perf: O(H) lca() depth-walk + dispatch bench scoreboard

The runtime `lca()` helper used a `heapless::Vec<u16,32>` ancestry-set
with a linear `contains()` per node — O(H²) and capped at H ≤ 32. The
codegened `__DEPTH` table already had everything needed for an O(H)
depth-walk with no allocation and no hierarchy ceiling. Switch to that.

Also adds an iai-callgrind dispatch bench harness (Linux-only dev-dep)
so future optimizations can be measured deterministically by instruction
count. Seven benches cover: cold start, lateral H=2/4/8, up, self, and a
self-emit chain. Baseline numbers checked in at `hsmc/benches/baseline.txt`.

The latency analysis (`docs/003. latency-analysis.md`) is rounded out
with event-entry-point and cooperative-driving audits — three new
sections documenting the four event injection paths, the run-loop's
cooperative shape, and three correctness invariants (sticky overflow
flag, biased-select trap, cancel-safety on durings).

Bench deltas (cargo bench --bench dispatch -- --baseline=pre_lca_fix):

  h2_cold_start        -1.9%  /  -0.3%   (priming step, no lca() — noise)
  h2_warm_lateral     -22.8%  / -22.1%
  h4_cross_tree       -25.9%  / -10.6%
  h4_up                +1.0%  /  +0.4%   (up-transition, no lca() — noise)
  h4_self             -21.5%  / -11.7%
  h8_cross_tree       -46.2%  / -41.0%   ← headline: deepest LCA stress
  chain_self_emit     -15.4%  / -10.4%

Improvement scales with hierarchy depth, exactly as the O(H²) → O(H)
algorithmic change would predict.

All tests pass under --no-default-features, --features tokio, and
--features embassy.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
swaitsandClaude Opus 4.7 committed 2026-04-28 16:58:53 -06:00
1 parent 4ea7463089
commit e633f5dc55
6 files changed
+997 -12

No files matched your search

Generated
+83
View File
@@ -14,6 +14,15 @@ version = "1.5.0"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "c08606f8c3cbf4ce6ec8e28fb0014a2c086708fe954eaa885384a6165172e7e8"
[[package]]
name = "bincode"
version = "1.3.3"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "b1f45e9417d87227c7a56d22e471c6206462cba514c7590c09aff4cf6d1ddcad"
dependencies = [
"serde",
]
[[package]]
name = "bitflags"
version = "1.3.2"
@@ -195,6 +204,27 @@ dependencies = [
"thiserror",
]
[[package]]
name = "derive_more"
version = "2.1.1"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "d751e9e49156b02b44f9c1815bcb94b984cdcc4396ecc32521c739452808b134"
dependencies = [
"derive_more-impl",
]
[[package]]
name = "derive_more-impl"
version = "2.1.1"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "799a97264921d8623a957f6c3b9011f3b5492f557bbb7a5a19b7fa6d06ba8dcb"
dependencies = [
"proc-macro2",
"quote",
"rustc_version",
"syn",
]
[[package]]
name = "document-features"
version = "0.2.12"
@@ -475,6 +505,7 @@ dependencies = [
"futures",
"heapless 0.8.0",
"hsmc-macros",
"iai-callgrind",
"log",
"ratatui",
"tokio",
@@ -501,6 +532,42 @@ dependencies = [
"hsmc",
]
[[package]]
name = "iai-callgrind"
version = "0.16.1"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "0b1e4910d3a9137442723dfb772c32dc10674c4181ca078d2fd227cd5dce9db0"
dependencies = [
"bincode",
"derive_more",
"iai-callgrind-macros",
"iai-callgrind-runner",
]
[[package]]
name = "iai-callgrind-macros"
version = "0.6.1"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "4d03775318d3f9f01b39ac6612b01464006dc397a654a89dd57df2fd34fb68c3"
dependencies = [
"derive_more",
"proc-macro-error2",
"proc-macro2",
"quote",
"serde",
"serde_json",
"syn",
]
[[package]]
name = "iai-callgrind-runner"
version = "0.16.1"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "b74c9743c00c3bca4aaffc69c87cae56837796cd362438daf354a3f785788c68"
dependencies = [
"serde",
]
[[package]]
name = "ident_case"
version = "1.0.1"
@@ -773,6 +840,15 @@ dependencies = [
"bitflags 2.11.1",
]
[[package]]
name = "rustc_version"
version = "0.4.1"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "cfcb3a22ef46e85b45de6ee7e79d063319ebb6594faafcf1c225ea92ab6e9b92"
dependencies = [
"semver",
]
[[package]]
name = "rustix"
version = "0.38.44"
@@ -804,6 +880,12 @@ version = "1.2.0"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "94143f37725109f92c262ed2cf5e59bce7498c01bcc1502d7b9afe439a4e9f49"
[[package]]
name = "semver"
version = "1.0.28"
source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "8a7852d02fc848982e0c167ef163aaff9cd91dc640ba85e263cb1ce46fae51cd"
[[package]]
name = "serde"
version = "1.0.228"
@@ -811,6 +893,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
checksum = "9a8e94ea7f378bd32cbbd37198a4a91436180c5bb472411e48b5ec2e2124ae9e"
dependencies = [
"serde_core",
"serde_derive",
]
[[package]]
+463
View File
@@ -0,0 +1,463 @@
# 003. Latency analysis: hsmc hot-path cost surface
This is an audit of where wall-clock and code-size cost lives in `hsmc`'s
event-dispatch path. It is intended to inform mitigation work for embedded
and embassy-rs use cases where every microsecond of dispatch overhead
couples directly into hardware-control loop tightness and jitter.
