.. _gcroot:
-Identifying GC roots on the stack: ``llvm.gcroot``
---------------------------------------------------
+Identifying GC roots on the stack
+----------------------------------
+
+LLVM currently supports two different mechanisms for describing references in
+compiled code at safepoints. ``llvm.gcroot`` is the older mechanism;
+``gc.statepoint`` has been added more recently. At the moment, you can choose
+either implementation (on a per :ref:`GC strategy <plugin>` basis). Longer
+term, we will probably either migrate away from ``llvm.gcroot`` entirely, or
+substantially merge their implementations. Note that most new development
+work is focused on ``gc.statepoint``.
+
+Using ``gc.statepoint``
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+:doc:`This page <Statepoints>` contains detailed documentation for
+``gc.statepoint``.
+
+Using ``llvm.gcwrite``
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. code-block:: llvm
<plugin>`. All calls to ``llvm.gcroot`` **must** reside inside the first basic
block.
-A compiler which uses mem2reg to raise imperative code using ``alloca`` into SSA
-form need only add a call to ``@llvm.gcroot`` for those variables which a
-pointers into the GC heap.
+The first argument **must** be a value referring to an alloca instruction or a
+bitcast of an alloca. The second contains a pointer to metadata that should be
+associated with the pointer, and **must** be a constant or global value
+address. If your target collector uses tags, use a null pointer for metadata.
+
+A compiler which performs manual SSA construction **must** ensure that SSA
+values representing GC references are stored in to the alloca passed to the
+respective ``gcroot`` before every call site and reloaded after every call.
+A compiler which uses mem2reg to raise imperative code using ``alloca`` into
+SSA form need only add a call to ``@llvm.gcroot`` for those variables which
+are pointers into the GC heap.
It is also important to mark intermediate values with ``llvm.gcroot``. For
example, consider ``h(f(), g())``. Beware leaking the result of ``f()`` in the
case that ``g()`` triggers a collection. Note, that stack variables must be
initialized and marked with ``llvm.gcroot`` in function's prologue.
-The first argument **must** be a value referring to an alloca instruction or a
-bitcast of an alloca. The second contains a pointer to metadata that should be
-associated with the pointer, and **must** be a constant or global value
-address. If your target collector uses tags, use a null pointer for metadata.
-
The ``%metadata`` argument can be used to avoid requiring heap objects to have
'isa' pointers or tag bits. [Appel89_, Goldberg91_, Tolmach94_] If specified,
its value will be tracked along with the location of the pointer in the stack