diff --git a/CONTEXT.md b/CONTEXT.md
index 02616031..c1a8bfd3 100644
--- a/CONTEXT.md
+++ b/CONTEXT.md
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ _Avoid_: computed (implies caching), selector (picks a provider by key in other
 A provider with no bound type, resolvable only by passing the provider itself.
 _Avoid_: unbound provider, anonymous provider
 
+**Inline provider**:
+A provider written as a value in another factory's `kwargs` instead of declared as a group class
+attribute. Without its own scope it takes the shallowest scope among the providers that use it.
+_Avoid_: nested provider
+
 **Wiring plan**:
 The partition of a creator's parameters by how each is satisfied.
 _Avoid_: compiled kwargs
diff --git a/docs/providers/factories.md b/docs/providers/factories.md
index 1ae792ec..6178ce92 100644
--- a/docs/providers/factories.md
+++ b/docs/providers/factories.md
@@ -77,7 +77,9 @@ them, for example `bound_type=None` to resolve each by reference. Before modern-
 
 The provider's lifetime. Without `scope=`, the provider takes its group's default scope, or
 `Scope.APP` when the group sets none; see
-[Group-level default scope](scopes.md#group-level-default-scope).
+[Group-level default scope](scopes.md#group-level-default-scope). A provider written inline in
+another factory's `kwargs` takes the scope of the providers that use it; see
+[Inline providers](scopes.md#inline-providers).
 [Scopes](scopes.md) covers the five scopes and the dependency rule.
 
 ### bound_type
diff --git a/docs/providers/scopes.md b/docs/providers/scopes.md
index aebb71b7..3e092e4a 100644
--- a/docs/providers/scopes.md
+++ b/docs/providers/scopes.md
@@ -220,7 +220,8 @@ Scope resolution follows a priority order:
 
 1. An explicit `scope=` on the provider always wins.
 2. Then the group's `scope=` kwarg, inherited via MRO by subclasses. A subclass may override it with its own `scope=` kwarg, which applies to the providers declared in its own body; inherited providers keep the scope their declaring class gave them.
-3. Otherwise `Scope.APP`, the final default.
+3. For a provider written inline in another factory's `kwargs`, the scope of the providers that use it; see [Inline providers](#inline-providers).
+4. Otherwise `Scope.APP`, the final default.
 
 `Alias` providers do not participate in group-level scope defaults; an alias's scope always derives from its source.
 
@@ -228,6 +229,51 @@ A scope-defaulted provider instance that is shared between two `Group` subclasse
 
 A group declared without a `scope=` kwarg stamps nothing, so a provider listed only in such a group keeps the `Scope.APP` default and can still be stamped by a later group, but only until it is registered with a container. After that, a group that would *change* its scope raises [`ProviderScopeFrozenError`](../troubleshooting/provider-scope-frozen-error.md), because resolvers compiled before the change already captured the old scope. Declare every group that lists a provider before building the container, or set `scope=` on the provider explicitly.
 
+## Inline providers
+
+A provider written inline in a factory's `kwargs` is not a class attribute, so no group stamps it.
+Without its own `scope=`, it takes the scope of the provider it sits in when the container registers
+them:
+
+```python
+from modern_di import Container, Group, Scope, providers
+
+
+class DbSession:
+    pass
+
+
+class Handler:
+    def __init__(self, session: DbSession) -> None:
+        self.session = session
+
+
+class Handlers(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+    handler = providers.Factory(Handler, kwargs={"session": providers.Factory(DbSession, cache=True)})
+
+
+handlers_container = Container(groups=[Handlers])
+with handlers_container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST) as first:
+    first_session = first.resolve(Handler).session
+with handlers_container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST) as second:
+    assert second.resolve(Handler).session is not first_session  # one DbSession per request
+```
+
+When one inline provider object sits in the `kwargs` of several providers, it takes the shallowest of
+their scopes, so that each of them can resolve it. A module-level provider for a settings field
+shared by an `APP` engine and a `REQUEST` session gets `APP`.
+
+A [derived provider](factories.md#derived-values) has no scope of its own, so the rule passes through
+it: in `kwargs={"session": providers.Factory(DbSession, cache=True).derive(fn)}`, the inline
+`DbSession` factory takes the scope of the provider that uses the derived one.
+
+An explicit `scope=` on the inline provider wins, as it does everywhere. A provider that is a class
+attribute of some group keeps its own scope wherever it is referenced. An inline provider's scope is
+frozen when it is first registered. A later `add_providers()` call never changes it, so a new
+provider shallower than that scope fails `validate()` with `InvalidScopeDependencyError`, and a group
+declared later that would change it raises
+[`ProviderScopeFrozenError`](../troubleshooting/provider-scope-frozen-error.md).
+
 ## See also
 