The audit is **analytical**, with three categories of evidence:
1. **Source reading** of `hsmc/src/lib.rs`, `hsmc/src/journal.rs`, and
`hsmc-macros/src/codegen.rs`.
2. **`cargo expand --release`** of two test programs (one with no
observation features, one with `tokio + journal`) to confirm what the
macro really emits.
3. **`cargo rustc --release --emit=asm`** spot-checks of the compiled
output to confirm LLVM-level claims (jump-table lowering, dead-code
elimination of unused name tables, async-closure code size).
The audit deliberately stops short of recommending mitigations. A ranked
menu of candidates is included at the end so a follow-up planning round
can pick from it; nothing here is a commitment.
---
## 1. Cost surface, ranked by per-event impact
| # | Source | Class | Per-event cost (estimate) | Location |
|----|-----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 1 | `dispatch().await` loop | Discretionary, async-only | 2 awaits cold-start / 1 await steady-state per dispatched event. Each is ~free if action body never `Pending`-yields. | `codegen.rs:2330-2345` |
| 2 | LCA computation for lateral transitions | Discretionary | ~~O(H²) `heapless::Vec<u16,32>::contains` linear scan, H ≤ 32 hard limit~~. **Now O(H) via depth-walk over the `__DEPTH` table. Measured impact: -46% instructions on h8_cross_tree, -23% on h2_warm_lateral, +1% noise on h4_up (doesn't go through `lca()`). See `hsmc/benches/baseline.txt` and §6 in mitigation table.** | `codegen.rs:2601-2628` |
| 3 | Entry-path `heapless::Vec` build | Discretionary | One stack `heapless::Vec<u16,16>` filled per transition; H pushes + H reads. | `codegen.rs:2586-2598` |
| 4 | Parent walk for handler search | Intrinsic | O(H) `__PARENT[s]` indexing until first matching state. | `codegen.rs:2283-2297` |
| 5 | `__handler_lookup` nested match | Intrinsic | LLVM lowers to jump tables (confirmed via `LJTI*` labels in spot-check). ~1 indirect jump per call. | `codegen.rs` (search "__handler_lookup") |
| 6 | `run_action` dispatch | Intrinsic | One match arm + monomorphized trait call + 1 vtable hop on `&mut dyn QueuePush` (the `EmitProxy`). | `codegen.rs:2425-2489` |
| 7 | Event queue push/pop | Intrinsic | `heapless::Deque::push_back` / `pop_front`, both O(1). | `codegen.rs:2316-2319` |
| 8 | `__chart_observe!` macro arms | Compile-eliminable when off | Verified: zero residue when all sink features are off. Each call site collapses to `{};`. | `lib.rs:158-712` |
| 9 | Journal `Vec::push` per atom | Conditional on `journal` | Amortized O(1); ~16 B per `TraceEvent`. Expanded chart shows 104 push call sites; ~11 fire per transition. | `journal.rs:26-32`, `lib.rs:158-712` |
| 10 | Async-fn future size (binary cost) | Discretionary, async-only | `step` closure ~970 lines of asm; `run_handlers` ~830; total Lat-chart machinery ≈ 3000 asm lines. | spot-check measurement |
| 11 | `tokio::sync::mpsc::unbounded_channel` | Tokio-only, std-bound | Heap-backed channel for cross-task event injection. Embassy uses bounded `embassy_sync::channel` instead. | runtime adapters |
The top three discretionary items (1, 2, 3) account for almost all the
optimization headroom. Items 4–7 are intrinsic to the chosen semantics —
they're already at or near the algorithmic floor for hierarchical state
machines. Item 8 is verified zero-cost. Item 9 is opt-in. Items 10 and 11
matter for code size and feature ergonomics but not per-event µs.
---
## 2. Per-event cost model (analytical)
For a chart with hierarchy depth `H=3`, one entry action + one exit action,
a simple lateral transition, no observation features, `cargo build
--release`, on a Cortex-M4-class core (~168 MHz):
| Stage | Cycles (rough) | Notes |
|----------------------------------------|--------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| `queue.pop_front` | ~10 | `heapless::Deque` index op |
| `__event_to_id` | ~5 | match arm |
| Parent walk for handler | ~30 × H | ≤ H array indexes |
| `__handler_lookup` | ~10 | jump table indirect |
| `run_action` (1 action) | ~20-30 | match + monomorphized call + 1 vtable hop |
| `is_up_transition` | ~30 | parent walk |
| `lca` (lateral) | ~10 × H | depth-walk via `__DEPTH` (was ~50 × H² pre-fix)|
| Exit chain (H states × A actions) | ~60 × H × A | |
| Entry path build | ~30 × H | heapless::Vec push |
| Enter chain (H states × A actions) | ~60 × H × A | |
| **Total `.step()` steady-state** | ~1.0 – 2.0 µs | for H=3, A=1; user action body excluded |
| Async overhead (`.dispatch()` loop) | per-await checkpoint | ~free if no `Pending`-yield |
These are back-of-envelope numbers; actual measurements would tighten
them by ~2× in either direction, depending on inlining decisions.
For empirical numbers (deterministic, instruction-counted), see
`hsmc/benches/baseline.txt`. Headline numbers post-LCA-fix:
h2_warm_lateral 210 instr / ~1k cycles; h4_cross_tree 394 instr / ~1.4k
cycles; h8_cross_tree 508 instr / ~1.6k cycles; chain_self_emit 1036 instr
across 4 events (≈260 instr/event). Mitigations H1/H2 in §9 target the
remaining LCA + entry-path stack-vec overhead.
