* [PATCH v4 1/7] bootconfig: fix NULL-pointer arithmetic in xbc_snprint_cmdline()
2026-06-09 10:28 [PATCH v4 0/7] bootconfig: embed kernel.* cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
@ 2026-06-09 10:28 ` Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 2/7] bootconfig: render descendant keys when xbc_snprint_cmdline() root has a value Breno Leitao
` (5 subsequent siblings)
6 siblings, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread
From: Breno Leitao @ 2026-06-09 10:28 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Masami Hiramatsu, Andrew Morton, Nathan Chancellor, paulmck,
Nicolas Schier
Cc: Thomas Gleixner, Ingo Molnar, Borislav Petkov, Dave Hansen, x86,
H. Peter Anvin, linux-kernel, linux-trace-kernel, linux-kbuild,
bpf, Breno Leitao, kernel-team
xbc_snprint_cmdline() is meant to be called twice: first with
buf=NULL, size=0 to probe the rendered length, then with a real
buffer to fill it (the standard snprintf() two-pass pattern). The
probe call makes the function compute "buf + size" (NULL + 0) and,
on every iteration, advance "buf += ret" from that NULL base and
pass the result back into snprintf().
Pointer arithmetic on a NULL pointer is undefined behavior. It is
harmless in the in-kernel callers today, but the follow-up patches
run this same code in the userspace tools/bootconfig parser at kernel
build time, where host UBSan / FORTIFY_SOURCE abort the build.
Track a running written length (size_t) instead of mutating @buf, and
only form "buf + len" when @buf is non-NULL. snprintf(NULL, 0, ...)
is itself well defined and returns the would-be length, so the
two-pass "probe then fill" usage returns identical byte counts.
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
---
lib/bootconfig.c | 23 ++++++++++++++++-------
1 file changed, 16 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)
diff --git a/lib/bootconfig.c b/lib/bootconfig.c
index f445b7703fdd..2ed9ee3dc81c 100644
--- a/lib/bootconfig.c
+++ b/lib/bootconfig.c
@@ -427,10 +427,18 @@ static char xbc_namebuf[XBC_KEYLEN_MAX] __initdata;
int __init xbc_snprint_cmdline(char *buf, size_t size, struct xbc_node *root)
{
struct xbc_node *knode, *vnode;
- char *end = buf + size;
const char *val, *q;
+ size_t len = 0;
int ret;
+ /*
+ * Track the running written length rather than advancing @buf, so we
+ * never form "buf + size" or "buf += ret" while @buf is NULL (the
+ * size-probe call passes buf=NULL, size=0). NULL pointer arithmetic
+ * is undefined behavior and trips host UBSan / FORTIFY_SOURCE when
+ * this renderer runs at kernel build time. snprintf(NULL, 0, ...)
+ * itself is well defined and returns the would-be length.
+ */
xbc_node_for_each_key_value(root, knode, val) {
ret = xbc_node_compose_key_after(root, knode,
xbc_namebuf, XBC_KEYLEN_MAX);
@@ -439,10 +447,11 @@ int __init xbc_snprint_cmdline(char *buf, size_t size, struct xbc_node *root)
vnode = xbc_node_get_child(knode);
if (!vnode) {
- ret = snprintf(buf, rest(buf, end), "%s ", xbc_namebuf);
+ ret = snprintf(buf ? buf + len : NULL, rest(len, size),
+ "%s ", xbc_namebuf);
if (ret < 0)
return ret;
- buf += ret;
+ len += ret;
continue;
}
xbc_array_for_each_value(vnode, val) {
@@ -452,15 +461,15 @@ int __init xbc_snprint_cmdline(char *buf, size_t size, struct xbc_node *root)
* whitespace.
*/
q = strpbrk(val, " \t\r\n") ? "\"" : "";
- ret = snprintf(buf, rest(buf, end), "%s=%s%s%s ",
- xbc_namebuf, q, val, q);
+ ret = snprintf(buf ? buf + len : NULL, rest(len, size),
+ "%s=%s%s%s ", xbc_namebuf, q, val, q);
if (ret < 0)
return ret;
- buf += ret;
+ len += ret;
}
}
- return buf - (end - size);
+ return len;
}
#undef rest
--
2.53.0-Meta
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread* [PATCH v4 2/7] bootconfig: render descendant keys when xbc_snprint_cmdline() root has a value
2026-06-09 10:28 [PATCH v4 0/7] bootconfig: embed kernel.* cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 1/7] bootconfig: fix NULL-pointer arithmetic in xbc_snprint_cmdline() Breno Leitao
@ 2026-06-09 10:28 ` Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 3/7] bootconfig: render embedded bootconfig as a kernel cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
` (4 subsequent siblings)
6 siblings, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread
From: Breno Leitao @ 2026-06-09 10:28 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Masami Hiramatsu, Andrew Morton, Nathan Chancellor, paulmck,
Nicolas Schier
Cc: Thomas Gleixner, Ingo Molnar, Borislav Petkov, Dave Hansen, x86,
H. Peter Anvin, linux-kernel, linux-trace-kernel, linux-kbuild,
bpf, Breno Leitao, kernel-team
xbc_node_for_each_key_value() walks to the first leaf under @root, and
when @root is itself a leaf it yields @root. That happens not only for
an empty "kernel {}" subtree, but also when @root carries both a value
and subkeys, e.g.
