[PATCH v2 ath-current] wifi: ath12k: avoid flushing scan timeout under the wiphy lock

[PATCH v2 ath-current] wifi: ath12k: avoid flushing scan timeout under the wiphy lock

[Runyu Xiao]

ath12k_mac_op_stop() is called with the wiphy lock held. It then takes
ah->hw_mutex and calls ath12k_mac_stop(), which synchronously cancels
ar->scan.timeout.

That can deadlock if the delayed work has started. The timeout worker
ath12k_scan_timeout_work() takes the same wiphy lock before aborting the
scan, so stop waits for a worker that cannot make progress until the
wiphy lock is released.

Drain ar->scan.timeout before entering the locked stop teardown, and
remove the synchronous cancel from ath12k_mac_stop(). This preserves the
stop-time drain while avoiding the wait-under-wiphy lock ordering.

Fixes: d889913205cf ("wifi: ath12k: driver for Qualcomm Wi-Fi 7 devices")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Runyu Xiao <runyu.xiao@seu.edu.cn>
---
Changes in v2:
  - Rebase on ath.git ath-current.
  - Use ath-current subject tag as requested.
  - Move the synchronous scan timeout drain out of the locked stop path
    instead of adding it in the wrong start-path context.
  - Update Fixes to the ath12k commit that introduced the stop-time
    scan.timeout drain.

 drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c | 10 +++++++++-
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c
index af354bef5c0d..6da9a2bda9fe 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath12k/mac.c
@@ -9931,7 +9931,6 @@ static void ath12k_mac_stop(struct ath12k *ar)
 
 	clear_bit(ATH12K_FLAG_CAC_RUNNING, &ar->dev_flags);
 
-	cancel_delayed_work_sync(&ar->scan.timeout);
 	wiphy_work_cancel(ath12k_ar_to_hw(ar)->wiphy, &ar->scan.vdev_clean_wk);
 	cancel_work_sync(&ar->regd_channel_update_work);
 	cancel_work_sync(&ar->regd_update_work);
@@ -9975,6 +9974,15 @@ void ath12k_mac_op_stop(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, bool suspend)
 
 	lockdep_assert_wiphy(hw->wiphy);
 
+	/*
+	 * scan.timeout takes the wiphy lock before aborting the scan, so do
+	 * not wait for it from the locked stop path below.
+	 */
+	wiphy_unlock(hw->wiphy);
+	for_each_ar(ah, ar, i)
+		cancel_delayed_work_sync(&ar->scan.timeout);
+	wiphy_lock(hw->wiphy);
+
 	ath12k_drain_tx(ah);
 
 	mutex_lock(&ah->hw_mutex);
-- 
2.34.1

Re: [PATCH v2 ath-current] wifi: ath12k: avoid flushing scan timeout under the wiphy lock

[Johannes Berg]

On Fri, 2026-07-03 at 14:02 +0800, Runyu Xiao wrote:
> 
> @@ -9975,6 +9974,15 @@ void ath12k_mac_op_stop(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, bool suspend)
>  
>  	lockdep_assert_wiphy(hw->wiphy);
>  
> +	/*
> +	 * scan.timeout takes the wiphy lock before aborting the scan, so do
> +	 * not wait for it from the locked stop path below.
> +	 */
> +	wiphy_unlock(hw->wiphy);
> 

No. Don't drop locks in the middle of someone else's (mac80211 here)
process.

If that work requires wiphy mutex anyway, better just convert it to a
wiphy work.

johannes