``self-assigning-variable`` skips class level assignments.

Close #2930

3 files changed, 19 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 13966b9c3..0b3686ac9 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ Release date: TBA
 
 * ``ignored-modules`` can skip submodules. Close #3135
 
+* ``self-assigning-variable`` skips class level assignments.
+
+   Close #2930
+
 
 What's New in Pylint 2.4.1?
 ===========================
diff --git a/pylint/checkers/base.py b/pylint/checkers/base.py
index 9f4b8d053..bea58016d 100644
--- a/pylint/checkers/base.py
+++ b/pylint/checkers/base.py
@@ -1495,6 +1495,10 @@ class BasicChecker(_BasicChecker):
 
     def _check_self_assigning_variable(self, node):
         # Detect assigning to the same variable.
+
+        scope = node.scope()
+        scope_locals = scope.locals
+
         rhs_names = []
         targets = node.targets
         if isinstance(targets[0], astroid.Tuple):
@@ -1518,6 +1522,10 @@ class BasicChecker(_BasicChecker):
                 continue
             if not isinstance(target, astroid.AssignName):
                 continue
+            if isinstance(scope, astroid.ClassDef) and target.name in scope_locals:
+                # Check that the scope is different than a class level, which is usually
+                # a pattern to expose module level attributes as class level ones.
+                continue
             if target.name == lhs_name.name:
                 self.add_message(
                     "self-assigning-variable", args=(target.name,), node=target
diff --git a/tests/functional/s/self_assigning_variable.py b/tests/functional/s/self_assigning_variable.py
index 2c5148f63..6df2647e6 100644
--- a/tests/functional/s/self_assigning_variable.py
+++ b/tests/functional/s/self_assigning_variable.py
@@ -18,3 +18,10 @@ CLS.FIRST = FIRST
 FIRST = Class()
 FIRST = FIRST # [self-assigning-variable]
 FIRST, SECOND = FIRST, CLS.FIRST # [self-assigning-variable]
+
+
+FOO = 1
+
+
+class RedefinedModuleLevel:
+    FOO = FOO