kernel = x
kernel.foo = bar
Here @root ("kernel") is a leaf because its first child is the value
node "x", so the iterator returns @root first. Feeding @root back into
xbc_node_compose_key_after(root, root) returns -EINVAL, which the only
in-kernel caller papers over with a "len <= 0" check -- but the
follow-up tools/bootconfig -C user propagates the error and turns such
a bootconfig into a build failure. Worse, short-circuiting the whole
call on a leaf @root would silently drop the valid "kernel.foo = bar"
descendant that this patch should render.
Skip @root inside the loop instead of bailing out: the value-only entry
is dropped (it is rendered through the "kernel" cmdline path, not here),
while real descendant keys are still emitted. An entirely empty subtree
now renders nothing and returns 0 rather than -EINVAL, matching the
"nothing to render is not an error" semantics expected by the new
build-time caller.
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
---
lib/bootconfig.c | 11 +++++++++++
1 file changed, 11 insertions(+)
diff --git a/lib/bootconfig.c b/lib/bootconfig.c
index 2ed9ee3dc81c..926094d97397 100644
--- a/lib/bootconfig.c
+++ b/lib/bootconfig.c
@@ -440,6 +440,17 @@ int __init xbc_snprint_cmdline(char *buf, size_t size, struct xbc_node *root)
* itself is well defined and returns the would-be length.
*/
xbc_node_for_each_key_value(root, knode, val) {
+ /*
+ * An empty or value-only @root (e.g. "kernel {}" or
+ * "kernel = x", possibly alongside "kernel.foo = bar")
+ * yields @root itself here. Skip it: composing a key for it
+ * would fail with -EINVAL, yet any real descendant keys must
+ * still be rendered. An entirely empty subtree then renders
+ * nothing and returns 0 rather than an error.
+ */
+ if (knode == root)
+ continue;
+
ret = xbc_node_compose_key_after(root, knode,
xbc_namebuf, XBC_KEYLEN_MAX);
if (ret < 0)
--
2.53.0-Meta
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread* [PATCH v4 3/7] bootconfig: render embedded bootconfig as a kernel cmdline at build time
2026-06-09 10:28 [PATCH v4 0/7] bootconfig: embed kernel.* cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 1/7] bootconfig: fix NULL-pointer arithmetic in xbc_snprint_cmdline() Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 2/7] bootconfig: render descendant keys when xbc_snprint_cmdline() root has a value Breno Leitao
@ 2026-06-09 10:28 ` Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 4/7] bootconfig: clean build-time tools/bootconfig from make clean Breno Leitao
` (3 subsequent siblings)
6 siblings, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread
From: Breno Leitao @ 2026-06-09 10:28 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Masami Hiramatsu, Andrew Morton, Nathan Chancellor, paulmck,
Nicolas Schier
Cc: Thomas Gleixner, Ingo Molnar, Borislav Petkov, Dave Hansen, x86,
H. Peter Anvin, linux-kernel, linux-trace-kernel, linux-kbuild,
bpf, Breno Leitao, kernel-team
Add the build-time pipeline that renders the "kernel" subtree of
CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE into a flat cmdline string and stashes
it in .init.rodata as embedded_kernel_cmdline[]. A follow-up patch
adds the runtime helper that prepends this string to boot_command_line
during early architecture setup so parse_early_param() sees the values.
The build wires up:
tools/bootconfig -C kernel - userspace tool already shared with
lib/bootconfig.c, used here in -C mode
to render a bootconfig file to a cmdline
lib/embedded-cmdline.S - .incbin's the rendered text plus a NUL
(listed under the EXTRA BOOT CONFIG
MAINTAINERS entry)
lib/Makefile rule - runs tools/bootconfig at build time
Makefile prepare dep - ensures tools/bootconfig is built first,
same pattern as tools/objtool and
tools/bpf/resolve_btfids
Drop the test target from tools/bootconfig/Makefile's default 'all'
recipe so that hooking the binary into the kernel build does not run
test-bootconfig.sh on every prepare. The tests stay available as
'make -C tools/bootconfig test', matching the convention of
tools/objtool and tools/bpf/resolve_btfids whose 'all' targets only
build the binary.
