[PATCH v5 2/3] workqueue: defer the worker wakeup outside pool->lock in __queue_work()

From: Breno Leitao

Date: Fri Jun 26 2026 - 06:00:26 EST


__queue_work() is the enqueue hot path: it inserts the work item and
calls kick_pool() while holding pool->lock. kick_pool() ends in a
wakeup, which takes the target task's rq->lock, so rq->lock nests under
pool->lock on every enqueue that wakes a worker on a contended unbound
pool.

Use kick_pool_pick() to select and claim the worker under pool->lock and
issue the wakeup with wake_up_process() right after dropping the lock.

Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
kernel/workqueue.c | 5 ++++-
1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/kernel/workqueue.c b/kernel/workqueue.c
index e855d15c1fb7b..594592768ef10 100644
--- a/kernel/workqueue.c
+++ b/kernel/workqueue.c
@@ -2302,6 +2302,7 @@ static void __queue_work(int cpu, struct workqueue_struct *wq,
{
struct pool_workqueue *pwq;
struct worker_pool *last_pool, *pool;
+ struct task_struct *wake_task = NULL;
unsigned int work_flags;
unsigned int req_cpu = cpu;

@@ -2424,7 +2425,7 @@ static void __queue_work(int cpu, struct workqueue_struct *wq,

trace_workqueue_activate_work(work);
insert_work(pwq, work, &pool->worklist, work_flags);
- kick_pool(pool);
+ kick_pool_pick(pool, &wake_task);
} else {
work_flags |= WORK_STRUCT_INACTIVE;
insert_work(pwq, work, &pwq->inactive_works, work_flags);
@@ -2432,6 +2433,8 @@ static void __queue_work(int cpu, struct workqueue_struct *wq,

out:
raw_spin_unlock(&pool->lock);
+ if (wake_task)
+ wake_up_process(wake_task);
rcu_read_unlock();
}


--
2.53.0-Meta