---
## 3. Spot-check evidence
### 3.1 `__chart_observe!` is zero-cost when off (cargo expand)
Test: `tests/state_chart_const.rs`, with no observation features enabled.
In the expanded source (`/tmp/hsmc_expand_no_features.rs`, 911 lines), every
observation site collapses to an empty block:
```rust
// in `step()`:
if self.current.is_none() {
{}; // would be observe_started
self.enter_path(0);
return self.timers.min_remaining();
}
// ...
if let Some((state, trig)) = self.timers.pop_expired(&__DEPTH) {
let __t_state = state;
let __t_trigger = trig;
{}; // would be observe_timer_fired
// ...
}
```
A grep for any of `TraceEvent::`, `::log::`, `::tracing::`, `::defmt::`,
`JournalSink::push` in the expanded code returns **zero matches**. The
macro arms entirely vanish.
`JournalSink` itself becomes a unit struct when the feature is off:
```rust
#[cfg(not(feature = "journal"))]
pub struct JournalSink; // ZST — 0 bytes in the chart struct
```
so the `__journal` field on the chart costs zero bytes at runtime.
### 3.2 Name lookups are dead-code-eliminated (cargo rustc --emit=asm)
Test: `tests/det_lateral.rs`, built with `--features tokio,journal`.
Even with `journal` enabled, a grep across the 22,477 lines of generated
asm for `state_name`, `action_name`, `event_name`, or `timer_name` returns
**zero matches**. The journal stores `u16` indices, not strings, and no
trace-* feature is on, so the name-lookup helper functions are uncalled
and DCE'd from the final binary.
This means even if a user enables `journal` for replay/verification, they
pay zero binary cost for the human-readable name tables until they also
enable a `trace-*` sink.
### 3.3 LLVM lowers handler matches to jump tables
Same asm file. Grep for `LJTI`:
```asm
leaq .LJTI2_0(%rip), %rcx
jmpq *%rax
.LJTI2_0:
.long .LBB2_1-.LJTI2_0
.long .LBB2_28-.LJTI2_0
.long .LBB2_29-.LJTI2_0
.long .LBB2_23-.LJTI2_0
```
Multiple jump tables are present, each sized roughly to the chart's
state/event count. This corroborates the assumption that
`__handler_lookup`'s nested `match (state_id) { match (kind, trigger_id) }`
lowers to a single indirect jump on platforms LLVM can target with one,
not a chain of compares.
### 3.4 Async machinery code size
Symbol-by-symbol asm sizes from `det_lateral`:
| Symbol (async closure / future) | Asm lines | Notes |
|---------------------------------|-----------|----------------------------------------------|
| `Lat::exit_state` | ~275 | one `.await` per exit action |
| `Lat::run_action` | ~349 | match arm + N monomorphized async branches |
| `Lat::run_handlers` | ~826 | loop over actions, each `.await` |
| `Lat::enter_state_no_descent` | ~217 | |
| `Lat::step` | ~970 | inlines `lca`, `is_up_transition`, etc. |
| `Lat::dispatch` | ~137 | thin loop wrapper |
| **Lat-chart total** | **~2,800**| async machinery for one 5-state chart |
For comparison, `Lat::new` is 141 lines. The async coloring
roughly doubles to triples the binary footprint of a chart relative to a
pure sync codegen. On Cortex-M0/M0+ where flash is small, this matters.
### 3.5 Journal expansion adds N pushes, nothing else (cargo expand)
Same test, expanded with `--features tokio,journal`
(`/tmp/hsmc_expand_with_journal.rs`, 2,426 lines vs. 911 lines without).
Counts:
- 104 total `TraceEvent::*` constructions.
- 20 distinct variant names (the full vocabulary).
- 8 `Vec::push` call sites inside `step()` — but only one fires per
invocation (timer-fired path, event-received path, etc., are mutually
exclusive).
The diff against the no-feature expansion is exactly: every `{};`
placeholder becomes a `(&mut self.__journal).push(TraceEvent::...)`. No
other infrastructure is added. No locking, no allocation per push beyond
the amortized `Vec` growth.
---
## 4. Observability cost matrix
Distilled from `lib.rs:158-712` and the spot-checks above:
| Feature(s) | Per-call CPU | Per-call alloc | Off → fully elided? |
|-------------------|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------|-------------------------------|
| `(none)` | 0 | 0 | Yes (verified) |
| `journal` | `Vec::push` ~10 ns amortized | ~16-24 B amortized | n/a |
| `trace-defmt` | format-hash u32 + field write | 0 | Yes |
| `trace-log` | `log_enabled!()` check + format if passes | 0 unless format | Yes (with small residual when on but level filtered) |
| `trace-tracing` | unconditional field collection + span | 0 | Yes (with ~30-cycle residual when on but no subscriber) |
The codegen emits **~11 `__chart_observe!` calls per typical transition**
in deterministic order: `EventReceived` → `EventDelivered` →
`TransitionFired` → `ExitBegan` → `ActionInvoked{Exit}` → `Exited` →
`EnterBegan` → `ActionInvoked{Entry}` → `Entered` → `TransitionComplete`,
plus action-handler markers. That's the multiplier on every per-call
number above.
---
## 5. What is *not* a problem (audited and dismissed)
- **Handler-lookup growth with chart size** — confirmed jump-table
lowering (§3.3). O(1) per event regardless of state or event count
(modulo cache effects from larger jump tables).
