RipGrep musl binaries occasionally segfault during very-large searches
github.com
August 1, 2026
3 min read
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58/100
Summary
x86_64-unknown-linux-musl binaries of ripgrep version 15.2.0 occasionally experience segmentation faults during very-large searches. The binaries are compiled with features including PCRE2 and SIMD support for various instruction sets.
Key Takeaways
- Ripgrep built for x86_64-unknown-linux-musl occasionally crashes with a SIGSEGV error when searching very large trees at high concurrency levels.
- The crash is linked to an integrity assertion failure in MUSL's mallocng during a calloc call made from the opendir function.
- The bug can be reproduced by running a specific script that generates a large directory tree with approximately 20GiB of data across 1.8 million files.
- The issue typically manifests within about a minute on a system with 24 cores and sufficient RAM for the search tree to fit in the kernel's block cache.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- Some commenters are impressed with the detailed sleuthing behind the bug analysis, even if they find the explanations convoluted — it shows dedication to understanding complex issues.
- The mention of switching to mimalloc improving performance by 20x resonates with developers seeking efficiency in multithreaded applications.
Concerns
- Reading an AI-generated bug report is a frustrating experience — it feels like it lacks the human touch needed for clarity.
- There's a clear sentiment that ripgrep's reliance on musl's default allocator is a major bottleneck, especially for applications that need speed.
- Commenters highlight that running ripgrep on HPC clusters can lead to disastrous performance, stressing the need for workflow redesigns.