[PATCH v2] perf: avoid lockdep warning in self-monitoring perf_event_open

From: l1za0 . sec

Date: Tue Jun 09 2026 - 11:48:12 EST


From: Haocheng Yu <3230100410@xxxxxxxxxx>

A lockdep warning: possible deadlock in __perf_event_task_sched_out is
reported by a modified Syzkaller-based kernel fuzzing tool we use.

The warning is triggered on the self-monitoring perf_event_open() path.
When perf_install_in_context() targets the current task, it goes through
task_function_call() and the synchronous smp_call_function_single()
self-call path. The reported lockdep chain contains:

rq->__lock -> ctx->lock

and an existing reverse dependency from:

ctx->lock -> ... -> p->pi_lock -> rq->__lock

The current fix adds a fast path for task == current in
perf_install_in_context() and calls __perf_install_in_context()
directly.

This fix removes the self-call path for the reported self-monitoring
case. It does not change the scheduler-side locking order in
__perf_event_task_sched_out(), so it should be treated as a targeted
mitigation for this trigger path.

Signed-off-by: Haocheng Yu <3230100410@xxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Haocheng Yu <l1za0.sec@xxxxxxxxx>
---
kernel/events/core.c | 9 +++++++++
1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/events/core.c b/kernel/events/core.c
index 7935d5663944..97837242db32 100644
--- a/kernel/events/core.c
+++ b/kernel/events/core.c
@@ -3199,6 +3199,15 @@ perf_install_in_context(struct perf_event_context *ctx,
*/
smp_mb();
again:
+ if (task == current) {
+ unsigned long flags;
+ preempt_disable();
+ local_irq_save(flags);
+ __perf_install_in_context(event);
+ local_irq_restore(flags);
+ preempt_enable();
+ return;
+ }
if (!task_function_call(task, __perf_install_in_context, event))
return;


base-commit: 33d8d8ec31b591952ded59d596c2f3db45004937
--
2.51.0