Require BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE to be non-empty before the new option
can be enabled, otherwise tools/bootconfig -C runs against an empty
file and prints a parse error on every kernel build.
The feature gates on CONFIG_ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG, a
silent symbol arches select once they've wired the prepend call into
setup_arch(). No arch selects it in this patch, so the user-visible
CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE is not yet enableable; when an arch
later opts in, the runtime behavior is added by the follow-up patches.
tools/bootconfig also installs on target systems, so its own Makefile
keeps $(CC) and stays cross-buildable as a standalone tool. The kernel
build, which runs the tool on the build host during prepare, instead
forces CC=$(HOSTCC) from a dedicated tools/bootconfig rule and clears
CROSS_COMPILE= in the sub-make. Without that clear, an LLVM=1 cross
build would inherit CROSS_COMPILE and tools/scripts/Makefile.include
would inject --target=/--sysroot= flags into the host clang invocation,
producing a target binary that fails to exec ("Exec format error").
embedded-cmdline.S places the rendered string in its own .init.rodata
subsection (.init.rodata.embed_cmdline) with the "a" (allocatable,
read-only) flag and %progbits. lib/bootconfig-data.S already places
the embedded bootconfig blob in .init.rodata with the "aw" flag
(xbc_init() rewrites separators in place, so that data must be
writable). Using a distinct subsection name avoids the ld.lld section-
type mismatch that would otherwise arise from mixing "a" and "aw"
under the same name; the linker's "*(.init.rodata .init.rodata.*)"
glob still folds both into the init image and frees them after boot.
A follow-up patch wires the build-time tools/bootconfig into the
top-level clean target.
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
---
MAINTAINERS | 1 +
Makefile | 15 +++++++++++++++
init/Kconfig | 36 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
lib/Makefile | 16 ++++++++++++++++
lib/embedded-cmdline.S | 16 ++++++++++++++++
tools/bootconfig/Makefile | 2 +-
6 files changed, 85 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index 57656ec0e9d5..953231df1911 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -9844,6 +9844,7 @@ F: fs/proc/bootconfig.c
F: include/linux/bootconfig.h
F: lib/bootconfig-data.S
F: lib/bootconfig.c
+F: lib/embedded-cmdline.S
F: tools/bootconfig/*
F: tools/bootconfig/scripts/*
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index bf196c6df5b9..a7abb3f9a626 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1545,6 +1545,21 @@ prepare: tools/bpf/resolve_btfids
endif
endif
+# tools/bootconfig renders the embedded bootconfig into a cmdline at build time.
+ifdef CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE
+prepare: tools/bootconfig
+endif
+
+# tools/bootconfig is run on the build host during prepare, so force a host
+# binary here; its own Makefile keeps $(CC) for standalone and cross builds.
+# CROSS_COMPILE= is cleared so tools/scripts/Makefile.include does not inject
+# the target's --target=/--sysroot= flags into the host clang invocation under
+# LLVM=1 cross builds (which would produce a target binary that fails to exec).
+tools/bootconfig: FORCE
+ $(Q)mkdir -p $(objtree)/tools
+ $(Q)$(MAKE) O=$(abspath $(objtree)) subdir=tools -C $(srctree)/tools/ \
+ bootconfig CC=$(HOSTCC) CROSS_COMPILE=
+
# The tools build system is not a part of Kbuild and tends to introduce
# its own unique issues. If you need to integrate a new tool into Kbuild,
# please consider locating that tool outside the tools/ tree and using the
diff --git a/init/Kconfig b/init/Kconfig
index 5230d4879b1c..743f54397190 100644
--- a/init/Kconfig
+++ b/init/Kconfig
@@ -1566,6 +1566,42 @@ config BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE
This bootconfig will be used if there is no initrd or no other
bootconfig in the initrd.
+config ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG
+ bool
+ help
+ Silent symbol; no C code reads it directly. Architectures
+ select it once their setup_arch() calls
+ xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline() before parse_early_param().
+ Its only role is to gate the user-visible
+ BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE option per-arch, the same
+ ARCH_SUPPORTS_* idiom used by ARCH_SUPPORTS_CFI, etc.
+
+config BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE
+ bool "Render embedded bootconfig as kernel cmdline at build time"
+ depends on BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED
+ depends on BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE != ""
+ depends on ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG
+ default n
+ help
+ Render the "kernel" subtree of the embedded bootconfig file into a
+ flat cmdline string at kernel build time and prepend it to
+ boot_command_line during early architecture setup. This makes
+ early_param() handlers (e.g. mem=, earlycon=, loglevel=) see the
+ values supplied via the embedded bootconfig.
+
+ The runtime bootconfig parser is unaffected, so tree-structured
+ consumers such as ftrace boot-time tracing keep working.
