[PATCH v5 6/6] selftests/pidfd: add CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL tests
From: Christian Brauner
Date: Thu Feb 26 2026 - 09:00:37 EST
Add tests for CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL:
- autokill_basic: Verify closing the clone3 pidfd kills the child.
- autokill_requires_pidfd: Verify AUTOKILL without CLONE_PIDFD fails.
- autokill_requires_autoreap: Verify AUTOKILL without CLONE_AUTOREAP
fails.
- autokill_rejects_thread: Verify AUTOKILL with CLONE_THREAD fails.
- autokill_pidfd_open_no_effect: Verify only the clone3 pidfd triggers
autokill, not pidfd_open().
- autokill_requires_cap_sys_admin: Verify AUTOKILL without CLONE_NNP
fails with -EPERM for an unprivileged caller.
- autokill_without_nnp_with_cap: Verify AUTOKILL without CLONE_NNP
succeeds with CAP_SYS_ADMIN.
Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner <brauner@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
.../testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_autoreap_test.c | 278 +++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 278 insertions(+)
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_autoreap_test.c b/tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_autoreap_test.c
index 5fb11230fb07..36adee6c424e 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_autoreap_test.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_autoreap_test.c
@@ -26,10 +26,37 @@
#define CLONE_AUTOREAP 0x400000000ULL
#endif
+#ifndef CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL
+#define CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL 0x800000000ULL
+#endif
+
#ifndef CLONE_NNP
#define CLONE_NNP 0x1000000000ULL
#endif
+#ifndef _LINUX_CAPABILITY_VERSION_3
+#define _LINUX_CAPABILITY_VERSION_3 0x20080522
+#endif
+
+struct cap_header {
+ __u32 version;
+ int pid;
+};
+
+struct cap_data {
+ __u32 effective;
+ __u32 permitted;
+ __u32 inheritable;
+};
+
+static int drop_all_caps(void)
+{
+ struct cap_header hdr = { .version = _LINUX_CAPABILITY_VERSION_3 };
+ struct cap_data data[2] = {};
+
+ return syscall(__NR_capset, &hdr, data);
+}
+
static pid_t create_autoreap_child(int *pidfd)
{
struct __clone_args args = {
@@ -619,4 +646,255 @@ TEST(autoreap_no_new_privs_unset)
close(pidfd);
}
+/*
+ * Helper: create a child with CLONE_PIDFD | CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL | CLONE_AUTOREAP | CLONE_NNP.
+ */
+static pid_t create_autokill_child(int *pidfd)
+{
+ struct __clone_args args = {
+ .flags = CLONE_PIDFD | CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL |
+ CLONE_AUTOREAP | CLONE_NNP,
+ .exit_signal = 0,
+ .pidfd = ptr_to_u64(pidfd),
+ };
+
+ return sys_clone3(&args, sizeof(args));
+}
+
+/*
+ * Basic autokill test: child blocks in pause(), parent closes the
+ * clone3 pidfd, child should be killed and autoreaped.
+ */
+TEST(autokill_basic)
+{
+ int pidfd = -1, pollfd_fd = -1, ret;
+ struct pollfd pfd;
+ pid_t pid;
+
+ pid = create_autokill_child(&pidfd);
+ if (pid < 0 && errno == EINVAL)
+ SKIP(return, "CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL not supported");
+ ASSERT_GE(pid, 0);
+
+ if (pid == 0) {
+ pause();
+ _exit(1);
+ }
+
+ ASSERT_GE(pidfd, 0);
+
+ /*
+ * Open a second pidfd via pidfd_open() so we can observe the
+ * child's death after closing the clone3 pidfd.
+ */
+ pollfd_fd = sys_pidfd_open(pid, 0);
+ ASSERT_GE(pollfd_fd, 0);
+
+ /* Close the clone3 pidfd — this should trigger autokill. */
+ close(pidfd);
+
+ /* Wait for the child to die via the pidfd_open'd fd. */
+ pfd.fd = pollfd_fd;
+ pfd.events = POLLIN;
+ ret = poll(&pfd, 1, 5000);
+ ASSERT_EQ(ret, 1);
+ ASSERT_TRUE(pfd.revents & POLLIN);
+
+ /* Child should be autoreaped — no zombie. */
+ usleep(100000);
+ ret = waitpid(pid, NULL, WNOHANG);
+ ASSERT_EQ(ret, -1);
+ ASSERT_EQ(errno, ECHILD);
+
+ close(pollfd_fd);
+}
+
+/*
+ * CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL without CLONE_PIDFD must fail with EINVAL.
+ */
+TEST(autokill_requires_pidfd)
+{
+ struct __clone_args args = {
+ .flags = CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL | CLONE_AUTOREAP,
+ .exit_signal = 0,
+ };
+ pid_t pid;
+
+ pid = sys_clone3(&args, sizeof(args));
+ ASSERT_EQ(pid, -1);
+ ASSERT_EQ(errno, EINVAL);
+}
+
+/*
+ * CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL without CLONE_AUTOREAP must fail with EINVAL.
+ */
+TEST(autokill_requires_autoreap)
+{
+ int pidfd = -1;
+ struct __clone_args args = {
+ .flags = CLONE_PIDFD | CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL,
+ .exit_signal = 0,
+ .pidfd = ptr_to_u64(&pidfd),
+ };
+ pid_t pid;
+
+ pid = sys_clone3(&args, sizeof(args));
+ ASSERT_EQ(pid, -1);
+ ASSERT_EQ(errno, EINVAL);
+}
+
+/*
+ * CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL with CLONE_THREAD must fail with EINVAL.