- **Trait-object cost on action dispatch** — only the `&mut dyn QueuePush`
proxy is `dyn`. User actions are monomorphized trait methods (one match
arm per action ID, direct calls). One vtable hop per emit, *not* per
action.
- **Observation overhead with features off** — confirmed zero. Verified
three ways: macro arm structure (every body `#[cfg]`-gated), expanded
source (every site is `{};`), and asm (no name-lookup symbols, no trace
symbols).
- **Heap allocation in default build** — `extern crate alloc` is confined
to `journal.rs:26`. With `journal` off, the runtime is fully stack-only.
Verified: no `Vec`, `Box`, or `String` in expanded sync code.
- **`Pin<Box<...>>` futures on the hot path** — none. Chart futures are
inline state machines, not boxed.
- **Tokio `unbounded_channel` for embedded** — irrelevant: tokio is `std`
anyway. Embassy uses bounded `embassy_sync::channel::Channel` (no
alloc).
---
## 6. Event entry points
Events reach the chart's internal `heapless::Deque` via four distinct
paths. Each has its own latency, wakeup, ordering, and backpressure
profile, summarized below.
| Path | API | Backing | Wakeup | Ordering | Backpressure |
|------|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|-------------------------|----------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
| 1 | `chart.send(event)` (sync, single-task) | `heapless::Deque::push_back` | none — caller drives | FIFO within queue | `Err(QueueFull)` immediate |
| 2a | `chart.sender().send(ev)` (tokio) | `tokio::sync::mpsc::unbounded_channel` | tokio task wake | FIFO; biased select deprioritizes vs. durings | **unbounded memory** |
| 2b | `chart.sender().send(ev)` (embassy) | `embassy_sync::channel::Channel` (bounded) | embassy task wake | FIFO; same biased-select | `Err(Full)` (try_send) or backpressure-await |
| 3 | `actx.emit(ev)` from inside an action | same internal `Deque` as path 1 | none — drained inline | drained synchronously after current handler completes; *before* `step()` returns | sticky overflow flag |
| 4 | return from a `during:` future | `select!` arm in run loop | driver-specific | biased priority over channel events | silent drop on `Deque` full |
**Path 1 (sync send)** — `codegen.rs:2316-2319`. Bare
`Deque::push_back`; owning task only, no synchronization. ~5–10 cycles.
Caller is responsible for invoking `step()` (or `dispatch()` under an
async feature) to actually process the event.
**Path 2 (cross-task `sender()`)** — `codegen.rs:1492` (tokio sender),
`1638` (embassy sender), `1308` / `1405` (run-loop receive sites). The
canonical cross-thread / ISR path per the spec. Tokio uses an unbounded
MPSC (heap-backed; no backpressure signal); embassy uses a bounded
`Channel<M, E, N>` with `try_send` for ISR-safe non-blocking emits and
an `async send` that backpressures the producer. The receiver task
wakes on send; one iteration of the run-loop's `select!` consumes the
event and pushes it into the internal `Deque`.
**Path 3 (self-emit from action)** — `actx.emit(...)` goes through
`EmitProxy::push` (`hsmc/src/lib.rs`) which writes into the same
internal `Deque` as Path 1. Self-emitted events are drained in the
*same* `step()` call that emitted them — `dispatch()` runs `while
!queue.is_empty() { step().await }` until quiescence. Nothing crosses a
task boundary.
**Path 4 (`during:` return)** — `codegen.rs:1306–1313` (tokio with
durings), `1392+` (embassy). Durings are racing futures spawned in the
run-loop's `select!`. When one resolves to an event, the `select!`
unblocks and the event is pushed into the internal `Deque`. The
`select!` is `biased;` so durings have priority over the channel —
relevant if a during is a poll-based driver that's almost always
ready (see §8).
**One ordering caveat**: there is no global FIFO across paths 1–4.
Within each path, events are FIFO; across paths, the order depends on
when each path's wakeup arrives at the run loop. For most charts this
is a non-issue, but a chart that mixes high-frequency cross-task sends
with rapid self-emits could observe self-emits processed before
external events that arrived "first" in wall-clock terms.
---
## 7. Cooperative-driving audit
The library targets embassy-rs's single-priority cooperative scheduler,
where any tight loop without an `.await` can starve other tasks. An
audit of every loop and await pattern in the runtime and codegen:
| Loop / await | Location | Bounded? | Awaits per iter? | Verdict |
|---------------------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|---------------------|
| Main `run()` outer | codegen.rs:1290+, 1379+ | by `terminated` flag | yes — always | cooperative |
| `dispatch()` drain loop | codegen.rs:2339 | by queue size | only via `step().await` | suspect — fairness |
| Transition exit chain | codegen.rs:2532, 2577 | by hierarchy depth | yes (async variant) | OK |
| Termination drain | codegen.rs:2750 | by hierarchy + queue | yes (async variant) | OK |
| `lca()` ancestry walk | codegen.rs:2605 | by hierarchy depth | no (sync helper) | OK |
| Timer decrement / pop | runtime / lib.rs | by timer-table size | sync, off the event-loop | OK |
| Send/recv backends | codegen.rs:1308, 1405 | n/a | always `.await` | cooperative |
No `try_recv` patterns anywhere. No fixed-period polling. The library
is fundamentally event-driven and embassy-friendly.