+
+ Note: when an initrd also carries a bootconfig, its "kernel"
+ subtree is still parsed at runtime, but the embedded "kernel"
+ keys remain in boot_command_line for parse_early_param() and
+ end up later than the initrd keys in saved_command_line, so
+ parse_args() last-wins favors the embedded values. If you need
+ initrd to override embedded kernel.* keys, leave this option
+ off.
+
+ If unsure, say N.
+
config CMDLINE_LOG_WRAP_IDEAL_LEN
int "Length to try to wrap the cmdline when logged at boot"
default 1021
diff --git a/lib/Makefile b/lib/Makefile
index 7f75cc6edf94..4ace86a5cb6d 100644
--- a/lib/Makefile
+++ b/lib/Makefile
@@ -273,6 +273,22 @@ filechk_defbconf = cat $(or $(real-prereqs), /dev/null)
$(obj)/default.bconf: $(CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE) FORCE
$(call filechk,defbconf)
+obj-$(CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE) += embedded-cmdline.o
+$(obj)/embedded-cmdline.o: $(obj)/embedded_cmdline.bin
+
+# Render the bootconfig "kernel" subtree to a flat cmdline string using
+# the userspace tools/bootconfig parser (-C mode). The runtime prepend
+# helper enforces COMMAND_LINE_SIZE at boot, so no build-time size
+# check is performed here (COMMAND_LINE_SIZE is an arch header
+# constant, not a Kconfig value).
+quiet_cmd_render_cmdline = BCONF2C $@
+ cmd_render_cmdline = \
+ $(objtree)/tools/bootconfig/bootconfig -C $< > $@
+
+targets += embedded_cmdline.bin
+$(obj)/embedded_cmdline.bin: $(obj)/default.bconf $(objtree)/tools/bootconfig/bootconfig FORCE
+ $(call if_changed,render_cmdline)
+
obj-$(CONFIG_RBTREE_TEST) += rbtree_test.o
obj-$(CONFIG_INTERVAL_TREE_TEST) += interval_tree_test.o
diff --git a/lib/embedded-cmdline.S b/lib/embedded-cmdline.S
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..bda81b4a42be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/embedded-cmdline.S
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 */
+/*
+ * Embed the build-time-rendered bootconfig "kernel" subtree as a flat
+ * cmdline string. setup_arch() prepends this to boot_command_line on
+ * architectures that select ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG.
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
+ */
+ .section .init.rodata.embed_cmdline, "a", %progbits
+ .global embedded_kernel_cmdline
+embedded_kernel_cmdline:
+ .incbin "lib/embedded_cmdline.bin"
+ .byte 0
+ .global embedded_kernel_cmdline_end
+embedded_kernel_cmdline_end:
diff --git a/tools/bootconfig/Makefile b/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
index 90eb47c9d8de..4e82fd9553cd 100644
--- a/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
+++ b/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ override CFLAGS += -Wall -g -I$(CURDIR)/include
ALL_TARGETS := bootconfig
ALL_PROGRAMS := $(patsubst %,$(OUTPUT)%,$(ALL_TARGETS))
-all: $(ALL_PROGRAMS) test
+all: $(ALL_PROGRAMS)
$(OUTPUT)bootconfig: main.c include/linux/bootconfig.h $(LIBSRC)
$(CC) $(filter %.c,$^) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@
--
2.53.0-Meta
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread* [PATCH v4 4/7] bootconfig: clean build-time tools/bootconfig from make clean
2026-06-09 10:28 [PATCH v4 0/7] bootconfig: embed kernel.* cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
` (2 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 3/7] bootconfig: render embedded bootconfig as a kernel cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
@ 2026-06-09 10:28 ` Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 5/7] bootconfig: add xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline() helper Breno Leitao
` (2 subsequent siblings)
6 siblings, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread
From: Breno Leitao @ 2026-06-09 10:28 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Masami Hiramatsu, Andrew Morton, Nathan Chancellor, paulmck,
Nicolas Schier
Cc: Thomas Gleixner, Ingo Molnar, Borislav Petkov, Dave Hansen, x86,
H. Peter Anvin, linux-kernel, linux-trace-kernel, linux-kbuild,
bpf, Breno Leitao, kernel-team
The previous patch builds tools/bootconfig during 'make prepare' to
render the embedded bootconfig cmdline, but nothing removes it on
'make clean', leaving the compiled tool and its objects behind.
Wire a bootconfig_clean hook into the top-level clean target so the
compiled tool and its objects are removed by make clean, matching the
prepare-wired tools/objtool and tools/bpf/resolve_btfids.
The hook runs tools/bootconfig's Makefile via $(MAKE), which the kernel
build invokes with -rR (MAKEFLAGS += -rR). -rR drops the built-in $(RM)
variable, so the existing "$(RM) -f ..." clean recipe would expand to a
bare "-f ..." and fail. Spell the recipe with a literal "rm -f" so it
keeps working both standalone and when invoked from Kbuild.
