From: Breno Leitao Date: Thu, 7 May 2026 11:04:46 +0000 (-0700) Subject: workqueue: Release PENDING in __queue_work() drain/destroy reject path X-Git-Url: http://git.ipfire.org/gitweb.cgi?a=commitdiff_plain;h=a7488f089bdfa87c4fef1744d4dca9f4f8b46f8b;p=thirdparty%2Fkernel%2Flinux.git workqueue: Release PENDING in __queue_work() drain/destroy reject path The caller of __queue_work() owns WORK_STRUCT_PENDING, won via test_and_set_bit() in queue_work_on()/__queue_delayed_work(). The state machine documented above __queue_work() requires that owner to either hand the token to a pwq (insert_work() -> set_work_pwq()), hand it to a timer, or release it via set_work_pool_and_clear_pending(). try_to_grab_pending() relies on this: when it observes "PENDING && off-queue" it busy-loops, trusting the current owner to make progress. The (__WQ_DESTROYING | __WQ_DRAINING) early-return path violates that contract. It WARN_ONCE()s and bare-returns, leaving work->data with PENDING set, WORK_STRUCT_PWQ clear, and work->entry empty. The path is reachable without explicit API abuse: queue_delayed_work() arms a timer with PENDING set; if drain_workqueue() runs while the timer is still pending, delayed_work_timer_fn() -> __queue_work() in softirq context hits the WARN, current is not a wq worker so is_chained_work() is false, and the work is silently dropped with PENDING leaked. Mirror what clear_pending_if_disabled() already does on its analogous reject path: unpack the off-queue data and call set_work_pool_and_clear_pending() to release the token before returning. I was able to reproduce this by queueing several slow works on a max_active=1 wq, arm a delayed_work whose timer fires while drain_workqueue() is blocked, then call cancel_delayed_work_sync(). Without this patch the cancel livelocks at 100% CPU; with it the cancel returns immediately. Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo --- diff --git a/kernel/workqueue.c b/kernel/workqueue.c index 3d2e3b2ec528..c0e58f877e08 100644 --- a/kernel/workqueue.c +++ b/kernel/workqueue.c @@ -2296,6 +2296,18 @@ static void __queue_work(int cpu, struct workqueue_struct *wq, if (unlikely(wq->flags & (__WQ_DESTROYING | __WQ_DRAINING) && WARN_ONCE(!is_chained_work(wq), "workqueue: cannot queue %ps on wq %s\n", work->func, wq->name))) { + struct work_offq_data offqd; + + /* + * State on entry: PENDING is set, work is off-queue (no + * insert_work() has run). + * + * Returning without clearing PENDING would leave the work + * in a weird state (PENDING=1, PWQ=0, entry empty) + */ + work_offqd_unpack(&offqd, *work_data_bits(work)); + set_work_pool_and_clear_pending(work, offqd.pool_id, + work_offqd_pack_flags(&offqd)); return; } rcu_read_lock();