectedFirst]
+def f(x: int, y: str, z: bytes) -> None: ...
+
+f("hello", b'x')
+[builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
+[out]
+main:3: error: Missing positional argument "x" in call to "f"
+
+[case testMissingPositionalArgShiftDetectedManyArgs]
+def f(a: int, b: str, c: float, d: list[int], e: tuple[str, ...]) -> None: ...
+
+f(1, 1.5, [1, 2, 3], ("a", "b"))
+[builtins fixtures/list.pyi]
+[out]
+main:3: error: Missing positional argument "b" in call to "f"
+
+[case testMissingPositionalArgShiftDetectedLast]
+def f(x: int, y: str, z: bytes) -> None: ...
+
+f(1, "hello")
+[builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
+[out]
+main:3: error: Missing positional argument "z" in call to "f"
+
+[case testMissingPositionalArgNoShiftPattern]
+def f(x: int, y: str, z: bytes) -> None: ...
+
+f("wrong", 123)
+[builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
+[out]
+main:3: error: Missing positional argument "z" in call to "f"
+main:3: error: Argument 1 to "f" has incompatible type "str"; expected "int"
+main:3: error: Argument 2 to "f" has incompatible type "int"; expected "str"
+
+[case testMissingPositionalArgMultipleMissing]
+def f(a: int, b: str, c: float, d: list[int]) -> None: ...
+
+f(1.5, [1, 2, 3])
+[builtins fixtures/list.pyi]
+[out]
+main:3: error: Missing positional arguments "c", "d" in call to "f"
+main:3: error: Argument 1 to "f" has incompatible type "float"; expected "int"
+main:3: error: Argument 2 to "f" has incompatible type "list[int]"; expected "str"
+
+[case testMissingPositionalArgWithDefaults]
+def f(x: int, y: str, z: bytes = b'default') -> None: ...
+
+f("hello")
+[builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
+[out]
+main:3: error: Missing positional argument "y" in call to "f"
+main:3: error: Argument 1 to "f" has incompatible type "str"; expected "int"
+
+[case testMissingPositionalArgWithStarArgs]
+def f(x: int, y: str, z: bytes, *args: int) -> None: ...
+
+f("hello", b'x')
+[builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
+[out]
+main:3: error: Missing positional argument "z" in call to "f"
+main:3: error: Argument 1 to "f" has incompatible type "str"; expected "int"
+main:3: error: Argument 2 to "f" has incompatible type "bytes"; expected "str"