+ */
+TEST(autokill_rejects_thread)
+{
+ int pidfd = -1;
+ struct __clone_args args = {
+ .flags = CLONE_PIDFD | CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL |
+ CLONE_AUTOREAP | CLONE_THREAD |
+ CLONE_SIGHAND | CLONE_VM,
+ .exit_signal = 0,
+ .pidfd = ptr_to_u64(&pidfd),
+ };
+ pid_t pid;
+
+ pid = sys_clone3(&args, sizeof(args));
+ ASSERT_EQ(pid, -1);
+ ASSERT_EQ(errno, EINVAL);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Test that only the clone3 pidfd triggers autokill, not pidfd_open().
+ * Close the pidfd_open'd fd first — child should survive.
+ * Then close the clone3 pidfd — child should be killed and autoreaped.
+ */
+TEST(autokill_pidfd_open_no_effect)
+{
+ int pidfd = -1, open_fd = -1, ret;
+ struct pollfd pfd;
+ pid_t pid;
+
+ pid = create_autokill_child(&pidfd);
+ if (pid < 0 && errno == EINVAL)
+ SKIP(return, "CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL not supported");
+ ASSERT_GE(pid, 0);
+
+ if (pid == 0) {
+ pause();
+ _exit(1);
+ }
+
+ ASSERT_GE(pidfd, 0);
+
+ /* Open a second pidfd via pidfd_open(). */
+ open_fd = sys_pidfd_open(pid, 0);
+ ASSERT_GE(open_fd, 0);
+
+ /*
+ * Close the pidfd_open'd fd — child should survive because
+ * only the clone3 pidfd has autokill.
+ */
+ close(open_fd);
+ usleep(200000);
+
+ /* Verify child is still alive by polling the clone3 pidfd. */
+ pfd.fd = pidfd;
+ pfd.events = POLLIN;
+ ret = poll(&pfd, 1, 0);
+ ASSERT_EQ(ret, 0) {
+ TH_LOG("Child died after closing pidfd_open fd — should still be alive");
+ }
+
+ /* Open another observation fd before triggering autokill. */
+ open_fd = sys_pidfd_open(pid, 0);
+ ASSERT_GE(open_fd, 0);
+
+ /* Now close the clone3 pidfd — this triggers autokill. */
+ close(pidfd);
+
+ pfd.fd = open_fd;
+ pfd.events = POLLIN;
+ ret = poll(&pfd, 1, 5000);
+ ASSERT_EQ(ret, 1);
+ ASSERT_TRUE(pfd.revents & POLLIN);
+
+ /* Child should be autoreaped — no zombie. */
+ usleep(100000);
+ ret = waitpid(pid, NULL, WNOHANG);
+ ASSERT_EQ(ret, -1);
+ ASSERT_EQ(errno, ECHILD);
+
+ close(open_fd);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Test that CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL without CLONE_NNP fails with EPERM
+ * for an unprivileged caller.
+ */
+TEST(autokill_requires_cap_sys_admin)
+{
+ int pidfd = -1, ret;
+ struct __clone_args args = {
+ .flags = CLONE_PIDFD | CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL |
+ CLONE_AUTOREAP,
+ .exit_signal = 0,
+ .pidfd = ptr_to_u64(&pidfd),
+ };
+ pid_t pid;
+
+ /* Drop all capabilities so we lack CAP_SYS_ADMIN. */
+ ret = drop_all_caps();
+ ASSERT_EQ(ret, 0);
+
+ pid = sys_clone3(&args, sizeof(args));
+ ASSERT_EQ(pid, -1);
+ ASSERT_EQ(errno, EPERM);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Test that CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL without CLONE_NNP succeeds with
+ * CAP_SYS_ADMIN.
+ */
+TEST(autokill_without_nnp_with_cap)
+{
+ struct __clone_args args = {
+ .flags = CLONE_PIDFD | CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL |
+ CLONE_AUTOREAP,
+ .exit_signal = 0,
+ };
+ struct pidfd_info info = { .mask = PIDFD_INFO_EXIT };
+ int pidfd = -1, ret;
+ struct pollfd pfd;
+ pid_t pid;
+
+ if (geteuid() != 0)
+ SKIP(return, "Need root/CAP_SYS_ADMIN");
+
+ args.pidfd = ptr_to_u64(&pidfd);
+
+ pid = sys_clone3(&args, sizeof(args));
+ if (pid < 0 && errno == EINVAL)
+ SKIP(return, "CLONE_PIDFD_AUTOKILL not supported");
+ ASSERT_GE(pid, 0);
+
+ if (pid == 0)
+ _exit(0);
+
+ ASSERT_GE(pidfd, 0);
+
+ /* Wait for child to exit. */
+ pfd.fd = pidfd;
+ pfd.events = POLLIN;
+ ret = poll(&pfd, 1, 5000);
+ ASSERT_EQ(ret, 1);
+
+ ret = ioctl(pidfd, PIDFD_GET_INFO, &info);
+ ASSERT_EQ(ret, 0);
+ ASSERT_TRUE(info.mask & PIDFD_INFO_EXIT);
+ ASSERT_TRUE(WIFEXITED(info.exit_code));
+ ASSERT_EQ(WEXITSTATUS(info.exit_code), 0);
+
+ close(pidfd);
+}
+
TEST_HARNESS_MAIN
--
2.47.3