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
---
Makefile | 13 ++++++++++++-
tools/bootconfig/Makefile | 2 +-
2 files changed, 13 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a7abb3f9a626..a6e13fa1c1dc 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1586,6 +1586,17 @@ ifneq ($(wildcard $(objtool_O)),)
$(Q)$(MAKE) -sC $(abs_srctree)/tools/objtool O=$(objtool_O) srctree=$(abs_srctree) $(patsubst objtool_%,%,$@)
endif
+PHONY += bootconfig_clean
+
+bootconfig_O = $(abspath $(objtree))/tools/bootconfig
+
+# tools/bootconfig is only built (via the prepare hook above) when
+# CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE is set; skip its clean otherwise.
+bootconfig_clean:
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(bootconfig_O)),)
+ $(Q)$(MAKE) -sC $(srctree)/tools/bootconfig O=$(bootconfig_O) clean
+endif
+
tools/: FORCE
$(Q)mkdir -p $(objtree)/tools
$(Q)$(MAKE) O=$(abspath $(objtree)) subdir=tools -C $(srctree)/tools/
@@ -1756,7 +1767,7 @@ vmlinuxclean:
$(Q)$(CONFIG_SHELL) $(srctree)/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh clean
$(Q)$(if $(ARCH_POSTLINK), $(MAKE) -f $(ARCH_POSTLINK) clean)
-clean: archclean vmlinuxclean resolve_btfids_clean objtool_clean
+clean: archclean vmlinuxclean resolve_btfids_clean objtool_clean bootconfig_clean
# mrproper - Delete all generated files, including .config
#
diff --git a/tools/bootconfig/Makefile b/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
index 4e82fd9553cd..3cb8066d5141 100644
--- a/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
+++ b/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
@@ -27,4 +27,4 @@ install: $(ALL_PROGRAMS)
install $(OUTPUT)bootconfig $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)
clean:
- $(RM) -f $(OUTPUT)*.o $(ALL_PROGRAMS)
+ rm -f $(OUTPUT)*.o $(ALL_PROGRAMS)
--
2.53.0-Meta
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread* [PATCH v4 5/7] bootconfig: add xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline() helper
2026-06-09 10:28 [PATCH v4 0/7] bootconfig: embed kernel.* cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
` (3 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 4/7] bootconfig: clean build-time tools/bootconfig from make clean Breno Leitao
@ 2026-06-09 10:28 ` Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 6/7] Documentation: bootconfig: document build-time cmdline rendering Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 7/7] x86/setup: prepend embedded bootconfig cmdline before parse_early_param Breno Leitao
6 siblings, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread
From: Breno Leitao @ 2026-06-09 10:28 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Masami Hiramatsu, Andrew Morton, Nathan Chancellor, paulmck,
Nicolas Schier
Cc: Thomas Gleixner, Ingo Molnar, Borislav Petkov, Dave Hansen, x86,
H. Peter Anvin, linux-kernel, linux-trace-kernel, linux-kbuild,
bpf, Breno Leitao, kernel-team
Add a helper that prepends the build-time-rendered embedded bootconfig
"kernel" subtree (embedded_kernel_cmdline[] from embedded-cmdline.S) to
a cmdline buffer with a separating space. Architectures call this from
setup_arch() before parse_early_param() so early_param() handlers
(mem=, earlycon=, loglevel=, ...) see values supplied via the embedded
bootconfig.
The in-place prepend (shift the existing string right, then drop the
embedded string in front) is factored into a small str_prepend() helper.
On overflow the helper logs an error and leaves the cmdline untouched
rather than panicking. Booting without the embedded values is better
than refusing to boot, and the error tells the user why their embedded
keys are missing.
The helper records whether it actually prepended, exposed via
xbc_embedded_cmdline_applied(). setup_boot_config() uses this to decide
whether the runtime "kernel" render would duplicate keys already folded
into boot_command_line.
When CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE=n, the public declaration in
<linux/bootconfig.h> resolves to a no-op stub so callers compile
unchanged.
