Add depth validation for ASTs loaded through ParsedExprToAst / Checke...#1334
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Add depth validation for ASTs loaded through ParsedExprToAst / Checke...#1334wilyan09007 wants to merge 4 commits into
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ASTs loaded via ParsedExprToAst / CheckedExprToAst bypass the parser's recursion limit, so a deeply nested loaded AST could exhaust the Go stack during checking or planning and crash the process instead of returning a normal error. Add ast.ExceedsMaxDepth, a bounded traversal (default limit 250, the same as the parser's maxRecursionDepth) that Env.Check and Env.PlanProgram run before recursing, returning an ordinary error when the limit is exceeded. Includes a regression test that loads a synthetic over-deep AST. Closes cel-expr#1333
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The depth bound for ASTs ingested outside the parser (via ParsedExprToAst / CheckedExprToAst) was an exported package constant, common/ast.MaxNestingDepth. Replace it with a cel.ExpressionNestingDepthLimit functional option on NewEnv so the behavior is user-configurable with a sensible default rather than a public package-level knob. The option defaults to 250, matching the parser's maxRecursionDepth, and a negative value disables the check. Enforce it once during Program planning (PlanProgram) and drop the separate Env.Check guard, leaving a single configurable enforcement point.
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Address review feedback on the loaded-AST depth guard: - common/ast: replace the bespoke depth.go traversal with ExceedsDepth in navigable.go, built on the existing NavigableExpr.Depth() visitor. The walk is bounded to maxDepth+1 levels so it stays safe on the adversarially deep inputs it guards against. - cel: move the depth check out of the PlanProgram hot path and into the ParsedExprToAst / CheckedExprToAst proto-conversion helpers, the actual entry points for ASTs that bypass the parser. The expensive traversal now runs once at load; Check/Program only read the recorded error. Embedders in full control of their AST inputs can skip the check by constructing the AST through the common/ast package directly. - cel: register limitMaxASTDepth in limitIDsToNames so the depth limit round-trips through env.Config export/import. Updates the regression test to cover the parsed and checked conversion paths, Check surfacing, the low-level bypass, and the env-config round-trip.
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/gcbrun |
TristonianJones
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Jun 15, 2026
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/gcbrun |
TristonianJones
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Jun 22, 2026
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Summary
cel-goenforces a recursion/expression-depth limit while parsing CEL source, but ASTs ingested directly — throughParsedExprToAst/CheckedExprToAst— bypass that guard. A deeply nested loaded AST then flows into the recursive checker (Env.Check) and planner (Env.Program/PlanProgram), which can exhaust the Go stack and abort the process withfatal error: stack overflowinstead of returning a recoverable error. Embedders that load stored or serialized CEL ASTs as policy objects are the most exposed.This validates expression nesting depth before those recursive phases:
ast.ExceedsMaxDepth(expr, maxDepth)incommon/ast— a bounded traversal that never recurses pastmaxDepth+1levels, so it stays safe on the same adversarially deep inputs it guards against. The defaultast.MaxNestingDepth = 250mirrors the parser's defaultmaxRecursionDepth, keeping loaded ASTs consistent with parsed ones.Env.CheckandEnv.PlanProgramnow run that check up front and return an ordinary error/issue —input exceeds maximum expression nesting depth: 250— rather than recursing into a stack overflow.CheckandProgramreturn an error (not a crash), while normal expressions remain unaffected.Closes #1333