Re: [PATCH 2/3] sched_ext: Call ops.dequeue() when a task arrives on a remote local DSQ

[Andrea Righi]

Hi Kuba,

On Tue, Sep 29, 2026 at 04:17:25PM +0000, Kuba Piecuch wrote:
> When the BPF scheduler moves a task to the local DSQ of a CPU other than
> the one whose rq the task is on, e.g. with SCX_DSQ_LOCAL_ON dispatch,
> scx_bpf_dsq_move_to_local() or scx_bpf_dsq_move*(), the task is migrated
> by move_remote_task_to_local_dsq(). p->scx.sticky_cpu is set across the
> migration so that dequeueing the task from the source rq isn't treated as
> the task leaving the BPF scheduler's custody.
> 
> However, enqueue_task_scx() only clears p->scx.sticky_cpu after
> scx_do_enqueue_task() has inserted the task into the destination local
> DSQ. task_leave_custody(), called from rq_owned_post_enq() on insertion,
> still sees the migration in progress and skips the custody exit. The task
> ends up on a terminal DSQ with SCX_TASK_IN_CUSTODY set and without
> ops.dequeue() having been called.
> 
> The custody exit then happens only when the task is picked for execution,
> in set_next_task_scx(), which reports it to the BPF scheduler as
> ops.dequeue(SCX_DEQ_CORE_SCHED_EXEC) even though no core-sched pick took
> place. If a scheduling property change hits the task while it's waiting
> on the local DSQ, the BPF scheduler instead gets
> ops.dequeue(SCX_DEQ_SCHED_CHANGE) for a task that has already left its
> custody. Both break the ops.dequeue() semantics, under which a dispatch to
> a terminal DSQ ends custody with an ops.dequeue() call without special
> flags.
> 
> Clear p->scx.sticky_cpu before calling scx_do_enqueue_task(). The routing
> decision in scx_do_enqueue_task() uses the local copy, and the departure
> side is unaffected as p->scx.sticky_cpu is still set across
> deactivate_task(). ops.dequeue() is now invoked on the destination rq when
> the task is inserted into the local DSQ, as it already is for same-rq
> dispatches.
> 
> Fixes: ebf1ccff79c4 ("sched_ext: Fix ops.dequeue() semantics")
> Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx # v7.1+
> Assisted-by: Claude:claude-opus-5.5
> Signed-off-by: Kuba Piecuch <jpiecuch@xxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
>  kernel/sched/ext/ext.c | 16 +++++++++++-----
>  1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/kernel/sched/ext/ext.c b/kernel/sched/ext/ext.c
> index ad391a8cbd05..763de7797056 100644
> --- a/kernel/sched/ext/ext.c
> +++ b/kernel/sched/ext/ext.c
> @@ -1501,8 +1501,9 @@ static inline bool task_scx_migrating(struct task_struct *p)
>  	/*
>  	 * We only need to check sticky_cpu: it is set to the destination
>  	 * CPU in move_remote_task_to_local_dsq() before deactivate_task()
> -	 * and cleared when the task is enqueued on the destination, so it
> -	 * is only non-negative during an internal SCX migration.
> +	 * and cleared in enqueue_task_scx() on the destination before @p is
> +	 * inserted into the local DSQ, so it is only non-negative while @p
> +	 * is in transit between the two rqs.
>  	 */
>  	return p->scx.sticky_cpu >= 0;
>  }
> @@ -2189,10 +2190,15 @@ static void enqueue_task_scx(struct rq *rq, struct task_struct *p, int core_enq_
>  	if (rq->scx.nr_running == 1)
>  		dl_server_start(&rq->ext_server);
>  
> -	scx_do_enqueue_task(rq, p, enq_flags, sticky_cpu);
> +	/*
> +	 * An SCX-internal migration ends once @p arrives on the destination
> +	 * rq. Clear sticky_cpu before enqueueing so that @p leaves the BPF
> +	 * scheduler's custody when inserted into the destination local DSQ.
> +	 * The local copy in @sticky_cpu is used for routing.
> +	 */
> +	p->scx.sticky_cpu = -1;
>  
> -	if (sticky_cpu >= 0)
> -		p->scx.sticky_cpu = -1;
> +	scx_do_enqueue_task(rq, p, enq_flags, sticky_cpu);

Nit: nothing between the top of enqueue_task_scx() and scx_do_enqueue_task()
looks at p->scx.sticky_cpu, so p->scx.sticky_cpu = -1 could go right after
reading it into the local variable, as it was before b75aaea24c9f. Same
behavior, but it also covers the SCX_TASK_QUEUED early exit, which currently
leaves p->scx.sticky_cpu set and essentially makes the fix a revert of the
enqueue side of b75aaea24c9f.

Either way:

Reviewed-by: Andrea Righi <arighi@xxxxxxxxxx>

Thanks,
-Andrea