[v3] gdb: Add python support for demangling register unwind values

Message ID 20260430153155.979053-1-craig.blackmore@embecosm.com
State New
Headers
Series [v3] gdb: Add python support for demangling register unwind values |

Commit Message

Craig Blackmore April 30, 2026, 3:31 p.m. UTC
  This patch addresses the scenario where a register value is saved in
some mangled form on the target and gdb does not have sufficient
information to demangle it.

After getting a register value from an unwinder, gdb will call out to
extension languages to allow the value to be demangled.  This avoids
having to write a new unwinder and allows the standard unwinders to be
used.

This patch adds the python class
`gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer` which is the base class
for transformers which provide methods for transforming unwind register
values.  Currently one such method is supported, `demangle`.  There is
no similar support for mangling values being written back to the target
as this was not something I needed to be able to do.  Such support can
be added to the python API in future by supporting a `mangle` method.
Currently writing back to a demangled register will produce an "Attempt
to assign to an unmodifiable value" error.

Only one transformer can be registered globally at any one time.
Attempting to register more than one transformer or to any other locus
produces an error.  The function for registering transformers takes a
locus to allow other loci to be supported in future.  Registered
transformers are stored in a list so that registering multiple
transformers may be supported in future.

`gdbpy_get_register_descriptor` is now externally visible as it is used
to create a gdb.RegisterDescriptor object to pass to the `demangle`
method.

This patch adds read-only attribute `gdb.Value.lval_type` which
transformer methods can use to decide to skip modifying values that did
not come directly from the target and may not need transforming, for
example, values taken directly from DWARF.

Changes since v2:

* Removed RFC from subject.

* Changed `gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueDemangler` to
  `gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer` so that other transform
  methods could be supported in future rather than being restricted to
  demangling only.  Demangling is now done by calling the `demangle`
  method instead of `__call__`.

* Made transformer registration similar to unwinder registration to
  allow future support for registering multiple transformers and
  registering to other loci.

* Call `invalidate_cached_frames` after registering a transformer.

* Made `gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer.name` read-only
  and added type check.

* Pass `gdb.Frame` to demanglers instead of `frame_type`.

* Added global `python_transformer_enabled` to `py-unwind.c` which
  python sets when any transformer is registered.  This allows us to
  skip entering the python environment when demangling and no
  transformers are registered.

* Replaced `gdb.Value.is_lval_register` and `gdb.Value.is_lval_memory`
  read-only boolean attributes with `gdb.Value.lval_type` read-only
  type attribute.

* Removed redundant `return` after call to `error`.

* Replaced `NULL` with `nullptr`.

* Added tests for invalid registration and invalid return value from
  demangler.

* Updated tests and documentation to match the above changes.

* Rebased.
---
 gdb/NEWS                                      |  20 +++
 gdb/doc/python.texi                           |  95 ++++++++++
 gdb/extension-priv.h                          |   8 +
 gdb/extension.c                               |  35 ++++
 gdb/extension.h                               |   6 +
 gdb/frame.c                                   |   9 +
 gdb/guile/guile.c                             |   2 +
 gdb/python/lib/gdb/__init__.py                |  21 +++
 gdb/python/lib/gdb/unwinder.py                |  89 ++++++++-
 gdb/python/py-registers.c                     |   2 +-
 gdb/python/py-unwind.c                        | 169 ++++++++++++++++++
 gdb/python/py-value.c                         |  21 +++
 gdb/python/python-internal.h                  |   3 +
 gdb/python/python.c                           |   4 +-
 .../gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer-error.py |  33 ++++
 .../gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.c        |  80 +++++++++
 .../gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.exp      | 115 ++++++++++++
 .../gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.py       |  48 +++++
 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-value.exp         |   8 +
 19 files changed, 765 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer-error.py
 create mode 100644 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.c
 create mode 100644 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.exp
 create mode 100644 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.py
  

