[PATCH 0/2] Add __require_explicit_initialization and its first user

[PATCH 0/2] Add __require_explicit_initialization and its first user

[Kees Cook]

Hi!

As discussed in Ian's kobj_type::release series[1], this takes its first
patch (to add __require_explicit_initialization), with Miguel's requested
comment tweak (the attribute needs Clang 20 or later), along with a first
user that needs no fix-ups first: seq_file's seq_operations callbacks,
which are called without a NULL check. This will make the attribute
available in v7.4-rc1, while the kobj_type fixes continue separately.

The annotation adds no warnings anywhere in the tree today that I could
find across allmodconfig builds:

  Clang 24.0.0git: x86_64, arm64, i386, arm, riscv, s390, loongarch, powerpc.
  GCC 16.2.0: x86_64, arm64, i386, arm, riscv, s390, m68k, mips, parisc,
	      sparc, loongarch, xtensa, arc, and openrisc.

Thanks!

-Kees

[1] https://lore.kernel.org/all/20261013223946.1836757-1-irogers@google.com/

Ian Rogers (1):
  Compiler Attributes: Add __require_explicit_initialization macro

Kees Cook (1):
  seq_file: Require explicit initialization of struct seq_operations

 scripts/checkpatch.pl                 |  1 +
 Documentation/conf.py                 |  1 +
 include/linux/compiler_attributes.h   | 12 ++++++++++++
 include/linux/seq_file.h              | 13 +++++++++----
 tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py |  1 +
 5 files changed, 24 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

-- 
2.55.0

[PATCH 1/2] Compiler Attributes: Add __require_explicit_initialization macro

[Kees Cook]

From: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>

Clang supports the 'require_explicit_initialization' attribute on struct
fields to indicate that a field must be initialized explicitly by the
user when the object is constructed. When an aggregate initializer or
uninitialized variable omits an annotated field, Clang emits a
-Wuninitialized-explicit-init warning (enabled by default).

Add the __require_explicit_initialization macro to
include/linux/compiler_attributes.h (which is included by
include/linux/compiler_types.h and include/linux/compiler.h) so kernel
structs with error-prone initialization (such as mandatory callbacks or
cleanup handlers) can enforce explicit initialization at compile time,
as discussed at the Linux Plumbers Conference.

Also teach Sphinx (Documentation/conf.py), kernel-doc
(tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py), and checkpatch.pl about the new
attribute macro.

Link: https://lpc.events/event/20/contributions/2392/
Assisted-by: Antigravity:gemini-3.1-pro
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
Acked-by: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@kernel.org>
Reviewed-by: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
---
 scripts/checkpatch.pl                 |  1 +
 Documentation/conf.py                 |  1 +
 include/linux/compiler_attributes.h   | 12 ++++++++++++
 tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py |  1 +
 4 files changed, 15 insertions(+)

diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index 8a7787d228a6..4a3ae6b0100a 100755
--- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -6871,6 +6871,7 @@ sub process {
 				"noreturn"			=> "__noreturn",
 				"packed"			=> "__packed",
 				"pure"				=> "__pure",
+				"require_explicit_initialization" => "__require_explicit_initialization",
 				"section"			=> "__section",
 				"used"				=> "__used",
 				"weak"				=> "__weak"
diff --git a/Documentation/conf.py b/Documentation/conf.py
index 5ab26ce89daf..3e5cb9ca0970 100644
--- a/Documentation/conf.py
+++ b/Documentation/conf.py
@@ -203,6 +203,7 @@ c_id_attributes = [
     "__noreturn",
     "__packed",
     "__pure",
+    "__require_explicit_initialization",
     "__section",
     "__always_unused",
     "__maybe_unused",
diff --git a/include/linux/compiler_attributes.h b/include/linux/compiler_attributes.h
index 476c4c560d17..625e95e684c7 100644
--- a/include/linux/compiler_attributes.h
+++ b/include/linux/compiler_attributes.h
@@ -322,6 +322,18 @@
  */
 #define __pure                          __attribute__((__pure__))
 
