[PATCH] pidfs: preserve thread pidfds reopened by file handle
From: Li Chen
Date: Thu Jul 16 2026 - 01:29:06 EST
PIDFD_THREAD shares O_EXCL. do_dentry_open() clears O_EXCL after
pidfs_export_open() validates the flags, so open_by_handle_at()
silently turns a thread pidfd into a process pidfd.
Restore PIDFD_THREAD on the opened file, matching pidfs_alloc_file(),
and cover the restored flag with F_GETFL.
Signed-off-by: Li Chen <me@linux.beauty>
---
fs/pidfs.c | 8 +++++++-
tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_file_handle_test.c | 1 +
2 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/fs/pidfs.c b/fs/pidfs.c
index aaa609ddab044..c20ffd747ff51 100644
--- a/fs/pidfs.c
+++ b/fs/pidfs.c
@@ -939,12 +939,18 @@ static int pidfs_export_permission(struct handle_to_path_ctx *ctx,
static struct file *pidfs_export_open(const struct path *path, unsigned int oflags)
{
+ struct file *file;
+
/*
* Clear O_LARGEFILE as open_by_handle_at() forces it and raise
* O_RDWR as pidfds always are.
*/
oflags &= ~O_LARGEFILE;
- return dentry_open(path, oflags | O_RDWR, current_cred());
+ file = dentry_open(path, oflags | O_RDWR, current_cred());
+ /* do_dentry_open() strips O_EXCL, which encodes PIDFD_THREAD. */
+ if (!IS_ERR(file))
+ file->f_flags |= oflags & PIDFD_THREAD;
+ return file;
}
static const struct export_operations pidfs_export_operations = {
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_file_handle_test.c b/tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_file_handle_test.c
index 68918734dcf32..1e03ae9575fe6 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_file_handle_test.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/pidfd/pidfd_file_handle_test.c
@@ -373,6 +373,7 @@ TEST_F(file_handle, open_by_handle_at_valid_flags)
O_CLOEXEC |
O_EXCL);
ASSERT_GE(pidfd, 0);
+ ASSERT_NE(fcntl(pidfd, F_GETFL) & PIDFD_THREAD, 0);
ASSERT_EQ(fstat(pidfd, &st2), 0);
ASSERT_TRUE(st1.st_dev == st2.st_dev && st1.st_ino == st2.st_ino);
--
2.52.0