 - [Lifecycle](lifecycle.md): finalizers and `close_async()` work per-scope.
diff --git a/modern_di/providers/abstract.py b/modern_di/providers/abstract.py
index e7c700bf..050248b3 100644
--- a/modern_di/providers/abstract.py
+++ b/modern_di/providers/abstract.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ class AbstractProvider(typing.Generic[types.T_co]):
         "_declared_as",
         "_explicit_scope",
         "_group_claim",
+        "_inline_scope",
         "_provider_id",
         "_registered",
     )
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ def __init__(
         """
         self._explicit_scope: enum.IntEnum | None = scope if isinstance(scope, enum.IntEnum) else None
         self._group_claim: tuple[enum.IntEnum, str] | None = None
+        self._inline_scope: enum.IntEnum | None = None
         self._registered = False
         self._bound_type = inferred_bound_type if isinstance(bound_type, types.UnsetType) else bound_type
         self._provider_id = next(_provider_id_counter)
@@ -83,7 +85,9 @@ def provider_id(self) -> int:
 
     @property
     def scope(self) -> enum.IntEnum:
-        """The declared scope: the provider's own ``scope=``, else a Group default, else ``Scope.APP``.
+        """The declared scope: own ``scope=``, else a Group default, else an inline scope, else ``Scope.APP``.
+
+        An inline provider's scope is the shallowest scope among the providers using it.
 
         For a redirect such as ``Alias`` this is a ``Scope.APP`` placeholder, not the effective scope: an
         alias resolves at its source's scope.
@@ -92,8 +96,16 @@ def scope(self) -> enum.IntEnum:
             return self._explicit_scope
         if self._group_claim is not None:
             return self._group_claim[0]
+        if self._inline_scope is not None:
+            return self._inline_scope
         return Scope.APP
 
+    def _stamp_inline_scope(self, scope: enum.IntEnum) -> None:
+        """Record the scope an inline provider takes from the providers using it, then freeze it."""
+        if not self._registered and self._takes_group_scope and self._explicit_scope is None:
+            self._inline_scope = scope
+        self._registered = True
+
     def _stamp_group_scope(self, scope: enum.IntEnum, group_name: str) -> None:
         """Record a Group-level default scope; a no-op unless the scope is still an unclaimed default.
 
diff --git a/modern_di/registries/providers_registry.py b/modern_di/registries/providers_registry.py
index 58823fd3..f5c144e0 100644
--- a/modern_di/registries/providers_registry.py
+++ b/modern_di/registries/providers_registry.py
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
 
 from modern_di import exceptions, suggester, types
 from modern_di.dependency_graph import terminal_chain
-from modern_di.providers.abstract import AbstractProvider
+from modern_di.providers.abstract import AbstractProvider, _Derived
 from modern_di.providers.alias import Alias
+from modern_di.providers.factory import Factory
 from modern_di.registries.overrides_registry import OverridesRegistry
 from modern_di.resolver_compiler import compile_resolver
 from modern_di.wiring import WiringPlan
@@ -13,7 +14,6 @@
 
 if typing.TYPE_CHECKING:
     from modern_di import Container
-    from modern_di.providers.factory import Factory
 
