rust-lang / rust-lang/rust-clippy

[lint request] lifetime_extending_transmute

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A-lint
Dominant language
Rust
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Description

Some people use "identity" transmutes to arbitrarily extend lifetimes, e.g.,

fn foo<'a>(x: &'a i32) -> &'static i32 {
    unsafe { std::mem::transmute(x) }
}

We should warn on these. Sure, they aren't necessarily incorrect, but they are definitely suspicious.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating Clippy's existing transmute-related lint entry points and tests, then inspect how the shown Rust example is represented by the type system. Done means the lifetime-extending identity transmute produces a warning as requested.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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