**One latent fairness characteristic**: the `dispatch()` drain loop —
`while !self.queue.is_empty() { step(Duration::ZERO).await }` — never
yields to the executor between iterations. If user actions are all
synchronous and they emit a chain of follow-on events (action A emits
B, B emits C, …), each `step().await` completes inline, and the loop
becomes effectively synchronous for the duration of the chain. Embassy
high-priority tasks could be delayed by the chain length.
This is **not a bug** — `dispatch()` is documented to drain to
quiescence — but it's worth knowing about. A future option (not part of
this round of work) would be a feature-gated
`embassy_futures::yield_now().await` every Nth iteration, or a
chart-level config to bound chain length. Not done by default because
it would serialize the common case for no benefit.
---
## 8. Correctness invariants surfaced during the audit
Three contracts that aren't bugs, but warrant explicit documentation
because they are easy to miss when reading the code:
**Sticky overflow flag in `EmitProxy`** (`hsmc/src/lib.rs`,
`EmitProxy::push`). When a self-emit fails because the internal `Deque`
is full, an `__overflow` flag is set on the chart. *Every* subsequent
`actx.emit(...)` in the same dispatch chain returns `Err(QueueFull)`,
even after the queue has drained. The flag is cleared at the top of
each `dispatch()` call by `take_overflow()`. This is intentional — it
prevents a chart from observing a partially-applied sequence of
self-emissions where some made it into the queue and others did not.
Authors of actions that emit multiple events should treat
`Err(QueueFull)` as terminal for the current chain.
**Biased select in run loop** (tokio: `codegen.rs:1306–1313`; embassy:
`1392+`). The `select!` is `biased;`, so durings are always polled
before the cross-task channel. For most charts this is the right
priority — a sensor driver should pre-empt a UI event. But for a
`during:` that wraps a poll-based driver (one that returns `Ready`
nearly every poll), the channel can be starved indefinitely. Cure:
make the during yield (`embassy_futures::yield_now`) when there's
nothing real to report.
**Cancel-safety contract on durings** (`hsmc/src/lib.rs:53–60`). Every
`.await` in a `during:` future must be a clean resume point, because
the future will be dropped if the state transitions before it
completes. This is the standard async-cancel-safety contract, but it
is easy to violate by holding a mutable borrow across an await — the
borrow is "valid" when resumed but the surrounding state may have
moved on.
---
## 9. Candidate mitigations (menu, NOT a commitment)
Sized for sequencing in a follow-up plan-mode session. "Effort" is gut
feel: L = afternoon, M = couple of days, H = a week or more.
| ID | Mitigation | Targets | Impact | Effort | Cost |
|-----|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------------------------------------|--------|---------------------------------------|
| H0 | ~~Replace `lca()` with an O(H) depth-walk using the existing `__DEPTH` table; remove the `heapless::Vec<u16,32>` set entirely.~~ **Landed.** Measured impact: h8_cross_tree -46% / -41% cycles; h4_cross_tree -26% / -11%; h2_warm_lateral -23% / -22%; h4_self -22% / -12%; chain_self_emit -15% / -10%. See `hsmc/benches/baseline.txt`. | #2 | (delivered) | - | - |
| H1 | Codegen per-transition exit/entry/descend chains as `&'static [u16]` arrays; eliminate runtime `heapless::Vec` build entirely. | #2, #3 | High — kills LCA *and* heapless allocs | M | ~10–30 B per transition; bounded |
| H2 | Same idea but precompute LCA only (small static table or per-transition LCA u16 field). | #2 | Med-High | L | ~2 B per transition |
| H3 | Provide a `dispatch_sync()` API that bypasses `.await` when the chart's actions are fully synchronous. | #1, #10 | High for sync-action charts | L-M | API surface growth |
| H4 | Codegen a per-state inlined event match (skip the parent walk by emitting `(state, event) → (handler_state, actions, target)` directly per state). | #4 | Low-Med | M | binary grows ~`states × events` |
| M1 | Eliminate the trailing `step().await` in `dispatch()` when queue empties mid-step (let `step` signal "done" so the loop exits without re-entering). | #1 | Low | L | minor refactor |
| M2 | `#[inline]` on `__handler_lookup`, `__state_name`, etc. for tighter cross-call inlining. | #5, #6 | Low (LLVM probably already does this) | L | none |
| M3 | Lazy field eval in `trace-tracing` arm using `tracing`'s field-closure form to skip evaluation when filtered. | feature on| Low | L | none |
| L1 | Audit residual `_t_state`, `_t_trigger`, `__handler_state` local bindings in observation-off builds — verify LLVM elides them. | feature off| Negligible | L | none |
H1 is the clear top candidate: it collapses the two largest discretionary
costs (#2, #3) into one static-table lookup, removes one runtime stack
allocation per transition, and is implementable purely as a codegen
change in `hsmc-macros/src/codegen.rs` without touching the runtime
contract.
---
## 10. Where to look in the source
For anyone reading this audit and wanting to verify or extend it:
- **`hsmc/src/lib.rs`**
- `:94` — the `#![cfg_attr(... no_std)]` boundary
- `:158-712` — `__chart_observe!` macro, all observation arms
- `:737-772` — `JournalSink` ZST/Vec duality
- **`hsmc/src/journal.rs`**
- `:26-32` — `extern crate alloc` and `Vec` import (only here)
- `:65-150+` — `TraceEvent` enum (the journal vocabulary)
- **`hsmc-macros/src/codegen.rs`**
- `:1997-1999` — `__PARENT`, `__DEPTH`, `__DEFAULT_CHILD` static-table generation
- `:2247-2309` — `step()` (sync vs. async branches)
- `:2330-2345` — `dispatch()` await loop
- `:2425-2489` — `run_action` (sync vs. async)
- `:2500-2598` — `transition`, `is_up_transition`, lateral entry-path build
- `:2601-2615` — `lca()` runtime O(H²) computation
- `:631-667` — name-lookup helpers (`__state_name`, `__action_name`, etc.)