Comments

Eli Zaretskii April 30, 2026, 4:05 p.m. UTC | #1
> From: Craig Blackmore <craig.blackmore@embecosm.com>
> Cc: aburgess@redhat.com,
> 	eliz@gnu.org,
> 	Craig Blackmore <craig.blackmore@embecosm.com>
> Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:31:55 +0100
> 
>  gdb/NEWS                                      |  20 +++
>  gdb/doc/python.texi                           |  95 ++++++++++
>  gdb/extension-priv.h                          |   8 +
>  gdb/extension.c                               |  35 ++++
>  gdb/extension.h                               |   6 +
>  gdb/frame.c                                   |   9 +
>  gdb/guile/guile.c                             |   2 +
>  gdb/python/lib/gdb/__init__.py                |  21 +++
>  gdb/python/lib/gdb/unwinder.py                |  89 ++++++++-
>  gdb/python/py-registers.c                     |   2 +-
>  gdb/python/py-unwind.c                        | 169 ++++++++++++++++++
>  gdb/python/py-value.c                         |  21 +++
>  gdb/python/python-internal.h                  |   3 +
>  gdb/python/python.c                           |   4 +-
>  .../gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer-error.py |  33 ++++
>  .../gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.c        |  80 +++++++++
>  .../gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.exp      | 115 ++++++++++++
>  .../gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.py       |  48 +++++
>  gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-value.exp         |   8 +
>  19 files changed, 765 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
>  create mode 100644 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer-error.py
>  create mode 100644 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.c
>  create mode 100644 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.exp
>  create mode 100644 gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.py

Thanks.

> diff --git a/gdb/NEWS b/gdb/NEWS
> index e233906153a..c1dc008280e 100644
> --- a/gdb/NEWS
> +++ b/gdb/NEWS
> @@ -457,6 +457,26 @@ info threads [-gid] [-stopped] [-running] [ID]...
>       unavailability like gdb.Value.is_optimized_out checks for
>       optimized out values.
>  
> +  ** New constants gdb.NOT_LVAL, gdb.LVAL_REGISTER and gdb.LVAL_MEMORY
> +     to represent the lval_type of a value.
> +
> +  ** New read-only attribute gdb.Value.lval_type which indicates the
> +     lval_type of the value.  Currently supports not_lval, lval_register
> +     and lval_memory.  Any other type is mapped to not_lval.  Additional
> +     types may be supported in future.
> +
> +  ** Added gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer.  This is the
> +     base class for transformers which provide methods for transforming
> +     unwind register values.  Currently one such method, demangle, is
> +     supported, which is called after obtaining a register value from an
> +     unwinder and allows that value to be demangled before being used by
> +     GDB.
> +
> +  ** New function gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer
> +     that can register an instance of a sub-class of
> +     gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer as a transformer for
> +     unwind register values.
> +
>  * Guile API

This part is okay.

> +@defvar Value.lval_type
> +The lval_type of this @code{gdb.Value}.  The value of this attribute can

What is "lval_type"?  If it's a known term in Python programming,
please give it the @code markup.  Alternatively, replace with just
"type", a common word.

> +Additional lval_types may be added in future.

Same here.

> +Currently, only one transformer can be registered at any one time and it
> +is registered globally.  Attempting to register more than one
> +transformer or to a different locus will raise an exception.
> +Registering more than one transformer or to different loci may be
> +supported in future.

I'd remove the last sentence, it isn't useful in the manual.

Reviewed-By: Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
  

Patch

diff --git a/gdb/NEWS b/gdb/NEWS
index e233906153a..c1dc008280e 100644
--- a/gdb/NEWS
+++ b/gdb/NEWS
@@ -457,6 +457,26 @@  info threads [-gid] [-stopped] [-running] [ID]...
      unavailability like gdb.Value.is_optimized_out checks for
      optimized out values.
 
