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13 changes: 13 additions & 0 deletions t/lib-httpd.sh
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -159,6 +159,19 @@ prepare_httpd() {
mkdir -p "$HTTPD_DOCUMENT_ROOT_PATH"
cp "$TEST_PATH"/passwd "$HTTPD_ROOT_PATH"
cp "$TEST_PATH"/proxy-passwd "$HTTPD_ROOT_PATH"
# Apache runs each of these CGI scripts once per request. Apache can run one
# script for several requests at the same time. A helper that keeps state
# between requests must update that state with one atomic operation. A check
# and then a separate action is not safe: two requests can both pass the
# check before either one acts. Test the exit status of one atomic operation
# instead:
# - "mkdir dir" fails if the directory exists, so only one request
# succeeds. http-429.sh selects the first request this way.
# - "rm marker" (without "-f") fails if the marker is gone, so only one
# request consumes it. apply-one-time-script.sh claims its one-shot
# marker this way.
# A scratch file name includes the process ID ($$), so concurrent requests
# do not overwrite each other's files.
install_script incomplete-length-upload-pack-v2-http.sh
install_script incomplete-body-upload-pack-v2-http.sh
install_script error-no-report.sh
Expand Down
50 changes: 36 additions & 14 deletions t/lib-httpd/apply-one-time-script.sh
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -6,21 +6,43 @@
#

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Junio C Hamano wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

"Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> From: Michael Montalbo <mmontalbo@gmail.com>
>
> apply-one-time-script.sh checks for the "one-time-script" marker, runs
> it, captures the git-http-backend response in the fixed-name files "out"
> and "out_modified", and removes the marker only after it has finished
> serving the modified response. Because the client receives the response
> body before that removal, it can start its next request while the marker
> still exists. Apache can then run this CGI for two requests at once: a
> partial fetch that receives a REF_DELTA against a missing promisor
> object lazily fetches that base while the first response is still in
> flight. The second request passes the marker check, the first request
> then removes the marker, and the second fails to exec the now-missing
> marker, emits no output, and the server answers HTTP 500:
>
>   fatal: ... The requested URL returned error: 500
>   fatal: could not fetch <oid> from promisor remote
>
> This has been seen as a flaky failure of t5616.47 on the macOS CI
> runners.

Thanks for this detailed write-up.  The analysis looks good.

> Claim the marker atomically with a rename, and only once the one-time
> script has succeeded and actually changed the response; give the scratch
> files per-request names. A request that loses the rename, or whose
> script fails or leaves the response unchanged, serves the unmodified
> body and keeps the marker for a later request. No path emits an empty
> body, so the HTTP 500 no longer occurs.

Hmph.  

> +#
> +# Apache can run this CGI for concurrent requests (for example a partial fetch
> +# that lazily fetches a missing object while the first response is still in
> +# flight), so the helper claims the marker atomically with a rename, and only
> +# once it has decided to modify the response. A request that loses the race
> +# finds the marker already gone and serves its response unchanged; no request
> +# is left emitting an empty body, which the server would report as HTTP 500.
> +# Scratch files are per-request ($$) so concurrent requests do not clobber each
> +# other.
> +
> +test -f one-time-script || exec "$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend"
>  
> -	"$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend" >out
> -	./one-time-script out >out_modified
> +LC_ALL=C
> +export LC_ALL

The original was somehow inconsistent in that it forced C locale
only when one-time-script munged the output, and otherwise the
backend was run in the original locale.  I am not sure if that
matters very much.

> +out=out.$$
> +modified=out-modified.$$
> +"$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend" >"$out"
> +
> +if ./one-time-script "$out" 2>/dev/null >"$modified" &&
> +   ! cmp -s "$out" "$modified" &&
> +   mv one-time-script one-time-script.$$ 2>/dev/null
> +then
> +	cat "$modified"
>  else
> +	cat "$out"
>  fi

We may run the one-time script, find that it modified the payload,
and then another instance of us may start running before we can move
the one-time script away, so the second request can see "ah,
one-time-script is there, nobody has claimed it by renaming" and run
it again, no?  So this solution may shrink the race window but may
not completely eliminate it, unless we have some coordination among
ourselves, perhaps?