- **Test reference shape**: `hsmc/tests/state_chart_const.rs` is the
smallest sync-only chart in the tree; `hsmc/tests/det_lateral.rs` is
the reference async + journal shape used for the asm spot-check.
---
## 11. Reproducing the spot-checks
```sh
# Zero-cost observation verification (expand → no observation residue)
cargo expand --release --test state_chart_const \
> /tmp/expand_no_features.rs --manifest-path hsmc/Cargo.toml
grep -E "TraceEvent::|::log::|::tracing::|::defmt::" /tmp/expand_no_features.rs
# expect: no matches
# Journal expansion (count of TraceEvent push sites)
cargo expand --release --test det_lateral --features tokio,journal \
--manifest-path hsmc/Cargo.toml \
| grep -c "TraceEvent::"
# expect: ~100
# Asm spot-check (jump tables, function sizes, name DCE)
cargo rustc --release --test det_lateral --features tokio,journal \
--manifest-path hsmc/Cargo.toml -- --emit=asm
ASM=$(find target -name 'det_lateral*.s' | head -1)
grep -E "LJTI|jmpq?[[:space:]]+\*" "$ASM" # jump tables
grep -E "state_name|action_name" "$ASM" # expect no matches
```
---
## 12. Summary
`hsmc`'s hot path is mostly already at the algorithmic floor for
hierarchical state machines. The intrinsic per-event cost (parent walk,
handler lookup, action dispatch, queue ops) is small and well-monomorphized.
Observation cost is verified zero when features are off, and stays
proportional to the user's chosen sink mix when on.
**The LCA cost (item #2 in §1) has been addressed** with the depth-walk
fix landed alongside this analysis. Measured impact peaks at
**-46% instructions / -41% cycles** on the deepest cross-tree
transition (`h8_cross_tree`); see `hsmc/benches/baseline.txt`. The
former O(H²) scan and the `heapless::Vec<u16,32>` ancestry-set
allocation are gone; the 32-state hierarchy ceiling is also gone.
The two remaining optimization targets are:
1. **Entry-path `heapless::Vec` build** (item #3 in §1) — still allocates
one stack `heapless::Vec<u16,16>` per lateral transition. Could be
replaced with codegen-time precomputed static `&'static [u16]`
chains, eliminating the entry-path build entirely. (See mitigation H1.)
2. **Async coloring code-size cost** (item #10) — chart machinery is
~3,000 asm lines for a 5-state chart, dominated by async-fn state
machines. A `dispatch_sync()` fast path (mitigation H3) would let
users with all-sync actions skip this entirely.
Both are addressable purely in `hsmc-macros/src/codegen.rs` without
breaking runtime semantics or feature gates. The bench harness in
`hsmc/benches/dispatch.rs` is in place to measure each mitigation as it
lands.
+25 -12
View File
@@ -2598,20 +2598,33 @@ pub fn generate(ir: &Ir) -> TokenStream {
self.descend_defaults(target).await;
}
fn lca(a: u16, b: u16) -> Option<u16> {
let mut set: ::hsmc::__private::heapless::Vec<u16, 32> =
::hsmc::__private::heapless::Vec::new();
let mut cur = Some(a);
while let Some(x) = cur {
let _ = set.push(x);
cur = __PARENT[x as usize];
// Lowest common ancestor via depth-walk. The chart's
// `__DEPTH` table is precomputed at codegen time, so we can
// align both walkers to the same depth and then ascend in
// lockstep until they meet. O(H) time, O(1) space — no
// ancestry-set allocation, no hierarchy ceiling.
fn lca(mut a: u16, mut b: u16) -> Option<u16> {
let mut da = __DEPTH[a as usize];
let mut db = __DEPTH[b as usize];
while da > db {
match __PARENT[a as usize] {
Some(p) => { a = p; da -= 1; }
None => return None,
}
}
let mut cur = Some(b);
while let Some(x) = cur {
if set.contains(&x) { return Some(x); }
cur = __PARENT[x as usize];
while db > da {
match __PARENT[b as usize] {
Some(p) => { b = p; db -= 1; }
None => return None,
}
}
None
while a != b {
match (__PARENT[a as usize], __PARENT[b as usize]) {
(Some(pa), Some(pb)) => { a = pa; b = pb; }
_ => return None,
}
}
Some(a)
}
#[cfg(not(any(feature = "tokio", feature = "embassy")))]
+7
View File
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ ratatui = "0.28"
crossterm = { version = "0.28", features = ["event-stream"] }
futures = "0.3"
[target.'cfg(target_os = "linux")'.dev-dependencies]
iai-callgrind = "0.16"
[[example]]
name = "microwave"
required-features = ["tokio"]
@@ -69,3 +72,7 @@ required-features = ["tokio"]
name = "embassy_full"
required-features = ["embassy"]
crate-type = ["lib"]
[[bench]]
name = "dispatch"