 
 _K = typing.TypeVar("_K")
@@ -186,6 +186,7 @@ def _add(
                     raise exceptions.DuplicateProviderTypeError(
                         provider_type=provider_type, first_provider=existing, second_provider=provider
                     )
+            _stamp_inline_scopes(registered)
             self._providers.update(new_providers)
             bound = {id(provider) for provider in new_providers.values()}
             for provider in registered:
@@ -205,3 +206,47 @@ def _drop_resolvers(self) -> None:
         self._resolvers.clear()
         self._resolvers_by_type.clear()
         self._generation += 1
+
+
+def _inline_children(provider: AbstractProvider[typing.Any]) -> list[AbstractProvider[typing.Any]]:
+    """Return the providers written inline in ``provider``'s kwargs or derive source: none is a class attribute."""
+    if type(provider) is _Derived:
+        values: typing.Iterable[typing.Any] = (provider._source,)  # noqa: SLF001
+    elif type(provider) is Factory and provider._kwargs:  # noqa: SLF001
+        values = provider._kwargs.values()  # noqa: SLF001
+    else:
+        return []
+    return [value for value in values if isinstance(value, AbstractProvider) and value._declared_as is None]  # noqa: SLF001
+
+
+def _stamp_inline_scopes(registered: tuple[AbstractProvider[typing.Any], ...]) -> None:
+    """Give each scope-defaulted inline provider the shallowest scope among the providers using it.
+
+    A scope set by an earlier registration is kept.
+    """
+    roots = {id(provider) for provider in registered}
+    children_of: dict[int, list[AbstractProvider[typing.Any]]] = {}
+    parents_of: dict[int, list[AbstractProvider[typing.Any]]] = {}
+    stack = list(registered)
+    while stack:
+        parent = stack.pop()
+        if id(parent) in children_of:
+            continue
+        children = [child for child in _inline_children(parent) if id(child) not in roots]
+        children_of[id(parent)] = children
+        for child in children:
+            parents_of.setdefault(id(child), []).append(parent)
+            stack.append(child)
+    waiting = {child_id: len(parents) for child_id, parents in parents_of.items()}
+    passed_down = {id(provider): provider.scope for provider in registered}
+    ready = list(registered)
+    while ready:
+        parent = ready.pop()
+        for child in children_of[id(parent)]:
+            waiting[id(child)] -= 1
+            if waiting[id(child)]:
+                continue
+            scope = min(passed_down[id(p)] for p in parents_of[id(child)])
+            child._stamp_inline_scope(scope)  # noqa: SLF001
+            passed_down[id(child)] = scope if type(child) is _Derived else child.scope
+            ready.append(child)
diff --git a/tests/test_inline_scope.py b/tests/test_inline_scope.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aebb7a80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_inline_scope.py
@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+import dataclasses
+
+import pytest
+
+from modern_di import Container, Group, Scope, providers
+from modern_di.exceptions import ProviderScopeFrozenError, ValidationFailedError
+
+
+class _Session: ...
+
+
+@dataclasses.dataclass(kw_only=True, slots=True, frozen=True)
+class _Request:
+    user: str
+
+
+class _Handler:
+    def __init__(self, session: _Session) -> None:
+        self.session = session
+
+
+def _sessions_of_two_requests(container: Container) -> tuple[_Session, _Session]:
+    with container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST) as first:
+        a = first.resolve(_Handler).session
+    with container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST) as second:
+        b = second.resolve(_Handler).session
+    return a, b
+
+
+def test_inline_cached_factory_takes_group_default_scope() -> None:
+    class Dependencies(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+        handler = providers.Factory(_Handler, kwargs={"session": providers.Factory(_Session, cache=True)})
+
+    a, b = _sessions_of_two_requests(Container(groups=[Dependencies]))
+
+    assert a is not b
+
+
+def test_inline_cached_factory_takes_explicit_parent_scope() -> None:
+    class Dependencies(Group):
+        handler = providers.Factory(
+            _Handler, scope=Scope.REQUEST, kwargs={"session": providers.Factory(_Session, cache=True)}
+        )
+
+    a, b = _sessions_of_two_requests(Container(groups=[Dependencies]))
+
+    assert a is not b
+
+
+def test_inline_factory_over_request_source_validates_and_resolves() -> None:
+    class Dependencies(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+        request = providers.ContextProvider(_Request)
+        user_name = providers.Factory(
+            str, kwargs={"object": providers.Factory(lambda r: r.user, kwargs={"r": request})}
