Building the Linux kernel with Clang and LLVM
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Cc: Bill Wendling <morbo@google.com>, Chuck Wolber <chuck@wolber.net>,
	Josh Poimboeuf <jpoimboe@kernel.org>,
	Justin Stitt <justinstitt@google.com>,
	llvm@lists.linux.dev, Marco Elver <elver@google.com>,
	Masami Hiramatsu <mhiramat@kernel.org>,
	Nathan Chancellor <nathan@kernel.org>,
	Nick Desaulniers <ndesaulniers@google.com>,
	Peter Zijlstra <peterz@infradead.org>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@kernel.org>
Subject: [RFC PATCH 11/20] objtool: Detect code coverage instrumentation in noinstr code
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:59:35 -0400	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20261028120034.871983-12-sashal@kernel.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20261028120034.871983-1-sashal@kernel.org>

gcov and Clang's source-based code coverage update their counters
inline, rather than by calling into a runtime like KCOV does, so
coverage instrumentation in noinstr code goes unnoticed by the noinstr
validation of call destinations.

Flag instructions in noinstr code, outside of instrumentation_begin()
and instrumentation_end() sections, that reference coverage counters:
GCC's __gcov<N>.* counters (including the MC/DC counters), Clang's gcov
__llvm_gcov_ctr* counters, and the __llvm_prf_cnts and __llvm_prf_bits
sections of Clang's source-based code coverage.

Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
---
 tools/objtool/check.c | 53 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 53 insertions(+)

diff --git a/tools/objtool/check.c b/tools/objtool/check.c
index 464f6c9d9ff0b..6382d2a44ef2b 100644
--- a/tools/objtool/check.c
+++ b/tools/objtool/check.c
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  */
 
 #define _GNU_SOURCE /* memmem() */
+#include <ctype.h>
 #include <fnmatch.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -3507,6 +3508,52 @@ static inline bool noinstr_call_dest(struct objtool_file *file,
 	return false;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Code coverage instrumentation (gcov, Clang's source-based coverage) updates
+ * its counters inline rather than through calls, so it can't be caught by
+ * checking the call destinations of noinstr code.
+ */
+static bool is_coverage_counter(struct symbol *sym)
+{
+	if (!strcmp(sym->sec->name, "__llvm_prf_cnts") ||
+	    !strcmp(sym->sec->name, "__llvm_prf_bits"))
+		return true;
+
+	return (strstarts(sym->name, "__gcov") && isdigit((unsigned char)sym->name[6])) ||
+	       strstarts(sym->name, "__llvm_gcov_ctr");
+}
+
+static bool insn_updates_coverage(struct objtool_file *file,
+				  struct instruction *insn)
+{
+	struct symbol *sym;
+	struct reloc *reloc;
+
+	for (reloc = insn_reloc(file, insn);
+	     reloc;
+	     reloc = find_reloc_by_dest_range(file->elf, insn->sec,
+					      reloc_offset(reloc) + 1,
+					      insn->offset + insn->len -
+					      (reloc_offset(reloc) + 1))) {
+
+		sym = reloc->sym;
+		if (!sym->sec)
+			continue;
+
+		if (is_sec_sym(sym)) {
+			sym = find_symbol_containing(sym->sec,
+						     arch_insn_adjusted_addend(insn, reloc));
+			if (!sym)
+				sym = reloc->sym;
+		}
+
+		if (is_coverage_counter(sym))
+			return true;
+	}
+
+	return false;
+}
+
 static int validate_call(struct objtool_file *file,
 			 struct instruction *insn,
 			 struct insn_state *state)
@@ -3680,6 +3727,12 @@ static int validate_insn(struct objtool_file *file, struct symbol *func,
 	if (statep->noinstr)
 		statep->instr += insn->instr;
 
+	if (statep->noinstr && statep->instr <= 0 &&
+	    insn_updates_coverage(file, insn)) {
+		WARN_INSN(insn, "coverage counter update in .noinstr.text section");
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	if (insn->hint) {
 		if (insn->restore) {
 			struct instruction *save_insn, *i;
-- 
2.53.0


  parent reply	other threads:[~2026-10-28 12:01 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 18+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2026-10-28 11:59 [RFC PATCH 00/20] Unify code coverage and add Clang source-based coverage with MC/DC Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 11:59 ` [RFC PATCH 01/20] coverage: move gcov and kcov under kernel/coverage/ Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 11:59 ` [RFC PATCH 04/20] compiler_types.h: Don't instrument __always_inline functions for coverage Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 13:51   ` Peter Zijlstra
2026-10-28 14:01     ` Peter Zijlstra
2026-10-28 16:45       ` Sasha Levin
2026-10-29  5:49         ` Chuck Wolber
2026-10-28 11:59 ` Sasha Levin [this message]
2026-10-28 14:11   ` [RFC PATCH 11/20] objtool: Detect code coverage instrumentation in noinstr code Peter Zijlstra
2026-10-28 16:45     ` Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 11:59 ` [RFC PATCH 12/20] x86/sev: Stop excluding noinstr.o from code coverage Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 11:59 ` [RFC PATCH 14/20] coverage: add Clang's source-based " Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 11:59 ` [RFC PATCH 15/20] x86: Enable " Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 11:59 ` [RFC PATCH 16/20] coverage: add MC/DC measurement Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 19:14   ` Nathan Chancellor
2026-10-28 20:39     ` Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 11:59 ` [RFC PATCH 19/20] gcov: add MC/DC condition coverage support Sasha Levin
2026-10-28 11:59 ` [RFC PATCH 20/20] Documentation: dev-tools: document the common code coverage interface Sasha Levin

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=20261028120034.871983-12-sashal@kernel.org \
    --to=sashal@kernel.org \
    --cc=chuck@wolber.net \
    --cc=elver@google.com \
    --cc=jpoimboe@kernel.org \
    --cc=justinstitt@google.com \
    --cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=llvm@lists.linux.dev \
    --cc=mhiramat@kernel.org \
    --cc=morbo@google.com \
    --cc=nathan@kernel.org \
    --cc=ndesaulniers@google.com \
    --cc=peterz@infradead.org \
    --cc=tglx@kernel.org \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html

* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
  via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox