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Documents authored by Chen, Wenyao

Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2026.1
Beyond k-Limiting: Pointer-Flow-Guided Context Sensitivity for Scalable and Precise Rust Pointer Analysis

Authors: Wenyao Chen, Wei Li, and Jingling Xue

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 372, 40th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2026)

Abstract
Pointer analysis for Rust faces unique challenges arising from its ownership-based memory model and layered abstractions, which complicate how heap-allocated objects flow across functions. Existing k-limited callsite abstractions - designed for earlier languages - are both imprecise and inefficient on large Rust programs. We present Rceus, a Rust-oriented pointer-analysis technique that mitigates points-to set explosion and resource exhaustion caused by cross-function pointer conflation under deep heap encapsulation, a scalability bottleneck that conventional k-limiting cannot address. Rceus performs a fast, coarse-grained pointer-flow pre-analysis to identify precision-critical functions and the essential callsites within their calling contexts. This selective context construction distinguishes parameter-derived flows while avoiding unnecessary expansion. As a result, Rceus cleanly partitions intertwined pointer flows, eliminating context explosion and improving both scalability and precision. On 16 real-world Rust applications, Rceus outperforms state-of-the-art techniques - standard k-limiting, selective k-limiting for Java, and stack-filtered k-limiting for Rust - in both precision and efficiency. The evaluation includes Wasmtime, a WebAssembly runtime with 669K lines of code, where the benefits increase with program size. Rceus also composes with existing techniques, providing a practical and extensible foundation for scalable, precise Rust pointer analysis.
Cite as

Wenyao Chen, Wei Li, and Jingling Xue. Beyond k-Limiting: Pointer-Flow-Guided Context Sensitivity for Scalable and Precise Rust Pointer Analysis. In 40th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 372, pp. 1:1-1:30, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{chen_et_al:LIPIcs.ECOOP.2026.1,
  author =	{Chen, Wenyao and Li, Wei and Xue, Jingling},
  title =	{{Beyond k-Limiting: Pointer-Flow-Guided Context Sensitivity for Scalable and Precise Rust Pointer Analysis}},
  booktitle =	{40th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2026)},
  pages =	{1:1--1:30},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-423-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{372},
  editor =	{Krebbers, Robbert and Silva, Alexandra},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2026.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260973},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2026.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: Pointer Analysis, Context Sensitivity, Rust}
}
Document
Artifact
DOI: 10.4230/DARTS.12.1.12
Beyond k-Limiting: Pointer-Flow-Guided Context Sensitivity for Scalable and Precise Rust Pointer Analysis (Artifact)

Authors: Wenyao Chen, Wei Li, and Jingling Xue

Published in: DARTS, Volume 12, Issue 1, Special Issue of the 40th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2026)

Abstract
Pointer analysis for Rust faces unique challenges arising from its ownership-based memory model and layered abstractions, which complicate how heap-allocated objects flow across functions. Existing k-limited callsite abstractions—designed for earlier languages—are both imprecise and inefficient on large Rust programs. We present Rceus, a Rust-oriented pointer-analysis technique that mitigates points-to set explosion and resource exhaustion caused by cross-function pointer conflation under deep heap encapsulation, a scalability bottleneck that conventional k-limiting cannot address. Rceus performs a fast, coarse-grained pointer-flow pre-analysis to identify precision-critical functions and the essential callsites within their calling contexts. This selective context construction distinguishes parameter-derived flows while avoiding unnecessary expansion. As a result, Rceus cleanly partitions intertwined pointer flows, eliminating context explosion and improving both scalability and precision. On 16 real-world Rust applications, Rceus outperforms state-of-the-art techniques—standard k-limiting, selective k-limiting for Java, and stack-filtered k-limiting for Rust—in both precision and efficiency. The evaluation includes Wasmtime, a WebAssembly runtime with 669K lines of code, where the benefits increase with program size. Rceus also composes with existing techniques, providing a practical and extensible foundation for scalable, precise Rust pointer analysis.
Cite as

Wenyao Chen, Wei Li, and Jingling Xue. Beyond k-Limiting: Pointer-Flow-Guided Context Sensitivity for Scalable and Precise Rust Pointer Analysis (Artifact). In Special Issue of the 40th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2026). Dagstuhl Artifacts Series (DARTS), Volume 12, Issue 1, pp. 12:1-12:3, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@Article{chen_et_al:DARTS.12.1.12,
  author =	{Chen, Wenyao and Li, Wei and Xue, Jingling},
  title =	{{Beyond k-Limiting: Pointer-Flow-Guided Context Sensitivity for Scalable and Precise Rust Pointer Analysis (Artifact)}},
  pages =	{12:1--12:3},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Artifacts Series},
  ISSN =	{2509-8195},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{12},
  number =	{1},
  editor =	{Chen, Wenyao and Li, Wei and Xue, Jingling},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DARTS.12.1.12},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-261496},
  doi =		{10.4230/DARTS.12.1.12},
  annote =	{Keywords: Pointer Analysis, Context Sensitivity, Rust}
}
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