+        )
+
+    container = Container(groups=[Dependencies])
+    container.validate()
+
+    with container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST, context={_Request: _Request(user="alice")}) as child:
+        assert child.resolve_provider(Dependencies.user_name) == "alice"
+
+
+def test_inline_context_provider_reads_request_context() -> None:
+    class Dependencies(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+        user = providers.Factory(lambda r: r.user, kwargs={"r": providers.ContextProvider(_Request)})
+
+    container = Container(groups=[Dependencies])
+
+    with container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST, context={_Request: _Request(user="alice")}) as child:
+        assert child.resolve_provider(Dependencies.user) == "alice"
+
+
+class _Engine:
+    def __init__(self, dsn: str) -> None:
+        self.dsn = dsn
+
+
+class _DbConnection:
+    def __init__(self, dsn: str) -> None:
+        self.dsn = dsn
+
+
+def test_inline_provider_shared_by_app_and_request_parents_takes_app_scope() -> None:
+    dsn = providers.Factory(lambda: "postgres://")
+
+    class Dependencies(Group):
+        db_connection = providers.Factory(_DbConnection, scope=Scope.REQUEST, kwargs={"dsn": dsn})
+        engine = providers.Factory(_Engine, kwargs={"dsn": dsn}, cache=True)
+
+    container = Container(groups=[Dependencies])
+    container.validate()
+
+    assert dsn.scope is Scope.APP
+    with container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST) as child:
+        assert child.resolve(_DbConnection).dsn == child.resolve(_Engine).dsn == "postgres://"
+
+
+def test_inline_provider_scope_is_fixed_at_first_registration() -> None:
+    dsn = providers.Factory(lambda: "postgres://")
+
+    class Dependencies(Group):
+        db_connection = providers.Factory(_DbConnection, scope=Scope.REQUEST, kwargs={"dsn": dsn})
+
+    container = Container(groups=[Dependencies])
+    container.add_providers(providers.Factory(_Engine, kwargs={"dsn": dsn}, cache=True))
+
+    assert dsn.scope is Scope.REQUEST
+    with pytest.raises(ValidationFailedError, match="InvalidScopeDependencyError"):
+        container.validate()
+
+
+def test_inline_provider_with_explicit_scope_keeps_it() -> None:
+    class Dependencies(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+        handler = providers.Factory(
+            _Handler, kwargs={"session": providers.Factory(_Session, scope=Scope.APP, cache=True)}
+        )
+
+    a, b = _sessions_of_two_requests(Container(groups=[Dependencies]))
+
+    assert a is b
+
+
+def test_class_attribute_of_another_group_keeps_its_scope() -> None:
+    class Shared(Group):
+        session = providers.Factory(_Session, cache=True)
+
+    class Dependencies(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+        handler = providers.Factory(_Handler, kwargs={"session": Shared.session})
+
+    a, b = _sessions_of_two_requests(Container(groups=[Shared, Dependencies]))
+
+    assert Shared.session.scope is Scope.APP
+    assert a is b
+
+
+class _Outer:
+    def __init__(self, handler: _Handler) -> None:
+        self.handler = handler
+
+
+def test_provider_inline_in_an_inline_provider_takes_the_scope_down_the_chain() -> None:
+    class Dependencies(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+        outer = providers.Factory(
+            _Outer,
+            kwargs={
+                "handler": providers.Factory(_Handler, kwargs={"session": providers.Factory(_Session, cache=True)})
+            },
+        )
+
+    container = Container(groups=[Dependencies])
+    with container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST) as first:
+        a = first.resolve(_Outer).handler.session
+    with container.build_child_container(scope=Scope.REQUEST) as second:
+        b = second.resolve(_Outer).handler.session
+
+    assert a is not b
+
+
+def test_group_cannot_change_scope_of_registered_inline_provider() -> None:
+    session = providers.Factory(_Session, cache=True)
+
+    class Dependencies(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+        handler = providers.Factory(_Handler, kwargs={"session": session})
+
+    Container(groups=[Dependencies])
+
+    with pytest.raises(ProviderScopeFrozenError, match="Later"):
+
+        class Later(Group, scope=Scope.SESSION):
+            shared_session = session
+
+    assert session.scope is Scope.REQUEST
+
+
+def test_inline_source_of_inline_derived_provider_takes_parent_scope() -> None:
+    class Dependencies(Group, scope=Scope.REQUEST):
+        handler = providers.Factory(
+            _Handler, kwargs={"session": providers.Factory(_Session, cache=True).derive(lambda s: s)}
+        )
+
+    a, b = _sessions_of_two_requests(Container(groups=[Dependencies]))
+
+    assert a is not b