[PATCH] x86/smpboot: Mark native_play_dead() as __noreturn

From: Thorsten Blum

Date: Mon Oct 27 2025 - 12:18:22 EST


native_play_dead() ends by calling the non-returning function
hlt_play_dead() and therefore also never returns.

The !CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU stub version of native_play_dead()
unconditionally calls BUG() and does not return either.

Add the __noreturn attribute to both function definitions and their
declaration to document this behavior and to potentially improve
compiler optimizations.

Remove the obsolete comment, and add native_play_dead() to the objtool's
list of __noreturn functions.

Signed-off-by: Thorsten Blum <thorsten.blum@xxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/x86/include/asm/smp.h | 2 +-
arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c | 8 ++------
tools/objtool/noreturns.h | 1 +
3 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/smp.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/smp.h
index 22bfebe6776d..84951572ab81 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/smp.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/smp.h
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ int common_cpu_up(unsigned int cpunum, struct task_struct *tidle);
int native_kick_ap(unsigned int cpu, struct task_struct *tidle);
int native_cpu_disable(void);
void __noreturn hlt_play_dead(void);
-void native_play_dead(void);
+void __noreturn native_play_dead(void);
void play_dead_common(void);
void wbinvd_on_cpu(int cpu);
void wbinvd_on_all_cpus(void);
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c b/arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c
index eb289abece23..a4ba735842a8 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c
@@ -1328,11 +1328,7 @@ void __noreturn hlt_play_dead(void)
native_halt();
}

-/*
- * native_play_dead() is essentially a __noreturn function, but it can't
- * be marked as such as the compiler may complain about it.
- */
-void native_play_dead(void)
+void __noreturn native_play_dead(void)
{
if (cpu_feature_enabled(X86_FEATURE_KERNEL_IBRS))
__update_spec_ctrl(0);
@@ -1351,7 +1347,7 @@ int native_cpu_disable(void)
return -ENOSYS;
}

-void native_play_dead(void)
+void __noreturn native_play_dead(void)
{
BUG();
}
diff --git a/tools/objtool/noreturns.h b/tools/objtool/noreturns.h
index 802895fae3ca..14f8ab653449 100644
--- a/tools/objtool/noreturns.h
+++ b/tools/objtool/noreturns.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ NORETURN(machine_real_restart)
NORETURN(make_task_dead)
NORETURN(mpt_halt_firmware)
NORETURN(mwait_play_dead)
+NORETURN(native_play_dead)
NORETURN(nmi_panic_self_stop)
NORETURN(panic)
NORETURN(vpanic)
--
2.51.0