Over the last few decades, growing demand for reliable lubrication solutions in oxidative, high-temperature situations such as those encountered in aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors has intensified. Thermally sprayed coatings doped with solid lubricants offer a robust means to reduce friction and wear across a wide temperature spectrum from ambient to extreme environments (such as very low to high temperature and vacuum) when typical liquid lubricants are no longer viable. However, a comprehensive discussion on self-lubricating thermally sprayed coatings remains limited in the existing literature. This review article presents a systematic examination of thermal spray methods for depositing self‑lubricating coatings for tribological applications. Initially, the fundamentals of friction, solid lubricants and their properties, and industrial applications of solid lubricant-doped thermally sprayed coatings are discussed. The challenges of employing solid lubricants as feedstock for thermal spraying are further elucidated in this review. The various techniques employed for preparing solid lubricant-doped composite powder for thermal spraying and its impact on powder characteristics are elaborated. The tribological behavior of self-lubricating composites/coatings is examined, with a focus on identifying the optimal solid lubricant concentration for enhanced performance. The influence of spray and tribological parameters on the friction and wear behavior of solid lubricant-based coatings has been thoroughly investigated. Special attention is given to oxide‑based solid lubricants, exploring both quantum‑chemical models and experimental studies that elucidate lubrication mechanisms under varying environmental conditions. Finally, this article highlights the emerging trends and future research directions in thermally sprayed self-lubricated coatings. Graphical Abstract