[PATCH 00/46] Allow inlining C helpers into Rust when using LTO

Gary Guo gary at garyguo.net
Wed Dec 3 14:33:05 UTC 2025


On Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:37:24 +0000
Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl at google.com> wrote:

> This patch series adds __rust_helper to every single rust helper. The
> patches do not depend on each other, so maintainers please go ahead and
> pick up any patches relevant to your subsystem! Or provide your Acked-by
> so that Miguel can pick them up.
> 
> These changes were generated by adding __rust_helper and running
> ClangFormat. Unrelated formatting changes were removed manually.
> 
> Why is __rust_helper needed?
> ============================
> 
> Currently, C helpers cannot be inlined into Rust even when using LTO
> because LLVM detects slightly different options on the codegen units.
> 
> * LLVM doesn't want to inline functions compiled with
>   `-fno-delete-null-pointer-checks` with code compiled without. The C
>   CGUs all have this enabled and Rust CGUs don't. Inlining is okay since
>   this is one of the hardening features that does not change the ABI,
>   and we shouldn't have null pointer dereferences in these helpers.
> 
> * LLVM doesn't want to inline functions with different list of builtins. C
>   side has `-fno-builtin-wcslen`; `wcslen` is not a Rust builtin, so
>   they should be compatible, but LLVM does not perform inlining due to
>   attributes mismatch.
> 
> * clang and Rust doesn't have the exact target string. Clang generates
>   `+cmov,+cx8,+fxsr` but Rust doesn't enable them (in fact, Rust will
>   complain if `-Ctarget-feature=+cmov,+cx8,+fxsr` is used). x86-64
>   always enable these features, so they are in fact the same target
>   string, but LLVM doesn't understand this and so inlining is inhibited.
>   This can be bypassed with `--ignore-tti-inline-compatible`, but this
>   is a hidden option.
> 
> (This analysis was written by Gary Guo.)
> 
> How is this fixed?
> ==================
> 
> To fix this we need to add __always_inline to all helpers when compiling
> with LTO. However, it should not be added when running bindgen as
> bindgen will ignore functions marked inline. To achieve this, we are
> using a #define called __rust_helper that is defined differently
> depending on whether bindgen is running or not.
> 
> Note that __rust_helper is currently always #defined to nothing.
> Changing it to __always_inline will happen separately in another patch
> series.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl at google.com>
> ---
> Alice Ryhl (46):
>       rust: auxiliary: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: barrier: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: binder: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: bitmap: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: bitops: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: blk: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: bug: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: clk: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: completion: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: cpu: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: cpufreq: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: cpumask: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: cred: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: device: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: dma: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: drm: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: err: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: fs: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: io: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: irq: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: jump_label: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: kunit: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: maple_tree: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: mm: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: of: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: pci: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: pid_namespace: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: platform: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: poll: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: processor: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: property: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: rbtree: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: rcu: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: refcount: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: regulator: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: scatterlist: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: security: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: slab: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: sync: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: task: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: time: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: uaccess: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: usb: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: wait: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: workqueue: add __rust_helper to helpers
>       rust: xarray: add __rust_helper to helpers

Thansk for sending this Alice! With this series in first, my series for
inlining helpers should be much easier to apply.

For the whole series:

Reviewed-by: Gary Guo <gary at garyguo.net>

Best,
Gary


> 
>  rust/helpers/auxiliary.c     |  6 +++--
>  rust/helpers/barrier.c       |  6 ++---
>  rust/helpers/binder.c        | 13 ++++-----
>  rust/helpers/bitmap.c        |  6 +++--
>  rust/helpers/bitops.c        | 11 +++++---
>  rust/helpers/blk.c           |  4 +--
>  rust/helpers/bug.c           |  4 +--
>  rust/helpers/build_bug.c     |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/clk.c           | 24 +++++++++--------
>  rust/helpers/completion.c    |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/cpu.c           |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/cpufreq.c       |  3 ++-
>  rust/helpers/cpumask.c       | 32 +++++++++++++---------
>  rust/helpers/cred.c          |  4 +--
>  rust/helpers/device.c        | 16 +++++------
>  rust/helpers/dma.c           | 15 ++++++-----
>  rust/helpers/drm.c           |  7 ++---
>  rust/helpers/err.c           |  6 ++---
>  rust/helpers/fs.c            |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/io.c            | 64 +++++++++++++++++++++++---------------------
>  rust/helpers/irq.c           |  6 +++--
>  rust/helpers/jump_label.c    |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/kunit.c         |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/maple_tree.c    |  3 ++-
>  rust/helpers/mm.c            | 20 +++++++-------
>  rust/helpers/mutex.c         | 13 ++++-----
>  rust/helpers/of.c            |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/page.c          |  9 ++++---
>  rust/helpers/pci.c           | 13 +++++----
>  rust/helpers/pid_namespace.c |  8 +++---
>  rust/helpers/platform.c      |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/poll.c          |  5 ++--
>  rust/helpers/processor.c     |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/property.c      |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/rbtree.c        |  5 ++--
>  rust/helpers/rcu.c           |  4 +--
>  rust/helpers/refcount.c      | 10 +++----
>  rust/helpers/regulator.c     | 24 ++++++++++-------
>  rust/helpers/scatterlist.c   | 12 +++++----
>  rust/helpers/security.c      | 26 ++++++++++--------
>  rust/helpers/signal.c        |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/slab.c          | 14 +++++-----
>  rust/helpers/spinlock.c      | 13 ++++-----
>  rust/helpers/sync.c          |  4 +--
>  rust/helpers/task.c          | 24 ++++++++---------
>  rust/helpers/time.c          | 12 ++++-----
>  rust/helpers/uaccess.c       |  8 +++---
>  rust/helpers/usb.c           |  3 ++-
>  rust/helpers/vmalloc.c       |  7 ++---
>  rust/helpers/wait.c          |  2 +-
>  rust/helpers/workqueue.c     |  8 +++---
>  rust/helpers/xarray.c        | 10 +++----
>  52 files changed, 280 insertions(+), 226 deletions(-)
> ---
> base-commit: 54e3eae855629702c566bd2e130d9f40e7f35bde
> change-id: 20251202-define-rust-helper-f7b531813007
> 
> Best regards,




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