pi-lens/rules/tree-sitter-queries/go/go-mutex-copy.yml

Real-time code feedback for pi — LSP, linters, formatters, type-checking, structural analysis & booboo

id: go-mutex-copy
name: Mutex Copied by Value
severity: warning
category: concurrency
defect_class: correctness
inline_tier: blocking
language: go

message: "sync.Mutex parameter taken by value — the callee locks a copy; take *sync.Mutex instead"

description: |
  A sync.Mutex must never be copied after first use. Copying a mutex copies
  its internal state, so both copies appear unlocked even if the original
  was locked — leading to data races and deadlocks.

  This fires on a parameter declared as a bare `sync.Mutex`/`sync.RWMutex`
  value: the call copies the lock, so the callee locks its own copy. Copies
  through a struct that embeds a mutex (a value receiver, or a struct-typed
  parameter) are NOT detected — that needs the struct definition, which this
  single-file query cannot resolve.

  ✅ FIX: take the mutex as *sync.Mutex, or reach it through a pointer receiver.

  ❌ NEVER:
    func work(mu sync.Mutex) { mu.Lock() }  // locks a copy!

  ✅ SAFE:
    func work(mu *sync.Mutex) { mu.Lock() }

query: |
  (parameter_declaration
    type: (qualified_type
      package: (package_identifier) @PKG
      name: (type_identifier) @FN)
    (#eq? @PKG "sync")
    (#match? @FN "^(Mutex|RWMutex)$")) @DECL

metavars:
  - PKG
  - FN
  - DECL

has_fix: false

tags:
  - go
  - concurrency
  - mutex
  - correctness

examples:
  bad: |
    func doWork(mu sync.Mutex) {   // BAD - mu is a copy
        mu.Lock()
    }

  good: |
    func doWork(mu *sync.Mutex) {
        mu.Lock()
    }