[bpf-next 1/4] selftests/bpf: map_kptr: force BPF_STX for the scalar store to kptr

Vineet Gupta <[email protected]> Mon, 3 Aug 2026 10:02:48 -0700
Newsgroups org.kernel.vger.bpf,org.kernel.vger.linux-kernel
Message-ID <[email protected]>
reject_scalar_store_to_kptr stores a scalar constant to a kptr field:

        *(volatile u64 *)&v->unref_ptr = 0xBADC0DE;

Compilers generate one of two encodings for that:

 1. Materialize the constant into a register and emit BPF_STX:

        r1 = 0xbadc0de
        *(u64 *)(r0 + 0x8) = r1

 2. Or fold it into a single BPF_ST (store immediate):

        *(u64 *)(r0 + 0x8) = 0xbadc0de

check_map_kptr_access() rejects both, but through very different checks.
BPF_STX goes through map_kptr_match_type(), whose first test is
base_type(reg->type) != PTR_TO_BTF_ID - the scalar rejection this test is
named for - and which prints "invalid kptr access, R...". BPF_ST only gets
the trivial "BPF_ST imm must be 0 when storing to kptr" immediate check and
never reaches map_kptr_match_type() at all.

So on a compiler that folds the constant - bpf-gcc, and clang from
-mcpu=v4, which enabled BPF_ST around v4 support due to historical
verifier limitations - the test fails against its expected message.

Widening the __msg to accept either message would make it pass again, but
on those toolchains it would then only re-test the imm != 0 path, which
verifier/map_kptr.c ("map_kptr: BPF_ST imm != 0") already covers, and the
scalar-vs-PTR_TO_BTF_ID check would lose its only test in the tree.

Route the value through barrier_var() instead, so the store stays a
BPF_STX everywhere and the test keeps asserting what it was written to
assert. clang -mcpu=v1..v4 and bpf-gcc 16.1 all emit the register form
afterwards.

  bpf-gcc, before: #229/20 map_kptr/reject_scalar_store_to_kptr:FAIL
  bpf-gcc, after : #229/20 map_kptr/reject_scalar_store_to_kptr:OK

Signed-off-by: Vineet Gupta <[email protected]>
---
 tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/map_kptr_fail.c | 11 ++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/map_kptr_fail.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/map_kptr_fail.c
index f11848dfa78f..cb84e23b83c0 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/map_kptr_fail.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/map_kptr_fail.c
@@ -390,13 +390,22 @@ __failure __msg("invalid kptr access, R")
 int reject_scalar_store_to_kptr(struct __sk_buff *ctx)
 {
 	struct map_value *v;
+	u64 val = 0xBADC0DE;
 	int key = 0;
 
 	v = bpf_map_lookup_elem(&array_map, &key);
 	if (!v)
 		return 0;
 
-	*(volatile u64 *)&v->unref_ptr = 0xBADC0DE;
+	/*
+	 * Keep the value in a register so this stays a BPF_STX and keeps
+	 * exercising map_kptr_match_type(). Compilers that fold the constant
+	 * into a BPF_ST (store immediate) instead - bpf-gcc, and clang from
+	 * -mcpu=v4 - would be rejected by the far weaker "BPF_ST imm must be
+	 * 0" check, which verifier/map_kptr.c already covers.
+	 */
+	barrier_var(val);
+	*(volatile u64 *)&v->unref_ptr = val;
 	return 0;
 }
 
-- 
2.55.0