Ah, we assume running one-time-script itself multiple times is safe
and does not cause issues.  Our objective is to avoid returning
modified output twice.  So while the first instance of us
successfully renames one-time-script to one-time-script.$$ and emits
the modified result, even if the second instance raced and managed
to run the script again, it will fail to rename with "mv", and
discard the modified output, and instead show the unmodified output
generated by the backend.

OK.  It is a bit tricky.  It may help future readers if we said
something about this in the proposed log message (i.e., we consider
that it is perfectly fine to run one-time-script more than once; we
only want to avoid letting the second invocation's output used).

Thanks.

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Michael Montalbo wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

On Wed, Jul 8, 2026 at 12:54 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>
> "Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:
> >
> > +#
> > +# Apache can run this CGI for concurrent requests (for example a partial fetch
> > +# that lazily fetches a missing object while the first response is still in
> > +# flight), so the helper claims the marker atomically with a rename, and only
> > +# once it has decided to modify the response. A request that loses the race
> > +# finds the marker already gone and serves its response unchanged; no request
> > +# is left emitting an empty body, which the server would report as HTTP 500.
> > +# Scratch files are per-request ($$) so concurrent requests do not clobber each
> > +# other.
> > +
> > +test -f one-time-script || exec "$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend"
> >
> > -     "$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend" >out
> > -     ./one-time-script out >out_modified
> > +LC_ALL=C
> > +export LC_ALL
>
> The original was somehow inconsistent in that it forced C locale
> only when one-time-script munged the output, and otherwise the
> backend was run in the original locale.  I am not sure if that
> matters very much.
>

I think it's still the same after the rewrite, though I could be
mistaken. If the
first `test -f` fails git-http-backend executes with inherited locale
(analogous to
the else branch execution in the original), and if `test -f` succeeds the locale
is forced to C and the one-time-script / git-http-backend run with the forced
locale. That being said, I think forcing the locale to C consistently would
make more sense. Depending on what you think, I can integrate that into the
series or leave for a future cleanup.

>
> Ah, we assume running one-time-script itself multiple times is safe
> and does not cause issues.  Our objective is to avoid returning
> modified output twice.  So while the first instance of us
> successfully renames one-time-script to one-time-script.$$ and emits
> the modified result, even if the second instance raced and managed
> to run the script again, it will fail to rename with "mv", and
> discard the modified output, and instead show the unmodified output
> generated by the backend.
>
> OK.  It is a bit tricky.  It may help future readers if we said
> something about this in the proposed log message (i.e., we consider
> that it is perfectly fine to run one-time-script more than once; we
> only want to avoid letting the second invocation's output used).
>

Yes that is a good call, I will add some detail about this subtlety in the
log message and helper comment.

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Patrick Steinhardt wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

On Fri, Jul 10, 2026 at 05:30:55PM +0000, Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget wrote:
> diff --git a/t/lib-httpd/apply-one-time-script.sh b/t/lib-httpd/apply-one-time-script.sh
> index b1682944e2..adb9cec528 100644
> --- a/t/lib-httpd/apply-one-time-script.sh
> +++ b/t/lib-httpd/apply-one-time-script.sh
> @@ -6,21 +6,37 @@
>  #
>  # This can be used to simulate the effects of the repository changing in
>  # between HTTP request-response pairs.
> -if test -f one-time-script
> -then
> -	LC_ALL=C
> -	export LC_ALL
> +#
> +# Apache can run this CGI for concurrent requests (for example a partial fetch
> +# that lazily fetches a missing object while the first response is still in
> +# flight), so the helper claims the marker atomically with a rename, and only
> +# once it has decided to modify the response. A request that loses the race
> +# finds the marker already gone and serves its response unchanged; no request
> +# is left emitting an empty body, which the server would report as HTTP 500.
> +# Scratch files are per-request ($$) so concurrent requests do not clobber each
> +# other.
> +#
> +# The script may run more than once: the marker is consumed when the response
> +# actually changes (the rename after "cmp"), not when the script runs, so a
> +# request whose response is not the targeted one runs the script, sees no
> +# change, and leaves the marker for a later request. That is safe because the
> +# scripts are stateless filters over the captured response.
>  
> -	"$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend" >out
> -	./one-time-script out >out_modified
> +test -f one-time-script || exec "$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend"
>  
> -	if cmp -s out out_modified
> -	then
> -		cat out
> -	else
> -		cat out_modified
> -		rm one-time-script
> -	fi
> +LC_ALL=C
> +export LC_ALL
> +
> +out=out.$$
> +modified=out-modified.$$
> +"$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend" >"$out"
> +
> +if ./one-time-script "$out" 2>/dev/null >"$modified" &&

Is it intentional that we swallow stderr of this script now? We didn't
before. I assume that this is to swallow the error in case the script
got removed by the concurrent request?