+  ** New constants gdb.NOT_LVAL, gdb.LVAL_REGISTER and gdb.LVAL_MEMORY
+     to represent the lval_type of a value.
+
+  ** New read-only attribute gdb.Value.lval_type which indicates the
+     lval_type of the value.  Currently supports not_lval, lval_register
+     and lval_memory.  Any other type is mapped to not_lval.  Additional
+     types may be supported in future.
+
+  ** Added gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer.  This is the
+     base class for transformers which provide methods for transforming
+     unwind register values.  Currently one such method, demangle, is
+     supported, which is called after obtaining a register value from an
+     unwinder and allows that value to be demangled before being used by
+     GDB.
+
+  ** New function gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer
+     that can register an instance of a sub-class of
+     gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer as a transformer for
+     unwind register values.
+
 * Guile API
 
   ** New type <gdb:color> for dealing with colors.
diff --git a/gdb/doc/python.texi b/gdb/doc/python.texi
index 96b46a98091..a9f35ef27f3 100644
--- a/gdb/doc/python.texi
+++ b/gdb/doc/python.texi
@@ -977,6 +977,22 @@  fetched when the value is needed, or when the @code{fetch_lazy}
 method is invoked.
 @end defvar
 
+@defvar Value.lval_type
+The lval_type of this @code{gdb.Value}.  The value of this attribute can
+be one of:
+@table @code
+@item gdb.LVAL_REGISTER
+The @code{gdb.Value} is in a register.
+
+@item gdb.LVAL_MEMORY
+The @code{gdb.Value} is in memory.
+
+@item gdb.NOT_LVAL
+The @code{gdb.Value} is not an lval or not covered by any of the other codes.
+@end table
+Additional lval_types may be added in future.
+@end defvar
+
 @defvar Value.bytes
 The value of this attribute is a @code{bytes} object containing the
 bytes that make up this @code{Value}'s complete value in little endian
@@ -3111,6 +3127,22 @@  no such value was passed.
 @end defvar
 @end deftp
 
+@deftp {class} gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer
+
+The @code{UnwindRegisterValueTransformer} class is a base class from
+which unwind register value transformers created by users can derive,
+though it is not required that they derive from this class, so long as
+they have the required @code{name} attribute.
+
+@defun UnwindRegisterValueTransformer.__init__ (name)
+The @var{name} is the name of this transformer.
+@end defun
+
+@defvar UnwindRegisterValueTransformer.name
+A read-only attribute which is a string, the name of this transformer.
+@end defvar
+@end deftp
+
 @subheading Registering an Unwinder
 
 Object files and program spaces can have unwinders registered with
@@ -3199,6 +3231,69 @@  the matching unwinders are enabled.  The @code{enabled} field of each
 matching unwinder is set to @code{True}.
 @end table
 
