fix(coderd/notifications): serialize pending updates gauge writes (#25495)

Fixes a race where concurrent notification dispatch goroutines could
overwrite `coderd_notifications_pending_updates` with an older
buffer-length snapshot. Pending update snapshots now serialize count
evaluation with the gauge write, and inhibited dispatch results refresh
the metric when buffered.

coderd/notifications/manager.go

@@ -237,9 +237,7 @@ func (m *Manager) BufferedUpdatesCount() (success int, failure int) {
 // syncUpdates updates messages in the store based on the given successful and failed message dispatch results.
 func (m *Manager) syncUpdates(ctx context.Context) {
 	// Ensure we update the metrics to reflect the current state after each invocation.
-	defer func() {
+	defer m.metrics.pendingUpdatesGauge.set(func() int { return len(m.success) + len(m.failure) })
-		m.metrics.PendingUpdates.Set(float64(len(m.success) + len(m.failure)))
-	}()
 
 	select {
 	case <-ctx.Done():
@@ -250,7 +248,7 @@ func (m *Manager) syncUpdates(ctx context.Context) {
 	nSuccess := len(m.success)
 	nFailure := len(m.failure)
 
-	m.metrics.PendingUpdates.Set(float64(nSuccess + nFailure))
+	m.metrics.pendingUpdatesGauge.set(func() int { return len(m.success) + len(m.failure) })
 
 	// Nothing to do.
 	if nSuccess+nFailure == 0 {

coderd/notifications/metrics.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package notifications
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promauto"
@@ -17,8 +18,28 @@ type Metrics struct {
 	InflightDispatches    *prometheus.GaugeVec
 	DispatcherSendSeconds *prometheus.HistogramVec
 
-	PendingUpdates prometheus.Gauge
+	PendingUpdates prometheus.Collector
 	SyncedUpdates  prometheus.Counter
+
+	pendingUpdatesGauge *pendingUpdatesGauge
+}
+
+// pendingUpdatesGauge serializes count evaluation with the gauge write,
+// preventing stale snapshots when concurrent goroutines race to update
+// the metric.
+type pendingUpdatesGauge struct {
+	gauge prometheus.Gauge
+	mu    sync.Mutex
+}
+
+// set evaluates count under the lock and writes the result to the gauge.
+// count is a function, not a value, so the channel length is read atomically
+// with the write; passing a pre-evaluated int would reintroduce the race.
+func (g *pendingUpdatesGauge) set(count func() int) {
+	g.mu.Lock()
+	defer g.mu.Unlock()
+
+	g.gauge.Set(float64(count()))
 }
 
 const (
@@ -35,6 +56,11 @@ const (
 )
 
 func NewMetrics(reg prometheus.Registerer) *Metrics {
+	pendingUpdates := promauto.With(reg).NewGauge(prometheus.GaugeOpts{
+		Name: "pending_updates", Namespace: ns, Subsystem: subsystem,
+		Help: "The number of dispatch attempt results waiting to be flushed to the store.",
+	})
+
 	return &Metrics{
 		DispatchAttempts: promauto.With(reg).NewCounterVec(prometheus.CounterOpts{
 			Name: "dispatch_attempts_total", Namespace: ns, Subsystem: subsystem,
@@ -68,10 +94,10 @@ func NewMetrics(reg prometheus.Registerer) *Metrics {
 		}, []string{LabelMethod}),
 
 		// Currently no requirement to discriminate between success and failure updates which are pending.
-		PendingUpdates: promauto.With(reg).NewGauge(prometheus.GaugeOpts{
+		PendingUpdates: pendingUpdates,
-			Name: "pending_updates", Namespace: ns, Subsystem: subsystem,
+		pendingUpdatesGauge: &pendingUpdatesGauge{
-			Help: "The number of dispatch attempt results waiting to be flushed to the store.",
+			gauge: pendingUpdates,
-		}),
+		},
 		SyncedUpdates: promauto.With(reg).NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
 			Name: "synced_updates_total", Namespace: ns, Subsystem: subsystem,
 			Help: "The number of dispatch attempt results flushed to the store.",