+/*
+ * Optional: not supported by gcc
+ * Optional: only supported since clang >= 20.0
+ *
+ * clang: https://clang.llvm.org/docs/AttributeReference.html#require-explicit-initialization
+ */
+#if __has_attribute(__require_explicit_initialization__)
+# define __require_explicit_initialization __attribute__((__require_explicit_initialization__))
+#else
+# define __require_explicit_initialization
+#endif
+
 /*
  *   gcc: https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Common-Function-Attributes.html#index-section-function-attribute
  *   gcc: https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Common-Variable-Attributes.html#index-section-variable-attribute
diff --git a/tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py b/tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py
index e3dda2fe8a53..32066fbbe763 100644
--- a/tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py
+++ b/tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ class CTransforms:
         (CMatch("CRYPTO_MINALIGN_ATTR"), ""),
         (CMatch("__private"), ""),
         (CMatch("__rcu"), ""),
+        (CMatch("__require_explicit_initialization"), ""),
         (CMatch("____cacheline_aligned_in_smp"), ""),
         (CMatch("____cacheline_aligned"), ""),
         (CMatch("__cacheline_group_(?:begin|end)"), ""),
-- 
2.55.0

Re: [PATCH 1/2] Compiler Attributes: Add __require_explicit_initialization macro

[Nathan Chancellor]

On Wed, Oct 14, 2026 at 03:58:15PM -0700, Kees Cook wrote:
> From: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
> 
> Clang supports the 'require_explicit_initialization' attribute on struct
> fields to indicate that a field must be initialized explicitly by the
> user when the object is constructed. When an aggregate initializer or
> uninitialized variable omits an annotated field, Clang emits a
> -Wuninitialized-explicit-init warning (enabled by default).
> 
> Add the __require_explicit_initialization macro to
> include/linux/compiler_attributes.h (which is included by
> include/linux/compiler_types.h and include/linux/compiler.h) so kernel
> structs with error-prone initialization (such as mandatory callbacks or
> cleanup handlers) can enforce explicit initialization at compile time,
> as discussed at the Linux Plumbers Conference.
> 
> Also teach Sphinx (Documentation/conf.py), kernel-doc
> (tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py), and checkpatch.pl about the new
> attribute macro.
> 
> Link: https://lpc.events/event/20/contributions/2392/
> Assisted-by: Antigravity:gemini-3.1-pro
> Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
> Acked-by: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@kernel.org>
> Reviewed-by: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>
> Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>

Reviewed-by: Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>

-- 
Cheers,
Nathan

Re: [PATCH 1/2] Compiler Attributes: Add __require_explicit_initialization macro

[Greg Kroah-Hartman]

On Wed, Oct 14, 2026 at 03:58:15PM -0700, Kees Cook wrote:
> From: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
> 
> Clang supports the 'require_explicit_initialization' attribute on struct
> fields to indicate that a field must be initialized explicitly by the
> user when the object is constructed. When an aggregate initializer or
> uninitialized variable omits an annotated field, Clang emits a
> -Wuninitialized-explicit-init warning (enabled by default).
> 
> Add the __require_explicit_initialization macro to
> include/linux/compiler_attributes.h (which is included by
> include/linux/compiler_types.h and include/linux/compiler.h) so kernel
> structs with error-prone initialization (such as mandatory callbacks or
> cleanup handlers) can enforce explicit initialization at compile time,
> as discussed at the Linux Plumbers Conference.
> 
> Also teach Sphinx (Documentation/conf.py), kernel-doc
> (tools/lib/python/kdoc/xforms_lists.py), and checkpatch.pl about the new
> attribute macro.
> 
> Link: https://lpc.events/event/20/contributions/2392/
> Assisted-by: Antigravity:gemini-3.1-pro
> Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
> Acked-by: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@kernel.org>
> Reviewed-by: Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>
> Signed-off-by: Kees Cook <kees@kernel.org>
> ---

Acked-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>