Re: [BUG] ext4: possible circular locking dependency between xattr_sem and s_writepages_rwsem

On Tue, Aug 11, 2026 at 11:55:35AM +0800, ZW Tang wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am reporting a possible circular locking dependency triggered by a
> syzkaller reproducer on Linux 7.2-rc3.
> 
> The warning is reported by lockdep in the ext4 writeback / xattr path.
> The task is mounting a crafted ext4 image and enters orphan cleanup
> during ext4_fill_super(). During inode eviction, ext4_evict_inode()
> calls __ext4_mark_inode_dirty(), which holds &ei->xattr_sem. The same
> path then reaches ext4_xattr_block_set(), iput(), write_inode_now(),
> writeback_single_inode(), do_writepages(), and finally
> ext4_writepages(), where it tries to acquire &sbi->s_writepages_rwsem.
> 
> Lockdep reports that this creates a circular dependency, because
> another dependency chain already exists in the reverse order:
> ext4_writepages() / ext4_do_writepages() can acquire
> &sbi->s_writepages_rwsem first and later acquire &ei->xattr_sem
> through ext4_destroy_inline_data().
> 
> This looks like a potential ext4 lock-ordering issue between inode
> xattr expansion / inline-data handling and writeback during mount-time
> orphan cleanup, rather than a generic VFS or lockdep issue.
> 
> Reproducer:
> syz reproducer: https://pastebin.com/raw/FspxvagG
I can't open the reproducer URL. It returns a 404 error.
> console output: https://pastebin.com/raw/kQeWyFgs
> kernel config: https://pastebin.com/raw/XUJkfYA0
> 
> Kernel:
> kernel version: 7.2.0-rc3 #1 PREEMPT(full)
> HEAD commit: 1137d8b5df06137fb49513cc923b3b24d94cb809
> environment: QEMU Ubuntu 24.10
> taint: Not tainted
> 
> Relevant warning:
> 
> WARNING: possible circular locking dependency detected
> 7.2.0-rc3 #1 Not tainted
> 
> syz.4.27/12346 is trying to acquire lock:
> &sbi->s_writepages_rwsem, at: do_writepages+0x241/0x5b0
> 
> but task is already holding lock:
> &ei->xattr_sem, at: __ext4_mark_inode_dirty+0x5c6/0x860
> 
> Existing dependency chain:
> 
> -> #1 (&ei->xattr_sem):
> down_write
> ext4_destroy_inline_data
> ext4_do_writepages
> ext4_writepages
> do_writepages
> filemap_writeback
> file_write_and_wait_range
> mmb_fsync_noflush
> ext4_fsync_nojournal
> ext4_sync_file
> vfs_fsync_range
> ext4_buffered_write_iter
> ext4_file_write_iter
> vfs_write
> ksys_pwrite64
Why is there a task writing to a file before the mount is complete?
> 
> -> #0 (&sbi->s_writepages_rwsem):
> ext4_writepages
> do_writepages
> __writeback_single_inode
> writeback_single_inode
> write_inode_now
> iput
> ext4_xattr_block_set
> ext4_expand_extra_isize_ea
> __ext4_expand_extra_isize
> __ext4_mark_inode_dirty
> ext4_evict_inode
> evict
> iput
> ext4_orphan_cleanup
> ext4_fill_super
> get_tree_bdev_flags
> vfs_get_tree
> fc_mount
> path_mount
> do_mount
> __x64_sys_mount
> 
> Lockdep also reports the following possible unsafe locking scenario:
> 
> CPU0 CPU1
> 
> lock(&ei->xattr_sem);
> lock(&sbi->s_writepages_rwsem);
> lock(&ei->xattr_sem);
> rlock(&sbi->s_writepages_rwsem);
> 
> *** DEADLOCK ***
> 
> The reproducer mounts crafted ext4 images with options including
> grpid, auto_da_alloc, lazytime, dioread_nolock, init_itable,
> debug_want_extra_isize, bsdgroups, and min_batch_time, and then
> performs a pwrite64() before mounting another crafted ext4 image. The
> log also shows ext4 metadata errors before the warning, including
> invalid indirect mapped block, invalid block bitmap, delayed block
> allocation failures, and bad extra_isize, which appear to drive the
> mount/orphan-cleanup and xattr expansion paths.
> 
> Thanks