rust-lang / rust-lang/rust-clippy
Lint `ref_option` ignores methods on public structs
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C-bug
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- Rust
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Description
Summary
The ref_option lint ignores methods on public structs.
Reproducer
Reproduction:
struct Foo { }
impl Foo {
pub fn bar(&self) -> &Option<u32> {
todo!()
}
}
if you run cargo clippy -- -W clippy::ref_option you get
⋮
warning: it is more idiomatic to use `Option<&T>` instead of `&Option<T>`
⋮
however, if you make Foo public clippy stops emitting this warning.
Version
clippy 0.1.90 (1159e78c47 2025-09-14)
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with the ref_option lint and reproduce the report using the supplied Rust example and cargo clippy command. Investigate why making Foo public suppresses the warning, then verify that the lint reports the public-struct case without regressing the existing behavior.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- rust
- Domain
- tooling
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Clearly specified
- Newbie friendliness
- 50/100