Summary
napi_unwrap must fail when it is handed an object that was never wrapped. The V8 and QuickJS ports both violate that, so Napi::ObjectWrap<T>::Unwrap cannot safely be called on an object whose type has not already been established. On V8 it is an outright memory-safety hole.
This affects every Unwrap call site in a consumer, not one polyfill. I hit it in BabylonNative's Canvas polyfill (BabylonJS/BabylonNative#1844), where ctx.fill(Object.create(Path2D.prototype)) was an access violation.
V8 port — dereferences internal field 0 unchecked
Core/Node-API/Source/js_native_api_v8.cc, inline napi_status Unwrap(...) (~line 345). A [BABYLON-NATIVE-ADDITION] marked "Increase perf by using internal field instead of private property" replaced the private-property lookup, including its validity check:
// upstream
auto val = obj->GetPrivate(context, NAPI_PRIVATE_KEY(context, wrapper)).ToLocalChecked();
RETURN_STATUS_IF_FALSE(env, val->IsExternal(), napi_invalid_arg);
with a bare obj->GetAlignedPointerFromInternalField(0), whose result is then dereferenced (reference->Data()).
For any object that is not a wrapped instance, internal field 0 is not a Reference*. The read returns garbage and the dereference faults. Reproduction:
const impostor = Object.create(Path2D.prototype);
ctx.fill(impostor); // 0xC0000005
I confirmed this in a local V8 build: deterministic access violation, and it disappears when the unwrap is replaced with a checked lookup.
QuickJS port — walks the prototype chain
Core/Node-API/Source/js_native_api_quickjs.cc, napi_unwrap (~line 2495). After the fast path on js_wrap_class_id there is a "Fallback: search the prototype chain for a legacy wrapper object".
That returns some other object's native pointer — a type confusion rather than a crash. An object created with Object.create(RealType.prototype) unwraps to whatever instance is reachable on the chain. It does at least return napi_invalid_arg when nothing is found.
JSI port
No C API, and ObjectWrap<T>::Unwrap returns nullptr for a non-wrapped object (napi-inl.h:2268) rather than throwing. Safe, but inconsistent with the other two.
Why this is hard to work around downstream
While fixing the Canvas case I found no portable way to do a type check:
napi_type_tag_object / napi_check_object_type_tag exist only in js_native_api_v8.cc.
Napi::Object::DefineProperty / PropertyDescriptor are absent from the JSI port, so a non-enumerable brand cannot be installed.
GetInstanceData / SetInstanceData / AddCleanupHook are absent from the JSI port, so there is nowhere to keep per-Env C++ state.
Napi::ObjectWrap<T>::Value() throws on the QuickJS port, which rules out an identity check against a candidate instance.
I ended up branding each instance with a Napi::External<T> and validating the pointer against a registry of live addresses. That works, but every consumer having to invent this is a strong argument for fixing the ports.
Suggested fix
Restore the validity check in the V8 port (keep the internal-field fast path, but verify the field actually holds the wrapper before dereferencing), and drop the prototype-chain fallback in the QuickJS port so a non-wrapped object returns napi_invalid_arg.
Related: #225 (the napi_throw family reports failure on success), found while chasing the same PR.
Summary
napi_unwrapmust fail when it is handed an object that was never wrapped. The V8 and QuickJS ports both violate that, soNapi::ObjectWrap<T>::Unwrapcannot safely be called on an object whose type has not already been established. On V8 it is an outright memory-safety hole.This affects every
Unwrapcall site in a consumer, not one polyfill. I hit it in BabylonNative's Canvas polyfill (BabylonJS/BabylonNative#1844), wherectx.fill(Object.create(Path2D.prototype))was an access violation.V8 port — dereferences internal field 0 unchecked
Core/Node-API/Source/js_native_api_v8.cc,inline napi_status Unwrap(...)(~line 345). A[BABYLON-NATIVE-ADDITION]marked "Increase perf by using internal field instead of private property" replaced the private-property lookup, including its validity check:with a bare
obj->GetAlignedPointerFromInternalField(0), whose result is then dereferenced (reference->Data()).For any object that is not a wrapped instance, internal field 0 is not a
Reference*. The read returns garbage and the dereference faults. Reproduction:I confirmed this in a local V8 build: deterministic access violation, and it disappears when the unwrap is replaced with a checked lookup.
QuickJS port — walks the prototype chain
Core/Node-API/Source/js_native_api_quickjs.cc,napi_unwrap(~line 2495). After the fast path onjs_wrap_class_idthere is a "Fallback: search the prototype chain for a legacy wrapper object".That returns some other object's native pointer — a type confusion rather than a crash. An object created with
Object.create(RealType.prototype)unwraps to whatever instance is reachable on the chain. It does at least returnnapi_invalid_argwhen nothing is found.JSI port
No C API, and
ObjectWrap<T>::Unwrapreturnsnullptrfor a non-wrapped object (napi-inl.h:2268) rather than throwing. Safe, but inconsistent with the other two.Why this is hard to work around downstream
While fixing the Canvas case I found no portable way to do a type check:
napi_type_tag_object/napi_check_object_type_tagexist only injs_native_api_v8.cc.Napi::Object::DefineProperty/PropertyDescriptorare absent from the JSI port, so a non-enumerable brand cannot be installed.GetInstanceData/SetInstanceData/AddCleanupHookare absent from the JSI port, so there is nowhere to keep per-EnvC++ state.Napi::ObjectWrap<T>::Value()throws on the QuickJS port, which rules out an identity check against a candidate instance.I ended up branding each instance with a
Napi::External<T>and validating the pointer against a registry of live addresses. That works, but every consumer having to invent this is a strong argument for fixing the ports.Suggested fix
Restore the validity check in the V8 port (keep the internal-field fast path, but verify the field actually holds the wrapper before dereferencing), and drop the prototype-chain fallback in the QuickJS port so a non-wrapped object returns
napi_invalid_arg.Related: #225 (the
napi_throwfamily reports failure on success), found while chasing the same PR.