+@subheading Transforming Unwind Register Values
+
+An unwind register value transformer provides methods for transforming
+unwind register values.  Currently only one type of transform,
+demangling, is supported, by implementing the @code{demangle} method.
+Additional transforms may be added in future.
+
+After getting a register value from an unwinder, @value{GDBN} will call
+the @code{demangle} method of registered transformers to allow them to
+demangle the value.  This is useful in case a register value needs
+demangling before @value{GDBN} uses it and avoids the need to write a
+new unwinder.
+
+@subheading Registering an Unwind Register Value Transformer
+
+Currently, only one transformer can be registered at any one time and it
+is registered globally.  Attempting to register more than one
+transformer or to a different locus will raise an exception.
+Registering more than one transformer or to different loci may be
+supported in future.
+
+The @code{gdb.unwinder} module provides the function to register a
+transformer:
+
+@defun gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer (locus, transformer, replace=False)
+@var{locus} specifies to which transformer list to prepend the
+@var{transformer}.  Only @code{None} is supported, which registers the
+transformer globally.  Attempting to register to any other locus will
+raise an exception.  Only one transformer can be registered at any one
+time.  An attempt to add a second transformer raises an exception unless
+@var{replace} is @code{True} and the new and old transformer have the
+same name, in which case the old transformer is deleted and the new
+transformer is registered in its place.
+@end defun
+
+@subheading Skeleton Code for an Unwind Register Value Transformer
+
+Here is an example of how to structure a user created transformer:
+
+@smallexample
+from gdb.unwinder import UnwindRegisterValueTransformer
+
+class MyUnwindRegisterValueTransformer(UnwindRegisterValueTransformer):
+    def __init__(self):
+        super().__init__("MyTransformer_Name")
+
+    def demangle(self, frame, reg, value):
+        """
+        Return new value if demangled, otherwise None.
+        """
+        if not <frame we need to handle>:
+            return None
+
+        if <reg needs demangling>:
+            new_value = ... compute demangled value ...
+            return new_value
+
+        return None
+
+my_transformer = MyUnwindRegisterValueTransformer()
+gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer(None, my_transformer, False)
+@end smallexample
+
 @node Xmethods In Python
 @subsubsection Xmethods In Python
 @cindex xmethods in Python
diff --git a/gdb/extension-priv.h b/gdb/extension-priv.h
index 4ef87415413..deca276d4d6 100644
--- a/gdb/extension-priv.h
+++ b/gdb/extension-priv.h
@@ -310,6 +310,14 @@  struct extension_language_ops
 				  program_space *pspace,
 				  const struct bfd_build_id *build_id,
 				  const char *filename);
+
+  /* Update the unwind VALUE of a register.  Return EXT_LANG_RC_OK if VALUE was
+     updated, EXT_LANG_RC_NOP if it was left unchanged and EXT_LANG_RC_ERROR if
+     there was an error.  */
+
+  enum ext_lang_rc (*demangle_unwind_register_value) (frame_info_ptr frame,
+						      int regnum,
+						      struct value **value);
 };
 
 /* State necessary to restore a signal handler to its previous value.  */
diff --git a/gdb/extension.c b/gdb/extension.c
index d8ef8123ab5..82314af1d88 100644
--- a/gdb/extension.c
+++ b/gdb/extension.c
@@ -1139,6 +1139,41 @@  ext_lang_before_prompt (const char *current_gdb_prompt)
     }
 }
 
+/* See extension.h.  */
+
+struct value *
+ext_lang_demangle_unwind_register_value (frame_info_ptr frame, int regnum,
+					 struct value *val)
+{
+  gdb_assert (val != nullptr);
+  for (const struct extension_language_defn *extlang : extension_languages)
+    {
+      enum ext_lang_rc rc;
+
+      if (extlang->ops == nullptr
+	  || extlang->ops->demangle_unwind_register_value == nullptr)
+	continue;
+
+      rc = extlang->ops->demangle_unwind_register_value (frame, regnum, &val);
+      /* If the demangler changed the value or errored then do not call any
+	 others.  */
+      switch (rc)
+	{
+	case EXT_LANG_RC_OK:
+	case EXT_LANG_RC_ERROR:
+	  return val;
+	/* If the demangler did not change the value then continue calling other
+	   demanglers for other extension languages.  */
+	case EXT_LANG_RC_NOP:
+	  break;
+	default:
+	  gdb_assert_not_reached (
+	    "bad return from demangle_unwind_register_value");
+	}
+    }
+  return val;
+}
+
 INIT_GDB_FILE (extension)
 {
   gdb::observers::before_prompt.attach (ext_lang_before_prompt, "extension");
diff --git a/gdb/extension.h b/gdb/extension.h
index e351b5b672e..63cbea22c3f 100644
--- a/gdb/extension.h
+++ b/gdb/extension.h
@@ -433,6 +433,12 @@  extern ext_lang_missing_file_result ext_lang_find_objfile_from_buildid
   (program_space *pspace, const struct bfd_build_id *build_id,
    const char *filename);
 
