[PATCH RFC bpf-next 6/7] bpftool: Generate attach and detach for struct_ops in light skeletons

From: Siddharth Nayyar

Date: Fri Nov 06 2026 - 15:24:15 EST


Update codegen_attach_detach() to iterate over BPF_MAP_TYPE_STRUCT_OPS
maps with BPF_F_LINK set. Generate dedicated per-map attach functions
calling skel_link_create(), chain them in skel__attach(), and close the
corresponding link FDs with skel_closenz() in skel__detach().

Also skip gen_st_ops_shadow() when generating light skeletons so
skel->struct_ops is not emitted between skel->maps and skel->progs,
preserving the ctx layout expected by bpf_gen__finish().

Finally, reject struct_ops maps without BPF_F_LINK in light skeletons.
Because the loader program runs BPF_MAP_UPDATE_ELEM during skel__load(),
non-link struct_ops maps would register prematurely before
skel__attach() and leak in the kernel if a later load step fails.

Signed-off-by: Siddharth Nayyar <sidnayyar@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c | 71 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
1 file changed, 67 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c
index ee680f7c2116..98e92a34326b 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/gen.c
@@ -569,6 +569,8 @@ static void codegen_asserts(struct bpf_object *obj, const char *obj_name)
static void codegen_attach_detach(struct bpf_object *obj, const char *obj_name)
{
struct bpf_program *prog;
+ struct bpf_map *map;
+ char ident[256];

bpf_object__for_each_program(prog, obj) {
const char *tp_name;
@@ -608,6 +610,30 @@ static void codegen_attach_detach(struct bpf_object *obj, const char *obj_name)
", bpf_program__name(prog));
}

+ bpf_object__for_each_map(map, obj) {
+ if (!get_map_ident(map, ident, sizeof(ident)))
+ continue;
+ if (bpf_map__type(map) != BPF_MAP_TYPE_STRUCT_OPS)
+ continue;
+ if (!(bpf_map__map_flags(map) & BPF_F_LINK))
+ continue;
+
+ codegen("\
+ \n\
+ \n\
+ static inline int \n\
+ %1$s__%2$s__attach(struct %1$s *skel) \n\
+ { \n\
+ int map_fd = skel->maps.%2$s.map_fd; \n\
+ int fd = skel_link_create(map_fd, 0, BPF_STRUCT_OPS);\n\
+ \n\
+ if (fd > 0) \n\
+ skel->links.%2$s_fd = fd; \n\
+ return fd; \n\
+ } \n\
+ ", obj_name, ident);
+ }
+
codegen("\
\n\
\n\
@@ -625,6 +651,20 @@ static void codegen_attach_detach(struct bpf_object *obj, const char *obj_name)
", obj_name, bpf_program__name(prog));
}

+ bpf_object__for_each_map(map, obj) {
+ if (!get_map_ident(map, ident, sizeof(ident)))
+ continue;
+ if (bpf_map__type(map) != BPF_MAP_TYPE_STRUCT_OPS)
+ continue;
+ if (!(bpf_map__map_flags(map) & BPF_F_LINK))
+ continue;
+
+ codegen("\
+ \n\
+ ret = ret < 0 ? ret : %1$s__%2$s__attach(skel); \n\
+ ", obj_name, ident);
+ }
+
codegen("\
\n\
return ret < 0 ? ret : 0; \n\
@@ -642,6 +682,20 @@ static void codegen_attach_detach(struct bpf_object *obj, const char *obj_name)
", bpf_program__name(prog));
}

+ bpf_object__for_each_map(map, obj) {
+ if (!get_map_ident(map, ident, sizeof(ident)))
+ continue;
+ if (bpf_map__type(map) != BPF_MAP_TYPE_STRUCT_OPS)
+ continue;
+ if (!(bpf_map__map_flags(map) & BPF_F_LINK))
+ continue;
+
+ codegen("\
+ \n\
+ skel_closenz(skel->links.%1$s_fd); \n\
+ ", ident);
+ }
+
codegen("\
\n\
} \n\
@@ -1323,8 +1377,15 @@ static int do_skeleton(int argc, char **argv)
continue;
}

- if (bpf_map__type(map) == BPF_MAP_TYPE_STRUCT_OPS)
+ if (bpf_map__type(map) == BPF_MAP_TYPE_STRUCT_OPS) {
+ if (use_loader && !(bpf_map__map_flags(map) & BPF_F_LINK)) {
+ p_err("struct_ops map '%s' requires BPF_F_LINK for light skeleton",
+ bpf_map__name(map));
+ err = -ENOTSUP;
+ goto out;
+ }
attach_map_cnt++;
+ }

map_cnt++;
}
@@ -1385,9 +1446,11 @@ static int do_skeleton(int argc, char **argv)
}

btf = bpf_object__btf(obj);
- err = gen_st_ops_shadow(obj_name, btf, obj);
- if (err)
- goto out;
+ if (!use_loader) {
+ err = gen_st_ops_shadow(obj_name, btf, obj);
+ if (err)
+ goto out;
+ }

if (prog_cnt) {
printf("\tstruct {\n");

--
2.56.0.455.g6c5a503b38-goog