coderd/notifications/metrics_internal_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+package notifications
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+	promtest "github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/testutil"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/coder/coder/v2/testutil"
+)
+
+func TestMetricsSetPendingUpdatesSerializesGaugeWrites(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	realGauge := prometheus.NewGauge(prometheus.GaugeOpts{
+		Name: "test_pending_updates",
+		Help: "test pending updates gauge",
+	})
+	blockingGauge := &pendingUpdatesBlockingGauge{
+		Gauge:      realGauge,
+		blockValue: 3,
+		entered:    make(chan struct{}),
+		release:    make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	metrics := &Metrics{
+		PendingUpdates:      blockingGauge,
+		pendingUpdatesGauge: &pendingUpdatesGauge{gauge: blockingGauge},
+	}
+
+	success := make(chan dispatchResult, 4)
+	failure := make(chan dispatchResult, 4)
+	success <- dispatchResult{}
+	success <- dispatchResult{}
+
+	firstDone := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		defer close(firstDone)
+		failure <- dispatchResult{}
+		// The first writer observes total=3 and blocks inside Set(3)
+		// while still holding the pendingUpdatesGauge mutex.
+		metrics.pendingUpdatesGauge.set(func() int { return len(success) + len(failure) })
+	}()
+
+	testutil.TryReceive(testutil.Context(t, testutil.WaitShort), t, blockingGauge.entered)
+
+	// The main goroutine raises the real total to 4 before a second
+	// writer queues behind the locked gauge.
+	success <- dispatchResult{}
+
+	secondDone := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		defer close(secondDone)
+		// This count must be evaluated after release, while holding the
+		// mutex, so the final gauge value cannot regress to 3.
+		metrics.pendingUpdatesGauge.set(func() int { return len(success) + len(failure) })
+	}()
+
+	close(blockingGauge.release)
+	testutil.TryReceive(testutil.Context(t, testutil.WaitShort), t, firstDone)
+	testutil.TryReceive(testutil.Context(t, testutil.WaitShort), t, secondDone)
+
+	require.Equal(t, 4, len(success)+len(failure))
+	require.EqualValues(t, 4, promtest.ToFloat64(metrics.PendingUpdates))
+}
+
+type pendingUpdatesBlockingGauge struct {
+	prometheus.Gauge
+
+	blockValue float64
+	entered    chan struct{}
+	release    chan struct{}
+	once       sync.Once
+}
+
+func (g *pendingUpdatesBlockingGauge) Set(value float64) {
+	if value == g.blockValue {
+		g.once.Do(func() {
+			close(g.entered)
+			<-g.release
+		})
+	}
+	g.Gauge.Set(value)
+}

coderd/notifications/metrics_test.go

@@ -276,17 +276,24 @@ func TestPendingUpdatesMetric(t *testing.T) {
 	mClock.Advance(cfg.FetchInterval.Value()).MustWait(ctx)
 
 	// THEN:
-	// handler has dispatched the given notifications.
+	// Both handlers have dispatched the given notifications, and their
-	func() {
+	// results are pending in the metrics.
+	require.EventuallyWithT(t, func(ct *assert.CollectT) {
 		handler.mu.RLock()
+		inboxHandler.mu.RLock()
 		defer handler.mu.RUnlock()
+		defer inboxHandler.mu.RUnlock()
 
-		require.Len(t, handler.succeeded, 1)
+		assert.Len(ct, handler.succeeded, 1)
-		require.Len(t, handler.failed, 1)
+		assert.Len(ct, handler.failed, 1)
-	}()
+		assert.Len(ct, inboxHandler.succeeded, 1)
+		assert.Len(ct, inboxHandler.failed, 1)
 
-	// Both handler calls should be pending in the metrics.
+		success, failure := mgr.BufferedUpdatesCount()
-	require.EqualValues(t, 4, promtest.ToFloat64(metrics.PendingUpdates))
+		assert.Equal(ct, 2, success)
+		assert.Equal(ct, 2, failure)
+		assert.EqualValues(ct, 4, promtest.ToFloat64(metrics.PendingUpdates))
+	}, testutil.WaitShort, testutil.IntervalFast)
 
 	// THEN:
 	// Trigger syncing updates

coderd/notifications/notifier.go

@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ func (n *notifier) process(ctx context.Context, success chan<- dispatchResult, f
 		// If a notification template has been disabled by the user after a notification was enqueued, mark it as inhibited
 		if msg.Disabled {
 			failure <- n.newInhibitedDispatch(msg)
+			n.metrics.pendingUpdatesGauge.set(func() int { return len(success) + len(failure) })
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -184,7 +185,7 @@ func (n *notifier) process(ctx context.Context, success chan<- dispatchResult, f
 				n.log.Error(ctx, "dispatcher construction failed", slog.F("msg_id", msg.ID), slog.Error(err))
 			}
 			failure <- n.newFailedDispatch(msg, err, xerrors.Is(err, decorateHelpersError{}))
-			n.metrics.PendingUpdates.Set(float64(len(success) + len(failure)))
+			n.metrics.pendingUpdatesGauge.set(func() int { return len(success) + len(failure) })
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -316,7 +317,7 @@ func (n *notifier) deliver(ctx context.Context, msg database.AcquireNotification
 			logger.Debug(ctx, "message dispatch succeeded")
 		}
 	}
-	n.metrics.PendingUpdates.Set(float64(len(success) + len(failure)))
+	n.metrics.pendingUpdatesGauge.set(func() int { return len(success) + len(failure) })
 
 	return nil
 }