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ckerr

#54524: fix: clear detached DevTools backlinks before widget destruction

Merged
ckerr
Created: Sep 28, 2026, 2:37:37 PM
Merged: Sep 28, 2026, 10:20:42 PM
2 comments
Target: main

Summary

Closing detached DevTools destroys the widget while InspectableWebContentsView still retains raw_ptr references to the widget-owned WebView and delegate.

Clear both non-owning pointers before resetting the widget. This avoids dangling raw_ptr references during detached DevTools teardown while preserving bounds saving and existing close/reopen behavior.

With raw_ptr checks enabled, the focused test reported the following diagnostic (unrelated stack frames omitted):

[DanglingPtr](1/3) A raw_ptr/raw_ref is dangling.

[DanglingPtr](2/3) First, the memory was freed at:

Stack trace:
...
#4 0x5f334be54d86 views::WebView::~WebView() [../../ui/views/controls/webview/webview.cc:96:21]
#5 0x5f33467d88e1 views::View::~View() [../../ui/views/view.cc:285:9]
#6 0x5f333b3e9b85 views::ClientView::~ClientView() [../../ui/views/window/client_view.h:34:28]
#7 0x5f333b3e94cb electron::DevToolsWindowDelegate::~DevToolsWindowDelegate() [../../electron/shell/browser/ui/inspectable_web_contents_view.cc:59:40]
#8 0x5f333b3e99c8 electron::DevToolsWindowDelegate::~DevToolsWindowDelegate() [../../electron/shell/browser/ui/inspectable_web_contents_view.cc:59:40]
#9 0x5f334680eaf4 views::WidgetDelegate::DeleteDelegate() [../../ui/views/widget/widget_delegate.cc:336:5]
...
#18 0x5f33467ff375 views::Widget::~Widget() [../../third_party/libc++/src/include/__memory/unique_ptr.h:74:5]
#19 0x5f334673f55e views::(anonymous namespace)::BubbleWidget::~BubbleWidget() [../../ui/views/bubble/bubble_dialog_delegate_view.cc:106:7]
#20 0x5f333b3e80d9 electron::InspectableWebContentsView::CloseDevTools() [../../third_party/libc++/src/include/__memory/unique_ptr.h:74:5]
#21 0x5f333b3de37e electron::InspectableWebContents::CloseDevTools() [../../electron/shell/browser/ui/inspectable_web_contents.cc:521:14]
...

[DanglingPtr](3/3) Later, the dangling raw_ptr was released at:

Stack trace:
...
#2 0x5f334317295d base::allocator::(anonymous namespace)::DanglingRawPtrReleased<>() [../../base/allocator/partition_alloc_support.cc:630:21]
#3 0x5f33431bb7c2 base::internal::RawPtrBackupRefImpl<>::ReleaseInternal() [../../base/allocator/partition_allocator/src/partition_alloc/in_slot_metadata.h:240:7]
#4 0x5f333b3e813a electron::InspectableWebContentsView::CloseDevTools() [../../base/allocator/partition_allocator/src/partition_alloc/pointers/raw_ptr_backup_ref_impl.h:194:7]
#5 0x5f333b3de37e electron::InspectableWebContents::CloseDevTools() [../../electron/shell/browser/ui/inspectable_web_contents.cc:521:14]
...

Validation

  • Confirmed the dangling-pointer error before applying the fix, then rebuilt Electron and confirmed the same focused test passed without that error after the fix, with raw_ptr checks enabled in both runs: disposes frames when a remote WebContents is destroyed in spec/api-web-contents.spec.ts.
  • All four selected DevTools tests passed, covering remote WebContents destruction, close/reopen, restoration of the undocked state, and setting a custom title.
  • The instrumented post-fix run still logged separate, pre-existing View/WebContentsView wrapper dangling-pointer reports and allocator failures during worker shutdown; those are outside this fix.
  • git diff --check passed.
  • Targeted C++ lint and clang-format checks passed for the changed file.
  • Independent code review reported no findings.

Raw_ptr checks were enabled only for local validation; this PR does not change the raw_ptr build flags.

Notes: Fixed a potential crash when closing detached DevTools.

Backports

45-x-y
Merged
PR Number
#54538
Merged At
Sep 28, 2026, 11:48:04 PM
Released In
v45.0.0-alpha.14
Release Date
Oct 1, 2026, 3:00:20 PM

Semver Impact

Major
Breaking changes
Minor
New features
Patch
Bug fixes
None
Docs, tests, etc.

Semantic Versioning helps users understand the impact of updates:

  • Major (X.y.z): Breaking changes that may require code modifications
  • Minor (x.Y.z): New features that maintain backward compatibility
  • Patch (x.y.Z): Bug fixes that don't change the API
  • None: Changes that don't affect using facing parts of Electron