harness = false
+84
View File
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
# hsmc dispatch baseline — instruction counts from iai-callgrind.
#
# Current numbers reflect the codebase after the LCA O(H) depth-walk fix
# (replaced the original O(H²) heapless::Vec<u16,32>::contains scan).
# Re-run with:
#
# cargo bench --bench dispatch
#
# The pre-fix `pre_lca_fix` baseline is saved under target/iai/. To diff
# a future change against the current numbers, save a fresh named baseline
# before the change:
#
# cargo bench --bench dispatch -- --save-baseline=before_<your_change>
#
# Then after, diff with:
#
# cargo bench --bench dispatch -- --baseline=before_<your_change>
#
# Numbers below are from a 6.19.14-zen kernel x86_64 box, valgrind 3.25.1,
# iai-callgrind 0.16.1, --release.
dispatch::dispatch::h2_cold_start cold:setup_h2_cold()
Instructions: 51
L1 Hits: 79
LL Hits: 0
RAM Hits: 7
Estimated Cycles: 324
dispatch::dispatch::h2_warm_lateral warm:setup_h2_warm()
Instructions: 210
L1 Hits: 268
LL Hits: 0
RAM Hits: 21
Estimated Cycles: 1003
dispatch::dispatch::h4_cross_tree cross:setup_h4_warm()
Instructions: 394
L1 Hits: 497
LL Hits: 0
RAM Hits: 26
Estimated Cycles: 1407
dispatch::dispatch::h4_up up:setup_h4_warm()
Instructions: 203
L1 Hits: 270
LL Hits: 0
RAM Hits: 16
Estimated Cycles: 830
dispatch::dispatch::h4_self self_:setup_h4_warm()
Instructions: 233
L1 Hits: 297
LL Hits: 0
RAM Hits: 24
Estimated Cycles: 1137
dispatch::dispatch::h8_cross_tree cross:setup_h8_warm()
Instructions: 508
L1 Hits: 636
LL Hits: 0
RAM Hits: 27
Estimated Cycles: 1581
dispatch::dispatch::chain_self_emit chain:setup_chain_warm()
Instructions: 1036
L1 Hits: 1348
LL Hits: 1
RAM Hits: 33
Estimated Cycles: 2508
# ─── LCA O(H) fix delta (pre_lca_fix → current) ─────────────────────
#
# Bench Instr Δ Cycle Δ
# h2_cold_start -1.9% -0.3% (priming step, doesn't use LCA — noise)
# h2_warm_lateral -22.8% -22.1%
# h4_cross_tree -25.9% -10.6%
# h4_up +1.0% +0.4% (up-transition doesn't use LCA — noise)
# h4_self -21.5% -11.7%
# h8_cross_tree -46.2% -41.0% ← headline: deepest LCA stress
# chain_self_emit -15.4% -10.4%
#
# Improvement scales with hierarchy depth: O(H²) → O(H) shows up most
# on h8_cross_tree (LCA = root, full ancestry walk both sides). Up- and
# cold-start paths show ±1% noise — they don't go through lca().
+335
View File
@@ -0,0 +1,335 @@
//! Deterministic instruction-count benches for the dispatch hot path.
//!
//! Run with `cargo bench --bench dispatch` (Linux only — uses
//! iai-callgrind + valgrind).
//!
//! Each bench measures one dispatch kind in isolation:
//! - `h2_warm_lateral`: lateral transition between siblings, hierarchy depth 2.
//! - `h4_cross_tree`: lateral transition crossing two parallel subtrees, depth 4 from root.
//! - `h8_cross_tree`: same shape but depth 8 — exercises LCA worst-case.
//! - `h4_up`: up-transition (target is an ancestor of current).
//! - `h4_self`: self-transition (target == current).
//! - `h4_drop`: send an event with no matching handler (drop path).
//! - `h4_self_emit_chain`: action emits next event 3×; tests the dispatch drain loop.
//! - `h2_cold_start`: first dispatch into a freshly-constructed chart (priming step).
//!
//! Each bench's setup function primes the chart to a known state outside the
//! measured region. The body sends one event and runs `step()` once.
#[cfg(not(target_os = "linux"))]
fn main() {
eprintln!("hsmc dispatch benches require Linux (iai-callgrind + valgrind).");
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
use iai_callgrind::{library_benchmark, library_benchmark_group, main};
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
use std::hint::black_box;
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
use hsmc::{statechart, Duration};
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
// Chart 1: H=2 sibling. LCA(A, B) = P. Two states deep.
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
mod h2 {
use super::*;
#[derive(Default)]
pub struct Ctx;
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub enum Ev {
Go,
}
statechart! {
H2 {
context: Ctx;
events: Ev;
default(P);
state P {
default(A);
state A { on(Go) => B; }
state B { entry: noop; }
}
}
}
impl H2Actions for H2ActionContext<'_> {
fn noop(&mut self) {}
}
}
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
// Chart 2: H=4 cross-tree. LCA(L3, R3) = root. Stresses LCA over 8 ancestors.
// Also has up- and self-transition events for additional benches.
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
mod h4 {
use super::*;
#[derive(Default)]
pub struct Ctx;
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub enum Ev {
Cross,
Up,
Self_,
}
statechart! {
H4 {
context: Ctx;
events: Ev;
default(L1);
state L1 {
default(L2);
state L2 {
default(L3);
state L3 {
on(Cross) => R3;
on(Up) => L1;
on(Self_) => L3;
}
}
}
state R1 {
default(R2);
state R2 {
default(R3);
state R3 { entry: noop; }
}
}
}
}
impl H4Actions for H4ActionContext<'_> {
fn noop(&mut self) {}
}
}
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
// Chart 3: H=8 cross-tree. LCA(L7, R7) = root. Worst-case for the
// pre-fix O(H²) LCA — old code does ~64 compares; new code does ~16.
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
mod h8 {
use super::*;
#[derive(Default)]
pub struct Ctx;
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub enum Ev {
Cross,
}
statechart! {
H8 {
context: Ctx;
events: Ev;
default(L1);
state L1 { default(L2);
state L2 { default(L3);
state L3 { default(L4);
state L4 { default(L5);
state L5 { default(L6);
state L6 { default(L7);
state L7 { on(Cross) => R7; }
}
}
}
}
}
}
state R1 { default(R2);
state R2 { default(R3);
state R3 { default(R4);
state R4 { default(R5);
state R5 { default(R6);
state R6 { default(R7);
state R7 { entry: noop; }
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
impl H8Actions for H8ActionContext<'_> {
fn noop(&mut self) {}
}
}
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
// Chart 4: emit-chain. S0 →(Go)→ S1 →(emits Next)→ S2 →(emits Next)→ S3 →(emits Next)→ S4.
// One Send + one Step ⇒ chart drains 4 events through 3 self-emits.
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
mod chain {
use super::*;
#[derive(Default)]
pub struct Ctx;
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub enum Ev {
Go,
Next,
}
statechart! {
Chain {
context: Ctx;
events: Ev;
default(S0);
state S0 { on(Go) => S1; }
state S1 { entry: emit_next; on(Next) => S2; }
state S2 { entry: emit_next; on(Next) => S3; }
state S3 { entry: emit_next; on(Next) => S4; }
state S4 { entry: settle; }
}
}
impl ChainActions for ChainActionContext<'_> {
fn emit_next(&mut self) {
let _ = self.emit(Ev::Next);
}
fn settle(&mut self) {}
}
}
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
// Setup helpers. Prime each chart to its measurement starting state
// OUTSIDE the measured region — iai-callgrind only counts work inside
// the bench fn body.
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
fn setup_h2_warm() -> h2::H2<8> {
let mut m = h2::H2::new(h2::Ctx::default());
let _ = m.step(Duration::ZERO); // priming step → enters P → A
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
fn setup_h2_cold() -> h2::H2<8> {
h2::H2::new(h2::Ctx::default())
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
fn setup_h4_warm() -> h4::H4<8> {
let mut m = h4::H4::new(h4::Ctx::default());
let _ = m.step(Duration::ZERO); // priming step → L1 → L2 → L3
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
fn setup_h8_warm() -> h8::H8<8> {
let mut m = h8::H8::new(h8::Ctx::default());
let _ = m.step(Duration::ZERO); // priming step → L1..L7
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
fn setup_chain_warm() -> chain::Chain<8> {
let mut m = chain::Chain::new(chain::Ctx::default());
let _ = m.step(Duration::ZERO); // priming step → S0
m
}
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
// Benches. One library_benchmark per scenario. Each takes its primed
// chart by value, sends one event, and runs one step.
// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
#[library_benchmark]
#[bench::cold(setup = setup_h2_cold)]
fn h2_cold_start(mut m: h2::H2<8>) -> h2::H2<8> {
// first .step() primes the chart by entering the default state path
let _ = black_box(m.step(black_box(Duration::ZERO)));
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
#[library_benchmark]
#[bench::warm(setup = setup_h2_warm)]
fn h2_warm_lateral(mut m: h2::H2<8>) -> h2::H2<8> {
let _ = black_box(m.send(black_box(h2::Ev::Go)));
let _ = black_box(m.step(black_box(Duration::ZERO)));
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
#[library_benchmark]
#[bench::cross(setup = setup_h4_warm)]
fn h4_cross_tree(mut m: h4::H4<8>) -> h4::H4<8> {
let _ = black_box(m.send(black_box(h4::Ev::Cross)));
let _ = black_box(m.step(black_box(Duration::ZERO)));
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
#[library_benchmark]
#[bench::up(setup = setup_h4_warm)]
fn h4_up(mut m: h4::H4<8>) -> h4::H4<8> {
let _ = black_box(m.send(black_box(h4::Ev::Up)));
let _ = black_box(m.step(black_box(Duration::ZERO)));
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
#[library_benchmark]
#[bench::self_(setup = setup_h4_warm)]
fn h4_self(mut m: h4::H4<8>) -> h4::H4<8> {
let _ = black_box(m.send(black_box(h4::Ev::Self_)));
let _ = black_box(m.step(black_box(Duration::ZERO)));
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
#[library_benchmark]
#[bench::cross(setup = setup_h8_warm)]
fn h8_cross_tree(mut m: h8::H8<8>) -> h8::H8<8> {
let _ = black_box(m.send(black_box(h8::Ev::Cross)));
let _ = black_box(m.step(black_box(Duration::ZERO)));
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
#[library_benchmark]
#[bench::chain(setup = setup_chain_warm)]
fn chain_self_emit(mut m: chain::Chain<8>) -> chain::Chain<8> {
let _ = black_box(m.send(black_box(chain::Ev::Go)));
// Drain the chain: 1 step per event. Go → S1 (entry emits Next) → S2
// (entry emits Next) → S3 (entry emits Next) → S4. 4 events total.
for _ in 0..4 {
let _ = black_box(m.step(black_box(Duration::ZERO)));
}
m
}
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
library_benchmark_group!(
name = dispatch;
benchmarks =
h2_cold_start,
h2_warm_lateral,
h4_cross_tree,
h4_up,
h4_self,
h8_cross_tree,
chain_self_emit,
);
#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
main!(library_benchmark_groups = dispatch);