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From: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
To: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>, ardb@kernel.org
Cc: gustavoars@kernel.org, nathan@kernel.org,
	ndesaulniers@google.com,  justinstitt@google.com,
	broonie@kernel.org, elver@google.com,  alan.maguire@oracle.com,
	namjain@linux.microsoft.com, peterz@infradead.org,
	 linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-hardening@vger.kernel.org,
	 llvm@lists.linux.dev, Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
Subject: [PATCH v4] compiler_types: Allow opting out of __counted_by and __counted_by_ptr
Date: Tue,  6 Oct 2026 09:43:58 +0000	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20261006094358.2948476-1-morbo@google.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20261005102518.2400984-1-morbo@google.com>

Code that runs outside the kernel proper, such as the EFI stub, gets
nothing out of the counted_by annotations: the bounds checks they feed
(FORTIFY_SOURCE, UBSAN_BOUNDS) are already disabled there.

The annotations can also break the build. A __counted_by_ptr() that
names a member declared after the pointer needs Clang's
'-fexperimental-late-parse-attributes', which the top-level Makefile
adds to 'KBUILD_CFLAGS'. The x86 EFI stub builds its own cflags and does
not get that flag, so it fails as soon as such a struct is pulled in
through a common header.

Overriding the macros from a Makefile doesn't work:
'compiler_types.h' is pulled in with '-include', which is processed
after all -D/-U options, so it re-establishes the definitions. Follow
the '__NO_FORTIFY' precedent instead: let a build define
'__NO_COUNTED_BY' to turn the corresponding annotation into a no-op.

Assisted-by: LLM
Signed-off-by: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>
---
v2: Only specify __NO_COUNTED_BY_PTR. Leave __NO_COUNTED_BY until we need it.
v3: Add the version to the Subject line.
v4: Use __NO_COUNTED_BY to reduce churn later on.
---
 include/linux/compiler_types.h | 7 ++++++-
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/compiler_types.h b/include/linux/compiler_types.h
index c5921f139007..05e2b637f1cd 100644
--- a/include/linux/compiler_types.h
+++ b/include/linux/compiler_types.h
@@ -371,8 +371,13 @@ struct ftrace_likely_data {
  *
  * __bdos on clang < 19.1.3 can be off by 4:
  * https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/pull/112636
+ *
+ * Code that runs outside the kernel proper (e.g. the EFI stub) can define
+ * __NO_COUNTED_BY to drop the annotation, since it gains nothing from the
+ * bounds checks. __NO_COUNTED_BY should be used sparingly, because there are
+ * better options for opting out of bounds checking.
  */
-#ifdef CONFIG_CC_HAS_COUNTED_BY
+#if defined(CONFIG_CC_HAS_COUNTED_BY) && !defined(__NO_COUNTED_BY)
 # define __counted_by(member)		__attribute__((__counted_by__(member)))
 #else
 # define __counted_by(member)
-- 
2.56.0.rc1.315.gc6ed9934b7-goog


  parent reply	other threads:[~2026-10-06  9:44 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 12+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-10-05 10:25 [PATCH] " Bill Wendling
2026-10-05 10:44 ` Justin Stitt
2026-10-05 10:53 ` Ard Biesheuvel
2026-10-05 15:52   ` Bill Wendling
2026-10-05 19:19 ` Bill Wendling
2026-10-05 19:20 ` [PATCH v3] " Bill Wendling
2026-10-05 21:25   ` Ard Biesheuvel
2026-10-06  7:30     ` Justin Stitt
2026-10-06  8:07       ` Ard Biesheuvel
2026-10-06  9:23         ` Bill Wendling
2026-10-06  9:43 ` Bill Wendling [this message]
2026-10-06 10:08   ` [PATCH v4] " Ard Biesheuvel

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