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
---
include/linux/bootconfig.h | 9 ++++++
lib/bootconfig.c | 78 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2 files changed, 87 insertions(+)
diff --git a/include/linux/bootconfig.h b/include/linux/bootconfig.h
index 1c7f3b74ffcf..c186137f87ac 100644
--- a/include/linux/bootconfig.h
+++ b/include/linux/bootconfig.h
@@ -308,4 +308,13 @@ static inline const char *xbc_get_embedded_bootconfig(size_t *size)
}
#endif
+/* Build-time-rendered bootconfig cmdline prepended in setup_arch() */
+#ifdef CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE
+void __init xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline(char *dst, size_t size);
+bool __init xbc_embedded_cmdline_applied(void);
+#else
+static inline void xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline(char *dst, size_t size) { }
+static inline bool xbc_embedded_cmdline_applied(void) { return false; }
+#endif
+
#endif
diff --git a/lib/bootconfig.c b/lib/bootconfig.c
index 926094d97397..f66be0b2dc24 100644
--- a/lib/bootconfig.c
+++ b/lib/bootconfig.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
#include <linux/errno.h>
#include <linux/cache.h>
#include <linux/compiler.h>
+#include <linux/printk.h>
#include <linux/sprintf.h>
#include <linux/memblock.h>
#include <linux/string.h>
@@ -34,6 +35,83 @@ const char * __init xbc_get_embedded_bootconfig(size_t *size)
return (*size) ? embedded_bootconfig_data : NULL;
}
#endif
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE
+/* embedded_kernel_cmdline is defined in embedded-cmdline.S */
+extern __visible const char embedded_kernel_cmdline[];
+extern __visible const char embedded_kernel_cmdline_end[];
+
+/* Set once the embedded cmdline has actually been prepended. */
+static bool xbc_cmdline_applied __initdata;
+
+/*
+ * str_prepend() - Prepend @src in front of the string in @dst, in place
+ * @dst: NUL-terminated destination buffer, currently @dst_len bytes long
+ * @dst_len: length of the current @dst string (excluding its NUL)
+ * @src: bytes to prepend (not NUL-terminated)
+ * @src_len: number of bytes from @src to prepend
+ *
+ * The caller must guarantee @dst has room for src_len + dst_len + 1 bytes.
+ * Moving dst_len + 1 bytes carries @dst's NUL terminator too, so an empty
+ * @dst needs no special case.
+ */
+static void __init str_prepend(char *dst, size_t dst_len,
+ const char *src, size_t src_len)
+{
+ memmove(dst + src_len, dst, dst_len + 1);
+ memcpy(dst, src, src_len);
+}
+
+/**
+ * xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline() - Prepend embedded bootconfig cmdline
+ * @dst: cmdline buffer to prepend into (must already contain a NUL byte)
+ * @size: total capacity of @dst in bytes
+ *
+ * Prepend the build-time-rendered "kernel" subtree of the embedded
+ * bootconfig to @dst. The rendered string already ends with a single
+ * space (the xbc_snprint_cmdline() invariant), which serves as the
+ * separator between the embedded keys and any existing content of @dst.
+ * On overflow, log an error and leave @dst untouched rather than
+ * silently truncating: booting without the embedded values is better
+ * than refusing to boot, and the error message tells the user why
+ * their embedded keys are missing.
+ *
+ * Intended to be called from setup_arch() before parse_early_param() so
+ * that early_param() handlers see the embedded values.
+ */
+void __init xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline(char *dst, size_t size)
+{
+ size_t embed_len = embedded_kernel_cmdline_end - embedded_kernel_cmdline;
+ size_t dst_len;
+
+ if (!size || embed_len <= 1) /* trailing NUL only */
+ return;
+ embed_len--; /* exclude trailing NUL byte */
+
+ dst_len = strnlen(dst, size);
+ if (embed_len + dst_len + 1 > size) {
+ pr_err("embedded bootconfig cmdline (%zu bytes) does not fit in COMMAND_LINE_SIZE with %zu bytes already used; ignoring embedded values\n",
+ embed_len, dst_len);
+ return;
+ }
+
+ str_prepend(dst, dst_len, embedded_kernel_cmdline, embed_len);
+ xbc_cmdline_applied = true;
+}
+
+/**
+ * xbc_embedded_cmdline_applied() - Did the embedded cmdline get prepended?
+ *
+ * Return true if xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline() actually prepended the
+ * embedded "kernel" subtree. setup_boot_config() uses this to avoid
+ * rendering the same keys a second time.
+ */
+bool __init xbc_embedded_cmdline_applied(void)
+{
+ return xbc_cmdline_applied;
+}
+#endif
+
#endif
/*
--
2.53.0-Meta
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread* [PATCH v4 6/7] Documentation: bootconfig: document build-time cmdline rendering
2026-06-09 10:28 [PATCH v4 0/7] bootconfig: embed kernel.* cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
` (4 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 5/7] bootconfig: add xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline() helper Breno Leitao
@ 2026-06-09 10:28 ` Breno Leitao
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 7/7] x86/setup: prepend embedded bootconfig cmdline before parse_early_param Breno Leitao
6 siblings, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread
From: Breno Leitao @ 2026-06-09 10:28 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Masami Hiramatsu, Andrew Morton, Nathan Chancellor, paulmck,
Nicolas Schier
Cc: Thomas Gleixner, Ingo Molnar, Borislav Petkov, Dave Hansen, x86,
H. Peter Anvin, linux-kernel, linux-trace-kernel, linux-kbuild,
bpf, Breno Leitao, kernel-team
Add a section describing CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE: what it
does (renders the embedded "kernel" subtree to a flat cmdline at
build time so early_param() handlers see the values), what it
requires (BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED, a non-empty BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE,
and ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG -- currently x86 only),
the bootconfig opt-in semantics, the initrd-vs-embedded precedence,
and the soft-error overflow behavior.