Patrick

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Michael Montalbo wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

On Tue, Aug 4, 2026 at 1:03 AM Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im> wrote:
>
> > +
> > +out=out.$$
> > +modified=out-modified.$$
> > +"$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend" >"$out"
> > +
> > +if ./one-time-script "$out" 2>/dev/null >"$modified" &&
>
> Is it intentional that we swallow stderr of this script now? We didn't
> before. I assume that this is to swallow the error in case the script
> got removed by the concurrent request?
>

Yes, you are correct on both counts. This is an intentional change
meant to swallow (an expected) stderr in case the script got removed
already by a concurrent request, but that is not clear on its own. I will
add an explanatory comment spelling this out.

# This can be used to simulate the effects of the repository changing in
# between HTTP request-response pairs.
if test -f one-time-script
then
LC_ALL=C
export LC_ALL
#
# Apache can run this CGI for several requests at the same time. For example, a
# partial fetch lazily fetches a missing object while the first response is
# still in flight. To stay correct, the helper removes the marker only after
# the response changes, and only with "rm" (without "-f"). The "rm" fails for
# every request except the one that removes the marker first. That request
# serves the modified body. Every other request serves its response unchanged.
# No request emits an empty body, which Apache would report as HTTP 500.
#
# A scratch file name includes the process ID ($$), so concurrent requests do
# not overwrite each other's files.
#
# The helper can run one-time-script more than once. It consumes the marker
# when the response changes (the "rm" after "cmp"), not when it runs the
# script. A request whose response is not the target runs the script, finds no
# change, and leaves the marker for a later request. This is safe because the
# scripts are stateless filters over the captured response.

"$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend" >out
./one-time-script out >out_modified
test -f one-time-script || exec "$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend"

if cmp -s out out_modified
then
cat out
else
cat out_modified
rm one-time-script
fi
LC_ALL=C
export LC_ALL

out=out.$$
modified=out-modified.$$
"$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend" >"$out"

# one-time-script can be gone here: a concurrent request may have consumed it
# since the "test -f" above. Then "./one-time-script" fails, the exit status
# selects the unmodified body, and "2>/dev/null" discards the expected
# "no such file" message.
if ./one-time-script "$out" 2>/dev/null >"$modified" &&
! cmp -s "$out" "$modified" &&
rm one-time-script 2>/dev/null
then
cat "$modified"
else
"$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend"
cat "$out"
fi
rm -f "$out" "$modified"
30 changes: 18 additions & 12 deletions t/lib-httpd/http-429.sh
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
# Script to return HTTP 429 Too Many Requests responses for testing retry logic.
# Usage: /http_429/<test-context>/<retry-after-value>/<repo-path>
#
# The test-context is a unique identifier for each test to isolate state files.
# The test-context is a unique identifier for each test to isolate state directories.
# The retry-after-value can be:
# - A number (e.g., "1", "2", "100") - sets Retry-After header to that many seconds
# - "none" - no Retry-After header
Expand All @@ -26,14 +26,24 @@ repo_path="${remaining#*/}" # Get rest (repo path)
# The repo name is the first component before any "/"

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Junio C Hamano wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

"Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> From: Michael Montalbo <mmontalbo@gmail.com>
>
> http-429.sh records "already returned 429 once" with a "test -f"
> followed by a "touch" of a shared state file. That check-then-act is not
> atomic: Apache can run this CGI for several requests at once, and two of
> them can both pass the "test -f" before either "touch"es, so both treat
> themselves as the first request. The retry flow that drives this
> endpoint is mostly sequential, so this has not been seen to fail, but
> the race is latent.

