[PATCH v2 22/33] mm/vma: introduce vma_assert_can_modify()

From: Lorenzo Stoakes

Date: Fri Jul 10 2026 - 16:31:37 EST


vma_assert_write_locked() and vma_assert_attached() are useful for their
own purposes, however VMA code absolutely does allow the modification of
non-write locked VMAs if they are at that point detached (i.e. unreachable
from anywhere).

It's therefore useful to be able to assert that a VMA is either
detached (modification doesn't matter) or write locked (you're explicitly
locked for modification).

Therefore introduce vma_assert_can_modify() for this purpose.

While we're here, make vma_is_attached() available generally - if
!CONFIG_PER_VMA_LOCK, then there's no sense in which a VMA is
detached (vma_mark_detached() is a noop), so have this default to true in
this case.

Also update VMA userland tests to reflect this change, correcting the
previously open-coded vma_assert_[attached,detached]() there.

Signed-off-by: Lorenzo Stoakes <ljs@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
include/linux/mmap_lock.h | 8 ++++++++
tools/testing/vma/include/dup.h | 15 +++++++++++++--
2 files changed, 21 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/include/linux/mmap_lock.h b/include/linux/mmap_lock.h
index 04b8f61ece5d..d513286d8160 100644
--- a/include/linux/mmap_lock.h
+++ b/include/linux/mmap_lock.h
@@ -506,6 +506,8 @@ static inline __must_check
int vma_start_write_killable(struct vm_area_struct *vma) { return 0; }
static inline void vma_assert_write_locked(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
{ mmap_assert_write_locked(vma->vm_mm); }
+static inline bool vma_is_attached(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
+ { return true; }
static inline void vma_assert_attached(struct vm_area_struct *vma) {}
static inline void vma_assert_detached(struct vm_area_struct *vma) {}
static inline void vma_mark_attached(struct vm_area_struct *vma) {}
@@ -530,6 +532,12 @@ static inline void vma_assert_stabilised(struct vm_area_struct *vma)

#endif /* CONFIG_PER_VMA_LOCK */

+static inline void vma_assert_can_modify(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
+{
+ if (vma_is_attached(vma))
+ vma_assert_write_locked(vma);
+}
+
static inline void mmap_write_lock(struct mm_struct *mm)
{
__mmap_lock_trace_start_locking(mm, true);
diff --git a/tools/testing/vma/include/dup.h b/tools/testing/vma/include/dup.h
index 7ed165c8d9bc..e9ddc818f2c3 100644
--- a/tools/testing/vma/include/dup.h
+++ b/tools/testing/vma/include/dup.h
@@ -1163,6 +1163,11 @@ static inline struct vm_area_struct *vma_next(struct vma_iterator *vmi)
return mas_find(&vmi->mas, ULONG_MAX);
}

+static inline bool vma_is_attached(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
+{
+ return refcount_read(&vma->vm_refcnt);
+}
+
/*
* WARNING: to avoid racing with vma_mark_attached()/vma_mark_detached(), these
* assertions should be made either under mmap_write_lock or when the object
@@ -1170,12 +1175,12 @@ static inline struct vm_area_struct *vma_next(struct vma_iterator *vmi)
*/
static inline void vma_assert_attached(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
{
- WARN_ON_ONCE(!refcount_read(&vma->vm_refcnt));
+ WARN_ON_ONCE(!vma_is_attached(vma));
}

static inline void vma_assert_detached(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
{
- WARN_ON_ONCE(refcount_read(&vma->vm_refcnt));
+ WARN_ON_ONCE(vma_is_attached(vma));
}

static inline void vma_assert_write_locked(struct vm_area_struct *);
@@ -1564,3 +1569,9 @@ static inline pgoff_t linear_page_index(const struct vm_area_struct *vma,
pgoff += vma_start_pgoff(vma);
return pgoff;
}
+
+static inline void vma_assert_can_modify(struct vm_area_struct *vma)
+{
+ if (vma_is_attached(vma))
+ vma_assert_write_locked(vma);
+}

--
2.55.0