Re: [PATCH 2/2] scripts: checkpatch.pl: add warning for strlcat()

[David Laight <david.laight.linux@gmail.com>]

On Mon, 11 May 2026 06:12:36 -0600
Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net> wrote:

> Manuel Ebner <manuelebner@mailbox.org> writes:
> 
> > add a warning for strlcat()
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Manuel Ebner <manuelebner@mailbox.org>
> > ---
> >  scripts/checkpatch.pl | 6 ++++++
> >  1 file changed, 6 insertions(+)
> >
> > diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
> > index 0492d6afc9a1..ca1a8e67d529 100755
> > --- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
> > +++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
> > @@ -7085,6 +7085,12 @@ sub process {
> >  			     "Prefer strscpy over strlcpy - see: https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/89\n" . $herecurr);
> >  		}
> >  
> > +# strlcat uses that should likely be
> > +		if ($line =~ /\bstrlcat\s*\(/ && !is_userspace($realfile)) {
> > +			WARN("STRLCAT",
> > +			     "Prefer seq_buf_printf() over strlcat - see: https://github.com/KSPP/linux/issues/370\n" . $herecurr);
> > +		}  
> 
> Using seq_buf_printf() requires switching over to the seq_buf API in
> general, it is not just a simple substitution, so this advice may prove
> unhelpful to many.

And I'm not sure the external url is a good idea.

> 
> jon
>