[PATCH 2/2] sched/psi: Shut down rtpoll_timer in psi_cgroup_free()

From: Tejun Heo

Date: Sun Jul 12 2026 - 13:47:22 EST


psi_schedule_rtpoll_work() is called locklessly from the scheduler hotpath
and can race psi_trigger_destroy() taking down the last rtpoll trigger under
rtpoll_trigger_lock:

psi_schedule_rtpoll_work() psi_trigger_destroy()

rcu_read_lock();
task = rcu_dereference(rtpoll_task);
rcu_assign_pointer(rtpoll_task, NULL);
timer_delete(&rtpoll_timer);
mod_timer(&rtpoll_timer, ...);
rcu_read_unlock();
synchronize_rcu();
kthread_stop(task_to_destroy);

The group can then be freed with the re-armed timer still pending, and
poll_timer_fn() runs on freed memory.

461daba06bdc ("psi: eliminate kthread_worker from psi trigger scheduling
mechanism") deleted the timer synchronously after the synchronize_rcu(),
which prevented this but raced trigger creation instead: the deletion could
cancel the timer that a new trigger set armed during the grace period and,
as creation also reinitialized the timer at the time, corrupt it.
8f91efd870ea ("psi: Fix race between psi_trigger_create/destroy") moved the
initialization into group_init() and the deletion into the locked section,
trading the creation races for the window above.

Neither placement in the destruction path works. A pending timer firing
while the group is alive is harmless though. poll_timer_fn() just wakes the
rtpoll waitqueue and doesn't re-arm itself. Bind the timer to the group's
lifetime instead and shut it down in psi_cgroup_free(). Nothing can arm it
by then. timer_shutdown_sync() because the timer is never armed again.

Fixes: 8f91efd870ea ("psi: Fix race between psi_trigger_create/destroy")
Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx # v5.10+
Reported-by: Sashiko AI <sashiko-bot@xxxxxxxxxx>
Closes: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20260711000434.36C4A1F000E9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/
Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo <tj@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
kernel/sched/psi.c | 6 ++++++
1 file changed, 6 insertions(+)

diff --git a/kernel/sched/psi.c b/kernel/sched/psi.c
index 565ec7b80743..e2e825dcd088 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/psi.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/psi.c
@@ -1134,6 +1134,12 @@ void psi_cgroup_free(struct cgroup *cgroup)
return;

cancel_delayed_work_sync(&cgroup->psi->avgs_work);
+ /*
+ * A psi_schedule_rtpoll_work() call racing the last trigger's
+ * destruction may have re-armed the timer after psi_trigger_destroy()
+ * deleted it. Spurious firing while the group is alive is harmless.
+ */
+ timer_shutdown_sync(&cgroup->psi->rtpoll_timer);
free_percpu(cgroup->psi->pcpu);
/* All triggers must be removed by now */
WARN_ONCE(cgroup->psi->rtpoll_states, "psi: trigger leak\n");
--
2.55.0