[PATCH 2/2] sched_ext: Use kobject_put() for kobject_init_and_add() failure in scx_alloc_and_add_sched()

From: Tejun Heo

Date: Mon Mar 16 2026 - 01:44:17 EST


kobject_init_and_add() failure requires kobject_put() for proper cleanup, but
the error paths were using kfree(sch) possibly leaking the kobject name. The
kset_create_and_add() failure was already using kobject_put() correctly.

Switch the kobject_init_and_add() error paths to use kobject_put(). As the
release path puts the cgroup ref, make scx_alloc_and_add_sched() always
consume @cgrp via a new err_put_cgrp label at the bottom of the error chain
and update scx_sub_enable_workfn() accordingly.

Fixes: 17108735b47d ("sched_ext: Use dynamic allocation for scx_sched")
Reported-by: David Carlier <devnexen@xxxxxxxxx>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/20260314134457.46216-1-devnexen@xxxxxxxxx
Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo <tj@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
kernel/sched/ext.c | 30 +++++++++++++++++++++---------
1 file changed, 21 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/kernel/sched/ext.c b/kernel/sched/ext.c
index 2f70effcc4a6..b942918fa364 100644
--- a/kernel/sched/ext.c
+++ b/kernel/sched/ext.c
@@ -6353,6 +6353,10 @@ static struct scx_sched_pnode *alloc_pnode(struct scx_sched *sch, int node)
return pnode;
}

+/*
+ * Allocate and initialize a new scx_sched. @cgrp's reference is always
+ * consumed whether the function succeeds or fails.
+ */
static struct scx_sched *scx_alloc_and_add_sched(struct sched_ext_ops *ops,
struct cgroup *cgrp,
struct scx_sched *parent)
@@ -6362,8 +6366,10 @@ static struct scx_sched *scx_alloc_and_add_sched(struct sched_ext_ops *ops,
s32 node, cpu, ret, bypass_fail_cpu = nr_cpu_ids;

sch = kzalloc_flex(*sch, ancestors, level);
- if (!sch)
- return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+ if (!sch) {
+ ret = -ENOMEM;
+ goto err_put_cgrp;
+ }

sch->exit_info = alloc_exit_info(ops->exit_dump_len);
if (!sch->exit_info) {
@@ -6468,8 +6474,8 @@ static struct scx_sched *scx_alloc_and_add_sched(struct sched_ext_ops *ops,
ret = kobject_init_and_add(&sch->kobj, &scx_ktype, NULL, "root");

if (ret < 0) {
- kfree(sch->cgrp_path);
- goto err_stop_helper;
+ kobject_put(&sch->kobj);
+ return ERR_PTR(ret);
}

if (ops->sub_attach) {
@@ -6479,11 +6485,12 @@ static struct scx_sched *scx_alloc_and_add_sched(struct sched_ext_ops *ops,
return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
}
}
-
#else /* CONFIG_EXT_SUB_SCHED */
ret = kobject_init_and_add(&sch->kobj, &scx_ktype, NULL, "root");
- if (ret < 0)
- goto err_stop_helper;
+ if (ret < 0) {
+ kobject_put(&sch->kobj);
+ return ERR_PTR(ret);
+ }
#endif /* CONFIG_EXT_SUB_SCHED */
return sch;

@@ -6506,6 +6513,8 @@ static struct scx_sched *scx_alloc_and_add_sched(struct sched_ext_ops *ops,
free_exit_info(sch->exit_info);
err_free_sch:
kfree(sch);
+err_put_cgrp:
+ cgroup_put(cgrp);
return ERR_PTR(ret);
}

@@ -6577,6 +6586,7 @@ static void scx_root_enable_workfn(struct kthread_work *work)
{
struct scx_enable_cmd *cmd = container_of(work, struct scx_enable_cmd, work);
struct sched_ext_ops *ops = cmd->ops;
+ struct cgroup *cgrp = root_cgroup();
struct scx_sched *sch;
struct scx_task_iter sti;
struct task_struct *p;
@@ -6593,7 +6603,8 @@ static void scx_root_enable_workfn(struct kthread_work *work)
if (ret)
goto err_unlock;

- sch = scx_alloc_and_add_sched(ops, root_cgroup(), NULL);
+ cgroup_get(cgrp);
+ sch = scx_alloc_and_add_sched(ops, cgrp, NULL);
if (IS_ERR(sch)) {
ret = PTR_ERR(sch);
goto err_free_ksyncs;
@@ -6887,11 +6898,12 @@ static void scx_sub_enable_workfn(struct kthread_work *work)
kobject_get(&parent->kobj);
raw_spin_unlock_irq(&scx_sched_lock);

+ /* scx_alloc_and_add_sched() consumes @cgrp whether it succeeds or not */
sch = scx_alloc_and_add_sched(ops, cgrp, parent);
kobject_put(&parent->kobj);
if (IS_ERR(sch)) {
ret = PTR_ERR(sch);
- goto out_put_cgrp;
+ goto out_unlock;
}

ret = scx_link_sched(sch);
--
2.53.0