[PATCH] rust: kbuild: clean output before running `rustdoc`

From: Miguel Ojeda
Date: Sat Jul 26 2025 - 09:35:04 EST


`rustdoc` can get confused when generating documentation into a folder
that contains generated files from other `rustdoc` versions.

For instance, running something like:

rustup default 1.78.0
make LLVM=1 rustdoc
rustup default 1.88.0
make LLVM=1 rustdoc

may generate errors like:

error: couldn't generate documentation: invalid template: last line expected to start with a comment
|
= note: failed to create or modify "./Documentation/output/rust/rustdoc/src-files.js"

Thus just always clean the output folder before generating the
documentation -- we are anyway regenerating it every time the `rustdoc`
target gets called, at least for the time being.

Cc: stable@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx # Needed in 6.12.y and later (Rust is pinned in older LTSs).
Reported-by: Daniel Almeida <daniel.almeida@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Closes: https://rust-for-linux.zulipchat.com/#narrow/channel/288089/topic/x/near/527201113
Signed-off-by: Miguel Ojeda <ojeda@xxxxxxxxxx>
---
rust/Makefile | 10 +++++++---
1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/rust/Makefile b/rust/Makefile
index 115b63b7d1e3..771246bc7ae6 100644
--- a/rust/Makefile
+++ b/rust/Makefile
@@ -103,14 +103,14 @@ rustdoc: rustdoc-core rustdoc-macros rustdoc-compiler_builtins \
rustdoc-macros: private rustdoc_host = yes
rustdoc-macros: private rustc_target_flags = --crate-type proc-macro \
--extern proc_macro
-rustdoc-macros: $(src)/macros/lib.rs FORCE
+rustdoc-macros: $(src)/macros/lib.rs rustdoc-clean FORCE
+$(call if_changed,rustdoc)

# Starting with Rust 1.82.0, skipping `-Wrustdoc::unescaped_backticks` should
# not be needed -- see https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/pull/128307.
rustdoc-core: private skip_flags = --edition=2021 -Wrustdoc::unescaped_backticks
rustdoc-core: private rustc_target_flags = --edition=$(core-edition) $(core-cfgs)
-rustdoc-core: $(RUST_LIB_SRC)/core/src/lib.rs FORCE
+rustdoc-core: $(RUST_LIB_SRC)/core/src/lib.rs rustdoc-clean FORCE
+$(call if_changed,rustdoc)

rustdoc-compiler_builtins: $(src)/compiler_builtins.rs rustdoc-core FORCE
@@ -122,7 +122,8 @@ rustdoc-ffi: $(src)/ffi.rs rustdoc-core FORCE
rustdoc-pin_init_internal: private rustdoc_host = yes
rustdoc-pin_init_internal: private rustc_target_flags = --cfg kernel \
--extern proc_macro --crate-type proc-macro
-rustdoc-pin_init_internal: $(src)/pin-init/internal/src/lib.rs FORCE
+rustdoc-pin_init_internal: $(src)/pin-init/internal/src/lib.rs \
+ rustdoc-clean FORCE
+$(call if_changed,rustdoc)

rustdoc-pin_init: private rustdoc_host = yes
@@ -140,6 +141,9 @@ rustdoc-kernel: $(src)/kernel/lib.rs rustdoc-core rustdoc-ffi rustdoc-macros \
$(obj)/bindings.o FORCE
+$(call if_changed,rustdoc)

+rustdoc-clean: FORCE
+ $(Q)rm -rf $(rustdoc_output)
+
quiet_cmd_rustc_test_library = $(RUSTC_OR_CLIPPY_QUIET) TL $<
cmd_rustc_test_library = \
OBJTREE=$(abspath $(objtree)) \

base-commit: 89be9a83ccf1f88522317ce02f854f30d6115c41
--
2.50.1