[PATCH 2/4] bootconfig: render embedded bootconfig as a kernel cmdline at build time

From
Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
Date
2026-05-27 16:42:22
Also in
bpf, linux-kbuild, lkml
Reply to
Breno Leitao, 2026-05-27
Add the build-time pipeline that renders the "kernel" subtree of
CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE into a flat cmdline string and stashes
it in .init.rodata as embedded_kernel_cmdline[]. A follow-up patch
adds the runtime helper that prepends this string to boot_command_line
during early architecture setup so parse_early_param() sees the values.

The build wires up:
  tools/bootconfig -C kernel - userspace tool already shared with
                               lib/bootconfig.c, used here in -C mode
                               to render a bootconfig file to a cmdline
  lib/embedded-cmdline.S     - .incbin's the rendered text plus a NUL
  lib/Makefile rule          - runs tools/bootconfig at build time
  Makefile prepare dep       - ensures tools/bootconfig is built first,
                               same pattern as tools/objtool and
                               tools/bpf/resolve_btfids

Drop the test target from tools/bootconfig/Makefile's default 'all'
recipe so that hooking the binary into the kernel build does not run
test-bootconfig.sh on every prepare. The tests stay available as
'make -C tools/bootconfig test', matching the convention of
tools/objtool and tools/bpf/resolve_btfids whose 'all' targets only
build the binary.

Require BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE to be non-empty before the new option
can be enabled, otherwise tools/bootconfig -C runs against an empty
file and prints a parse error on every kernel build.

The feature gates on CONFIG_ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG, a
silent symbol arches select once they've wired the prepend call into
setup_arch(). No arch selects it in this patch, so the user-visible
CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE is not yet enableable; when an arch
later opts in, the runtime behavior is added by the follow-up patches.

Signed-off-by: Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
---
 Makefile                  |  5 +++++
 init/Kconfig              | 33 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 lib/Makefile              | 16 ++++++++++++++++
 lib/embedded-cmdline.S    | 16 ++++++++++++++++
 tools/bootconfig/Makefile |  2 +-
 5 files changed, 71 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d59f703f9797..3ee259d00a9a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1543,6 +1543,11 @@ prepare: tools/bpf/resolve_btfids
 endif
 endif
 
+# lib/Makefile invokes tools/bootconfig to render the embedded bconf to cmdline.
+ifdef CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE
+prepare: tools/bootconfig
+endif
+
 # The tools build system is not a part of Kbuild and tends to introduce
 # its own unique issues. If you need to integrate a new tool into Kbuild,
 # please consider locating that tool outside the tools/ tree and using the
diff --git a/init/Kconfig b/init/Kconfig
index ca35184532dc..5f491a5ac4b8 100644
--- a/init/Kconfig
+++ b/init/Kconfig
@@ -1569,6 +1569,39 @@ config BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE
 	  This bootconfig will be used if there is no initrd or no other
 	  bootconfig in the initrd.
 
+config ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG
+	bool
+	help
+	  Selected by architectures whose setup_arch() prepends the
+	  build-time-rendered embedded bootconfig cmdline to
+	  boot_command_line before parse_early_param() runs.
+
+config BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE
+	bool "Render embedded bootconfig as kernel cmdline at build time"
+	depends on BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED
+	depends on BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE != ""
+	depends on ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG
+	default n
+	help
+	  Render the "kernel" subtree of the embedded bootconfig file into a
+	  flat cmdline string at kernel build time and prepend it to
+	  boot_command_line during early architecture setup. This makes
+	  early_param() handlers (e.g. mem=, earlycon=, loglevel=) see the
+	  values supplied via the embedded bootconfig.
+
+	  The runtime bootconfig parser is unaffected, so tree-structured
+	  consumers such as ftrace boot-time tracing keep working.
+
+	  Note: when an initrd also carries a bootconfig, its "kernel"
+	  subtree is still parsed at runtime, but the embedded "kernel"
+	  keys remain in boot_command_line for parse_early_param() and
+	  end up later than the initrd keys in saved_command_line, so
+	  parse_args() last-wins favors the embedded values. If you need
+	  initrd to override embedded kernel.* keys, leave this option
+	  off.
+
+	  If unsure, say N.
+
 config CMDLINE_LOG_WRAP_IDEAL_LEN
 	int "Length to try to wrap the cmdline when logged at boot"
 	default 1021
diff --git a/lib/Makefile b/lib/Makefile
index 6e72d2c1cce7..9de0ac7732a2 100644
--- a/lib/Makefile
+++ b/lib/Makefile
@@ -273,6 +273,22 @@ filechk_defbconf = cat $(or $(real-prereqs), /dev/null)
 $(obj)/default.bconf: $(CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_FILE) FORCE
 	$(call filechk,defbconf)
 
+obj-$(CONFIG_BOOT_CONFIG_EMBED_CMDLINE) += embedded-cmdline.o
+$(obj)/embedded-cmdline.o: $(obj)/embedded_cmdline.bin
+
+# Render the bootconfig "kernel" subtree to a flat cmdline string using
+# the userspace tools/bootconfig parser (-C mode). The runtime prepend
+# helper enforces COMMAND_LINE_SIZE at boot, so no build-time size
+# check is performed here (COMMAND_LINE_SIZE is an arch header
+# constant, not a Kconfig value).
+quiet_cmd_render_cmdline = BCONF2C $@
+      cmd_render_cmdline = \
+	$(objtree)/tools/bootconfig/bootconfig -C $< > $@
+
+targets += embedded_cmdline.bin
+$(obj)/embedded_cmdline.bin: $(obj)/default.bconf $(objtree)/tools/bootconfig/bootconfig FORCE
+	$(call if_changed,render_cmdline)
+
 obj-$(CONFIG_RBTREE_TEST) += rbtree_test.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_INTERVAL_TREE_TEST) += interval_tree_test.o
 
diff --git a/lib/embedded-cmdline.S b/lib/embedded-cmdline.S
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7e2e1d81af96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/embedded-cmdline.S
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 */
+/*
+ * Embed the build-time-rendered bootconfig "kernel" subtree as a flat
+ * cmdline string. setup_arch() prepends this to boot_command_line on
+ * architectures that select ARCH_SUPPORTS_CMDLINE_FROM_BOOTCONFIG.
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 Breno Leitao <leitao@debian.org>
+ */
+	.section .init.rodata, "aw"
+	.global embedded_kernel_cmdline
+embedded_kernel_cmdline:
+	.incbin "lib/embedded_cmdline.bin"
+	.byte 0
+	.global embedded_kernel_cmdline_end
+embedded_kernel_cmdline_end:
diff --git a/tools/bootconfig/Makefile b/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
index 90eb47c9d8de..4e82fd9553cd 100644
--- a/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
+++ b/tools/bootconfig/Makefile
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ override CFLAGS += -Wall -g -I$(CURDIR)/include
 ALL_TARGETS := bootconfig
 ALL_PROGRAMS := $(patsubst %,$(OUTPUT)%,$(ALL_TARGETS))
 
-all: $(ALL_PROGRAMS) test
+all: $(ALL_PROGRAMS)
 
 $(OUTPUT)bootconfig: main.c include/linux/bootconfig.h $(LIBSRC)
 	$(CC) $(filter %.c,$^) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@
-- 
2.54.0
Thread (8 messages) 8 messages, 2 authors, last reply 2026-06-01
Keyboard shortcuts
hback out one level
jnext message in thread / next series-diff position
kprevious message in thread / previous series-diff position
ldrill in
Escclose help / fold thread tree
?toggle this help