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
---
Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst | 46 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 46 insertions(+)
diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
index f712758472d5..f371e5cdc974 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/bootconfig.rst
@@ -234,6 +234,52 @@ Kconfig option selected.
Note that even if you set this option, you can override the embedded
bootconfig by another bootconfig which attached to the initrd.
+Rendering Embedded kernel.* Keys at Build Time
+----------------------------------------------
+
+By default, the embedded bootconfig (``CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED=y``) is
+parsed at runtime, after ``parse_early_param()`` has already run. Early
+parameter handlers (``mem=``, ``earlycon=``, ``loglevel=``, ...) therefore
+cannot see values supplied via the embedded ``kernel`` subtree.
+
+``CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE`` resolves this by rendering the
+``kernel`` subtree of ``CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE`` into a flat cmdline
+string at kernel build time (via ``tools/bootconfig -C``) and prepending
+it to ``boot_command_line`` during early architecture setup, so the keys
+are visible to ``parse_early_param()``.
+
+The option requires ``CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED=y``, a non-empty
+``CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE``, and an architecture that selects
+``CONFIG_ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG``. Currently only x86
+selects it; on other architectures the embedded bootconfig still works,
+but only through the late runtime parser.
+
+The same ``bootconfig`` opt-in applies as elsewhere: the rendered keys
+are prepended only when ``bootconfig`` (in any form) appears on the
+kernel command line, or when ``CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_FORCE`` is set, which
+defaults to ``y`` when ``CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED`` is set.
+
+For example, given::
+
+ kernel {
+ loglevel = 7
+ mem = 4G
+ }
+
+the kernel boots as if ``loglevel=7 mem=4G`` had been prepended to the
+bootloader command line, with the values visible to early-parsed
+handlers. Comma-separated values are still expanded into multiple
+cmdline entries per the bootconfig array convention -- the embedded
+``kernel.earlycon = "uart8250,io,0x3f8"`` must be quoted to land as a
+single ``earlycon=`` entry, exactly as for the runtime parser.
+
+If an initrd carries its own bootconfig, the runtime parser still
+processes it; ``parse_args()`` last-wins means the initrd's ``kernel``
+keys override the build-time-rendered ones. If the rendered string
+would not fit in ``COMMAND_LINE_SIZE`` together with the existing
+command line, the prepend is skipped and an error is logged, so an
+oversized embedded bootconfig cannot brick a boot.
+
Kernel parameters via Boot Config
=================================
--
2.53.0-Meta
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread* [PATCH v4 7/7] x86/setup: prepend embedded bootconfig cmdline before parse_early_param
2026-06-09 10:28 [PATCH v4 0/7] bootconfig: embed kernel.* cmdline at build time Breno Leitao
` (5 preceding siblings ...)
2026-06-09 10:28 ` [PATCH v4 6/7] Documentation: bootconfig: document build-time cmdline rendering Breno Leitao
@ 2026-06-09 10:28 ` Breno Leitao
6 siblings, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread
From: Breno Leitao @ 2026-06-09 10:28 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Masami Hiramatsu, Andrew Morton, Nathan Chancellor, paulmck,
Nicolas Schier
Cc: Thomas Gleixner, Ingo Molnar, Borislav Petkov, Dave Hansen, x86,
H. Peter Anvin, linux-kernel, linux-trace-kernel, linux-kbuild,
bpf, Breno Leitao, kernel-team
Call xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline() in setup_arch() right after the
CONFIG_CMDLINE merge and before strscpy(command_line, ...) so the
build-time-rendered embedded bootconfig "kernel" subtree is part of
boot_command_line by the time parse_early_param() runs. early_param()
handlers (mem=, earlycon=, loglevel=, ...) now see values supplied via
CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE without parsing bootconfig at runtime.
Gate the prepend on the same opt-in the runtime parser uses: prepend
when "bootconfig" is present on the command line, or when
CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_FORCE is set. setup_boot_config()'s parse_args()
loop treats any presence of the "bootconfig" key as opt-in regardless
of value, so check both cmdline_find_option_bool() (matches the bare
key) and cmdline_find_option() (matches "bootconfig=<anything>").
Without the latter check, "bootconfig=0" would skip the early prepend
yet still trigger the late runtime apply, leaving the embedded keys
invisible to early_param() but applied to saved_command_line.
Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
---
arch/x86/Kconfig | 1 +
arch/x86/kernel/setup.c | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
init/main.c | 25 ++++++++++++++++++++++---
3 files changed, 50 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
index 0de23e647197..8ab11199c16d 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ config X86
select ARCH_SUPPORTS_NUMA_BALANCING if X86_64
select ARCH_SUPPORTS_KMAP_LOCAL_FORCE_MAP if NR_CPUS <= 4096
select ARCH_SUPPORTS_CFI if X86_64
+ select ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG
select ARCH_USES_CFI_TRAPS if X86_64 && CFI
select ARCH_SUPPORTS_LTO_CLANG
select ARCH_SUPPORTS_LTO_CLANG_THIN
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/setup.c b/arch/x86/kernel/setup.c
index 46882ce79c3a..d69ba84c203f 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/setup.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/setup.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
* parts of early kernel initialization.
*/
#include <linux/acpi.h>
+#include <linux/bootconfig.h>
#include <linux/console.h>
#include <linux/cpu.h>
#include <linux/crash_dump.h>
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@
#include <asm/bios_ebda.h>
#include <asm/bugs.h>
#include <asm/cacheinfo.h>
+#include <asm/cmdline.h>
#include <asm/coco.h>
#include <asm/cpu.h>
#include <asm/efi.h>
@@ -924,6 +926,31 @@ void __init setup_arch(char **cmdline_p)
builtin_cmdline_added = true;
#endif
+ /*
+ * Match the runtime bootconfig parser's opt-in: only fold the
+ * embedded kernel.* keys into the cmdline when "bootconfig" is
+ * present on the command line, or CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_FORCE is set.
+ * setup_boot_config()'s parse_args() loop treats any presence of
+ * the "bootconfig" key as opt-in (bare, =0, =1, ...), so check both
+ * forms here: cmdline_find_option_bool() matches the bare key,
+ * cmdline_find_option() matches "bootconfig=<anything>". Without
+ * the second check, "bootconfig=0" would skip the early prepend
+ * but still trigger the late runtime apply -- a split-brain state.
+ * CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_FORCE defaults to y when BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED is
+ * set, so on the default config the embedded keys are applied
+ * unconditionally.
+ */
+ {
+ char buf[8];
+
+ if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_FORCE) ||
+ cmdline_find_option_bool(boot_command_line, "bootconfig") ||
+ cmdline_find_option(boot_command_line, "bootconfig",
+ buf, sizeof(buf)) >= 0)
+ xbc_prepend_embedded_cmdline(boot_command_line,
+ COMMAND_LINE_SIZE);
+ }
+
strscpy(command_line, boot_command_line, COMMAND_LINE_SIZE);
*cmdline_p = command_line;
diff --git a/init/main.c b/init/main.c
index e363232b428b..2ecb6aa536dd 100644
--- a/init/main.c
+++ b/init/main.c
@@ -378,12 +378,15 @@ static void __init setup_boot_config(void)
int pos, ret;
size_t size;
char *err;
+ bool from_embedded = false;
/* Cut out the bootconfig data even if we have no bootconfig option */
data = get_boot_config_from_initrd(&size);
/* If there is no bootconfig in initrd, try embedded one. */
- if (!data)
+ if (!data) {
data = xbc_get_embedded_bootconfig(&size);
+ from_embedded = true;
+ }
strscpy(tmp_cmdline, boot_command_line, COMMAND_LINE_SIZE);
err = parse_args("bootconfig", tmp_cmdline, NULL, 0, 0, 0, NULL,
@@ -421,8 +424,24 @@ static void __init setup_boot_config(void)
} else {
xbc_get_info(&ret, NULL);
pr_info("Load bootconfig: %ld bytes %d nodes\n", (long)size, ret);
- /* keys starting with "kernel." are passed via cmdline */
- extra_command_line = xbc_make_cmdline("kernel");
+ /*
+ * keys starting with "kernel." are passed via cmdline. When
+ * this bootconfig came from the embedded source and
+ * setup_arch() already prepended the rendered "kernel" subtree
+ * to boot_command_line, rendering again here would duplicate
+ * the keys in saved_command_line and make accumulating handlers
+ * (console=, earlycon=, ...) re-register the same value. Skip
+ * only when the prepend really happened.
+ *
+ * On arches that do not select ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG,
+ * CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE is unselectable and
+ * xbc_embedded_cmdline_applied() collapses to a stub returning
+ * false, so this path still runs and the embedded "kernel"
+ * keys reach the cmdline via the runtime parser exactly as
+ * before this series.
+ */
+ if (!from_embedded || !xbc_embedded_cmdline_applied())
+ extra_command_line = xbc_make_cmdline("kernel");
/* Also, "init." keys are init arguments */
extra_init_args = xbc_make_cmdline("init");
}
--
2.53.0-Meta
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread