[PATCH] checkpatch: suppress strscpy warnings for userspace tools

[PATCH] checkpatch: suppress strscpy warnings for userspace tools

[Suchit Karunakaran]

The checkpatch.pl script currently warns against the use of strcpy, 
strlcpy, and strncpy, recommending strscpy as a safer alternative. 
However, these warnings are also triggered for code under tools/ and 
scripts/, which are userspace code where strscpy is not available. 
This patch suppresses these warnings for files in tools/ and scripts/.

Signed-off-by: Suchit Karunakaran <suchitkarunakaran@gmail.com>
---
 scripts/checkpatch.pl | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index e722dd6fa8ef..1533cfbc8305 100755
--- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -7020,19 +7020,19 @@ sub process {
 #		}
 
 # strcpy uses that should likely be strscpy
-		if ($line =~ /\bstrcpy\s*\(/) {
+		if ($line =~ /\bstrcpy\s*\(/ && $realfile !~ m@\btools/@ && $realfile !~ m@\bscripts/@) {
 			WARN("STRCPY",
 			     "Prefer strscpy over strcpy - see: https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/88\n" . $herecurr);
 		}
 
 # strlcpy uses that should likely be strscpy
-		if ($line =~ /\bstrlcpy\s*\(/) {
+		if ($line =~ /\bstrlcpy\s*\(/ && $realfile !~ m@\btools/@ && $realfile !~ m@\bscripts/@) {
 			WARN("STRLCPY",
 			     "Prefer strscpy over strlcpy - see: https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/89\n" . $herecurr);
 		}
 
 # strncpy uses that should likely be strscpy or strscpy_pad
-		if ($line =~ /\bstrncpy\s*\(/) {
+		if ($line =~ /\bstrncpy\s*\(/ && $realfile !~ m@\btools/@ && $realfile !~ m@\bscripts/@) {
 			WARN("STRNCPY",
 			     "Prefer strscpy, strscpy_pad, or __nonstring over strncpy - see: https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/90\n" . $herecurr);
 		}
-- 
2.50.1

Re: [PATCH] checkpatch: suppress strscpy warnings for userspace tools

[Joe Perches]

On Sun, 2025-07-27 at 00:24 +0530, Suchit Karunakaran wrote:
> The checkpatch.pl script currently warns against the use of strcpy, 
> strlcpy, and strncpy, recommending strscpy as a safer alternative. 
> However, these warnings are also triggered for code under tools/ and 
> scripts/, which are userspace code where strscpy is not available. 
> This patch suppresses these warnings for files in tools/ and scripts/.
[]
> diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
[]
> @@ -7020,19 +7020,19 @@ sub process {
>  #		}
>  
>  # strcpy uses that should likely be strscpy
> -		if ($line =~ /\bstrcpy\s*\(/) {
> +		if ($line =~ /\bstrcpy\s*\(/ && $realfile !~ m@\btools/@ && $realfile !~ m@\bscripts/@) {

Maybe instead create a is_kernel or is_userspace function
and use that instead of the test

	if (!is_userspace($realfile) &&
	    $line =~ etc...

and 

are all <any_subdirectory>tools/ always userspace ?

Re: [PATCH] checkpatch: suppress strscpy warnings for userspace tools

[Suchit K]

On Sun, 27 Jul 2025 at 17:25, Joe Perches <joe@perches.com> wrote:
>
> On Sun, 2025-07-27 at 00:24 +0530, Suchit Karunakaran wrote:
> > The checkpatch.pl script currently warns against the use of strcpy,
> > strlcpy, and strncpy, recommending strscpy as a safer alternative.
> > However, these warnings are also triggered for code under tools/ and
> > scripts/, which are userspace code where strscpy is not available.
> > This patch suppresses these warnings for files in tools/ and scripts/.
> []
> > diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
> []
> > @@ -7020,19 +7020,19 @@ sub process {
> >  #            }
> >
> >  # strcpy uses that should likely be strscpy
> > -             if ($line =~ /\bstrcpy\s*\(/) {
> > +             if ($line =~ /\bstrcpy\s*\(/ && $realfile !~ m@\btools/@ && $realfile !~ m@\bscripts/@) {
>
> Maybe instead create a is_kernel or is_userspace function
> and use that instead of the test

Sure, I will do it.

>
>         if (!is_userspace($realfile) &&
>             $line =~ etc...
>
> and
>
> are all <any_subdirectory>tools/ always userspace ?
>

Yes, as far as I know, almost all of the code in the tools directory
is userspace. Atleast, strscpy isn't available for the code inside
tools and scripts.