Why is it a tail?

Question

Here is a simple greeting world:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    printf("hello world\n");
    return 0;
}

Here it is compiled for LLVM IR:

will@ox:~$ clang -S -O3 -emit-llvm ~/test_apps/hello1.c -o -
; ModuleID = '/home/will/test_apps/hello1.c'
target datalayout = "e-m:e-i64:64-f80:128-n8:16:32:64-S128"
target triple = "x86_64-pc-linux-gnu"

@str = private unnamed_addr constant [12 x i8] c"hello world\00"

; Function Attrs: nounwind uwtable
define i32 @main() #0 {
  %puts = tail call i32 @puts(i8* getelementptr inbounds ([12 x i8]* @str, i64 0, i64 0))
  ret i32 0
}

; Function Attrs: nounwind
declare i32 @puts(i8* nocapture readonly) #1

attributes #0 = { nounwind uwtable "less-precise-fpmad"="false" "no-frame-pointer-elim"="false" "no-infs-fp-math"="false" "no-nans-fp-math"="false" "stack-protector-buffer-size"="8" "unsafe-fp-math"="false" "use-soft-float"="false" }
attributes #1 = { nounwind }

!llvm.ident = !{!0}

!0 = !{!"Ubuntu clang version 3.6.0-2ubuntu1 (tags/RELEASE_360/final) (based on LLVM 3.6.0)"}

The description of the tail call optimization description indicates that the following conditions must be met:

The call — the tail call — is in the tail position (ret immediately follows call and ret uses the call value or is empty).

However, in this example, the return value puts()should not be used as the return value of a function.

Is this a legitimate tail call optimization? What returns main()?

Answer 1

tail LLVM . , puts , , . - , , , , .

, LLVM, , :

$ clang -O -S -o - bug.c
        [...]
main:                                   # @main
        .cfi_startproc
# BB#0:                                 # %entry
        pushq   %rax
.Ltmp0:
        .cfi_def_cfa_offset 16
        movl    $.Lstr, %edi
        callq   puts
        xorl    %eax, %eax
        popq    %rdx
        retq