OK.  And use of mkdir for atomicity is an obvious solution for such
a situtation.

> -if test -f "$state_file"
> +if test "$retry_after" != permanent && ! mkdir "$state" 2>/dev/null
>  then
>  	# Already returned 429 once, forward to git-http-backend
>  	# Set PATH_INFO to just the repo path (without retry-after value)
> @@ -52,9 +55,6 @@ then
>  	exec "$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend"
>  fi
>  
> -# Mark that we've returned 429
> -touch "$state_file"
> -

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Junio C Hamano wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

"Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> -# Check if this is the first call (no state file exists)
> -if test -f "$state_file"
> +# Apache can run this CGI for concurrent requests, so the script decides
> +# whether this is the first call with a single atomic "mkdir": it succeeds for
> +# exactly one of any racing requests and fails for the rest. "permanent"
> +# always rate-limits and records no state.
> +if test "$retry_after" != permanent && ! mkdir "$state" 2>/dev/null

I think the last sentence in the above comment was meant to explain
why the new code checks the value of "$retry_after", but it is not
clear if it is needed for correctness (in other words, the original
was wrong to do "test -f && touch" but also was wrong to do so even
when "$retry_after" is set to "permanent), or if it is a mere
"optimization opportunity" you are taking advantage of.  In either
case, it would be nice to see it explained in the proposed commit
log message.

Thanks.

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Michael Montalbo wrote on the Git mailing list (how to reply to this email):

On Wed, Jul 8, 2026 at 1:02 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>
> "Michael Montalbo via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:
>
> > -# Check if this is the first call (no state file exists)
> > -if test -f "$state_file"
> > +# Apache can run this CGI for concurrent requests, so the script decides
> > +# whether this is the first call with a single atomic "mkdir": it succeeds for
> > +# exactly one of any racing requests and fails for the rest. "permanent"
> > +# always rate-limits and records no state.
> > +if test "$retry_after" != permanent && ! mkdir "$state" 2>/dev/null
>
> I think the last sentence in the above comment was meant to explain
> why the new code checks the value of "$retry_after", but it is not
> clear if it is needed for correctness (in other words, the original
> was wrong to do "test -f && touch" but also was wrong to do so even
> when "$retry_after" is set to "permanent), or if it is a mere
> "optimization opportunity" you are taking advantage of.  In either
> case, it would be nice to see it explained in the proposed commit
> log message.
>

It is needed for correctness, and I agree it is not very clear from the log
message / comment. I will spell out the reasoning for the change more
clearly in both.

Thanks for taking a look at this!

repo_name="${repo_path%%/*}"

# Use current directory (HTTPD_ROOT_PATH) for state file
# Create a safe filename from test_context, retry_after and repo_name
# This ensures all requests for the same test context share the same state file
# Store state in the current directory (HTTPD_ROOT_PATH). Build a safe name
# from test_context, retry_after, and repo_name, so that all requests for one
# test context share the same state.
safe_name=$(echo "${test_context}-${retry_after}-${repo_name}" | tr '/' '_' | tr -cd 'a-zA-Z0-9_-')
state_file="http-429-state-${safe_name}"
state="http-429-state-${safe_name}"

# Check if this is the first call (no state file exists)
if test -f "$state_file"
# This endpoint returns 429 to the first request. It forwards every later
# request to git-http-backend, so the retry succeeds. Apache can run this CGI
# for several requests at the same time. A single atomic "mkdir" selects the
# first request, because only one "mkdir" succeeds. That request returns 429
# and leaves the directory as the "already rate-limited" marker. Every later
# "mkdir" fails, so the endpoint forwards those requests.
#
# "permanent" is the exception. It must return 429 to every request, so it
# skips the "mkdir" and records no state. A leftover directory would let a
# later "permanent" request find the marker. The endpoint would forward that
# request, which "permanent" must not allow.
if test "$retry_after" != permanent && ! mkdir "$state" 2>/dev/null
then
# Already returned 429 once, forward to git-http-backend
# Set PATH_INFO to just the repo path (without retry-after value)
Expand All @@ -52,9 +62,6 @@ then
exec "$GIT_EXEC_PATH/git-http-backend"
fi

