rust-lang / rust-lang/rust

`&raw const` can sometimes do temporary lifetime extension

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#145,813 6 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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A-raw-pointers A-temporary-lifetime-extension C-bug T-compiler T-lang
Dominant language
Rust
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Description

I'm not sure if this is a bug or not.

struct LoudDrop;

impl Drop for LoudDrop {
    fn drop(&mut self) {
        println!("drop");
    }
}

fn main() {
    let _ptr = &raw const Box::new((LoudDrop,)).0;
    println!("after let");
}

This code compiles, and prints after let, then prints drop. This contradicts the following comment in the compiler, which says that the above code creates an immediately-dangling pointer: https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/blob/4eedad312695d773b6e2e17a4f8082660470c101/compiler/rustc_hir_typeck/src/expr.rs#L735-L737

@rustbot labels +T-lang +T-compiler +A-raw-pointers

Meta

Reproducible on the playground with version 1.91.0-nightly (2025-08-23 69b76df90c7ea63b5350)

Contributor guide

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First steps

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  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the example on the Rust Playground using the reported nightly version and inspect the comment in compiler/rustc_hir_typeck/src/expr.rs around lines 735-737. Determine whether the temporary lifetime behavior or the compiler comment is incorrect, then align the relevant compiler behavior or documentation and add coverage for the example.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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