[PATCH v3 2/2] gpio: swnode: defer probe on references to unregistered software nodes

From: Bartosz Golaszewski

Date: Fri Apr 03 2026 - 09:53:07 EST


fwnode_property_get_reference_args() now returns -ENOTCONN when called
on a software node referencing another software node which has not yet
been registered as a firmware node. It makes sense to defer probe in this
situation as the node will most likely be registered later on and we'll
be able to resolve the reference eventually. Change the behavior of
swnode_find_gpio() to return -EPROBE_DEFER if the software node reference
resolution returns -ENOTCONN.

Signed-off-by: Bartosz Golaszewski <bartosz.golaszewski@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/gpio/gpiolib-swnode.c | 11 ++++++++++-
1 file changed, 10 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-swnode.c b/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-swnode.c
index 0d7f3f09a0b4bee0cf1bbdaa8b7b8ae4cd5de581..77f4a3b00641bc9535ec32f8654ea7f547c34153 100644
--- a/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-swnode.c
+++ b/drivers/gpio/gpiolib-swnode.c
@@ -91,10 +91,19 @@ struct gpio_desc *swnode_find_gpio(struct fwnode_handle *fwnode,

for_each_gpio_property_name(propname, con_id) {
ret = swnode_gpio_get_reference(fwnode, propname, idx, &args);
- if (ret == 0)
+ if (ret == 0 || ret == -ENOTCONN)
break;
}
if (ret) {
+ if (ret == -ENOTCONN)
+ /*
+ * -ENOTCONN for a software node reference lookup means
+ * that a remote struct software_node exists but has
+ * not yet been registered as a firmware node. Defer
+ * until this happens.
+ */
+ return ERR_PTR(-EPROBE_DEFER);
+
pr_debug("%s: can't parse '%s' property of node '%pfwP[%d]'\n",
__func__, propname, fwnode, idx);
return ERR_PTR(ret);

--
2.47.3