# Mark that we've returned 429
touch "$state_file"

# Output HTTP 429 response
printf "Status: 429 Too Many Requests\r\n"

Expand All @@ -67,8 +74,7 @@ case "$retry_after" in
printf "Retry-After: invalid-format-123abc\r\n"
;;
permanent)
# Always return 429, don't set state file for success
rm -f "$state_file"
# Always return 429
printf "Retry-After: 1\r\n"
printf "Content-Type: text/plain\r\n"
printf "\r\n"
Expand Down
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions t/meson.build
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -707,6 +707,7 @@ integration_tests = [
't5564-http-proxy.sh',
't5565-push-multiple.sh',
't5566-push-group.sh',
't5567-one-time-script.sh',
't5570-git-daemon.sh',
't5571-pre-push-hook.sh',
't5572-pull-submodule.sh',
Expand Down
96 changes: 96 additions & 0 deletions t/t5567-one-time-script.sh
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
#!/bin/sh

test_description='apply-one-time-script CGI helper is safe under concurrent requests'

. ./test-lib.sh

HELPER="$TEST_DIRECTORY/lib-httpd/apply-one-time-script.sh"

test_expect_success PIPE 'concurrent requests: one rewritten, one passed through, neither empty' '
mkdir workdir fakebin &&
ENTERED="$PWD/entered" &&
GATE="$PWD/gate" &&
export ENTERED GATE &&
mkfifo "$ENTERED" "$GATE" &&

# Stand in for git-http-backend. The modify role returns a response
# containing "packfile", which the one-time script rewrites. The
# passthrough role returns a response that is left untouched, but first
# announces that it has entered the helper and then blocks, so that it
# is still in flight when the modify role claims and removes the marker.
write_script fakebin/git-http-backend <<-\EOF &&
printf "Status: 200 OK\r\n"
printf "Content-Type: application/x-git-result\r\n"
printf "\r\n"
if test "$ROLE" = modify
then
printf "packfile\n"
else
echo entered >"$ENTERED"
read -r released <"$GATE"
printf "refs\n"
fi
EOF

# The transform that replace_packfile would install as one-time-script:
# rewrite responses that contain "packfile", leave the rest alone.
write_script workdir/one-time-script <<-\EOF &&
if grep packfile "$1" >/dev/null
then
sed "/packfile/q" "$1" &&
printf "REPLACED\n"
else
cat "$1"
fi
EOF

GIT_EXEC_PATH="$PWD/fakebin" &&
export GIT_EXEC_PATH &&

# Hold GATE open read-write on fd 9 for the duration, so releasing the
# passthrough request below cannot block even if that request has
# already exited (it keeps a reader on the FIFO).
exec 9<>"$GATE" &&

# Launch the passthrough request in the background. It enters the
# helper, signals us through ENTERED, then blocks on GATE inside the
# fake backend. The braces keep the && chain intact while backgrounding
# only the subshell, so "wait" can reap it by pid; kill it on any exit
# so a stray blocked child cannot hold the test output open and stall a
# reader such as prove.
{ (
cd workdir &&
ROLE=passthrough sh "$HELPER" >../passthrough.out 2>../passthrough.err
) & } &&
passthrough_pid=$! &&
test_when_finished "kill $passthrough_pid 2>/dev/null || :" &&

# Wait until the passthrough request is past the marker check.
read -r entered <"$ENTERED" &&

# Run the modifying request to completion while the passthrough request
# is still blocked.
(
cd workdir &&
ROLE=modify sh "$HELPER" >../modify.out 2>../modify.err
) &&

# Release the passthrough request and let it finish. Ignore the helper
# exit status here so a broken helper is diagnosed by the assertions
# below rather than aborting the test.
echo released >&9 &&
{ wait "$passthrough_pid" || :; } &&

# Neither request may error out or produce an empty (HTTP 500) body,
# and each must have played its role: the modify request rewrote its
# response and the passthrough request came through untouched.
test_must_be_empty passthrough.err &&
test_must_be_empty modify.err &&
test_grep "Status: 200 OK" passthrough.out &&
test_grep "Status: 200 OK" modify.out &&
test_grep REPLACED modify.out &&
test_grep ! REPLACED passthrough.out &&
test_grep refs passthrough.out
'

test_done
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