[PATCH v2] exfat: clean up new entry on add entry failure
From: Yichong Chen
Date: Tue Jul 28 2026 - 22:36:04 EST
exfat_add_entry() initializes a new directory entry set before writing it
with exfat_put_dentry_set(). If the write fails, mkdir/create returns an
error but a partially written entry may be left behind.
For non-zero-size directories, the failure also happens after a cluster
has been allocated for the new directory. Clean up the new entry
best-effort, and free the newly allocated directory cluster only when the
cleanup writeback succeeds. This avoids freeing a cluster that may still
be referenced by an on-disk entry if the cleanup fails.
Signed-off-by: Yichong Chen <chenyichong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
v2:
- Free the newly allocated directory cluster only after entry cleanup
succeeds, as suggested by Namjae Jeon.
fs/exfat/namei.c | 17 ++++++++++++++++-
1 file changed, 16 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/fs/exfat/namei.c b/fs/exfat/namei.c
index 038bc6fed681..a4dc83b5949c 100644
--- a/fs/exfat/namei.c
+++ b/fs/exfat/namei.c
@@ -471,6 +471,7 @@ static int exfat_add_entry(struct inode *inode, const char *path,
struct exfat_entry_set_cache es;
int clu_size = 0;
unsigned int start_clu = EXFAT_FREE_CLUSTER;
+ bool dir_allocated = false;
ret = exfat_resolve_path(inode, path, &uniname);
if (ret)
@@ -497,6 +498,7 @@ static int exfat_add_entry(struct inode *inode, const char *path,
}
start_clu = clu.dir;
clu_size = sbi->cluster_size;
+ dir_allocated = true;
}
/* update the directory entry */
@@ -507,8 +509,21 @@ static int exfat_add_entry(struct inode *inode, const char *path,
exfat_init_ext_entry(&es, num_entries, &uniname, NULL, 0);
ret = exfat_put_dentry_set(&es, IS_DIRSYNC(inode));
- if (ret)
+ if (ret) {
+ int cleanup_ret;
+
+ cleanup_ret = exfat_get_dentry_set(&es, sb, &info->dir,
+ dentry, ES_ALL_ENTRIES);
+ if (!cleanup_ret) {
+ exfat_remove_entries(inode, &es, ES_IDX_FILE, false);
+ cleanup_ret = exfat_put_dentry_set(&es,
+ IS_DIRSYNC(inode));
+ }
+
+ if (!cleanup_ret && dir_allocated)
+ exfat_free_cluster(inode, &clu);
goto out;
+ }
info->entry = dentry;
info->flags = ALLOC_NO_FAT_CHAIN;
--
2.51.0