rust-lang / rust-lang/rust

`repr(align(N))` not respected for uninhabited enum

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A-align A-enum A-layout A-repr C-bug T-compiler T-lang
Dominant language
Rust
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Description

I tried this code:

enum Never {}

#[repr(align(4))]
enum Thing { Variant(Never) }

fn main() {
    assert_eq!(1, align_of::<Thing>());
}

I expected the alignment of Thing to be 4, as per the repr attribute, so the assertion should fail. Instead, the program runs without errors.

Meta

Reproducible on the playground with version 1.93.0-nightly (2025-11-22 94b49fd998d6723e0a92)

Contributor guide

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First steps

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  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 running the provided Rust playground reproduction with the reported nightly version and confirm the alignment reported for Thing. Trace how repr(align(N)) is applied to the uninhabited enum, then add regression coverage for this example. Done means the assertion observes alignment 4 and the relevant compiler tests pass.

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
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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