+/* Take the unwound VALUE of the register identified by REGNUM being unwound
+   from FRAME and return the demangled value.  */
+
+extern struct value * ext_lang_demangle_unwind_register_value
+  (frame_info_ptr frame, int regnum, struct value *value);
+
 #if GDB_SELF_TEST
 namespace selftests {
 extern void (*hook_set_active_ext_lang) ();
diff --git a/gdb/frame.c b/gdb/frame.c
index 61d37316c6a..f20b09376e2 100644
--- a/gdb/frame.c
+++ b/gdb/frame.c
@@ -1340,6 +1340,15 @@  frame_unwind_register_value (const frame_info_ptr &next_frame, int regnum)
 	       user_reg_map_regnum_to_name (gdbarch, regnum));
     }
 
+  /* Allow extension languages to demangle the unwound value.
+
+     Do not demangle before frame id has been computed as this would cause
+     recursion as gdbpy_demangle_unwind_register_value calls
+     frame_info_to_frame_object which calls get_frame_id.
+  */
+  if (next_frame->this_id.p == frame_id_status::COMPUTED)
+    value = ext_lang_demangle_unwind_register_value (next_frame, regnum, value);
+
   if (frame_debug)
     {
       string_file debug_file;
diff --git a/gdb/guile/guile.c b/gdb/guile/guile.c
index ec5f6d08951..4397faeb435 100644
--- a/gdb/guile/guile.c
+++ b/gdb/guile/guile.c
@@ -138,6 +138,8 @@  static const struct extension_language_ops guile_extension_ops =
   NULL, /* gdbscm_get_matching_xmethod_workers */
   NULL, /* gdbscm_colorize */
   NULL, /* gdbscm_print_insn */
+
+  nullptr, /* gdbscm_demangle_unwind_register_value */
 };
 #endif
 
diff --git a/gdb/python/lib/gdb/__init__.py b/gdb/python/lib/gdb/__init__.py
index 1a4aefcd802..83aba4552fb 100644
--- a/gdb/python/lib/gdb/__init__.py
+++ b/gdb/python/lib/gdb/__init__.py
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@  frame_unwinders = []
 # The missing file handlers.  Each item is a tuple with the form
 # (TYPE, HANDLER) where TYPE is a string either 'debug' or 'objfile'.
 missing_file_handlers = []
+# Initial unwind register value transformers.
+unwind_register_value_transformers = []
 
 
 def _execute_unwinders(pending_frame):
@@ -144,6 +146,25 @@  def _execute_unwinders(pending_frame):
 
     return None
 
+def _execute_unwind_register_value_demanglers(frame, reg, value):
+    """Internal function called from GDB to execute unwind register value
+       demanglers.
+
+    Arguments:
+        frame: gdb.Frame instance.
+        reg: gdb.RegisterDescriptor instance.
+        value: gdb.Value instance.
+
+    Returns:
+        gdb.Value instance if value changed, otherwise None.
+    """
+    transformer_count = len(unwind_register_value_transformers)
+    assert transformer_count < 2
+
+    if transformer_count == 1:
+        return unwind_register_value_transformers[0].demangle(frame, reg, value)
+
+    return None
 
 # Convenience variable to GDB's python directory
 PYTHONDIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(__file__))
diff --git a/gdb/python/lib/gdb/unwinder.py b/gdb/python/lib/gdb/unwinder.py
index dc456d1987f..37a3db21945 100644
--- a/gdb/python/lib/gdb/unwinder.py
+++ b/gdb/python/lib/gdb/unwinder.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ 
 """Unwinder class and register_unwinder function."""
 
 import gdb
-
+import _gdb.unwinder
 
 class Unwinder(object):
     """Base class (or a template) for frame unwinders written in Python.
@@ -138,3 +138,90 @@  def register_unwinder(locus, unwinder, replace=False):
         i += 1
     locus.frame_unwinders.insert(0, unwinder)
     gdb.invalidate_cached_frames()
+
+class UnwindRegisterValueTransformer(object):
+    """Base class (or a template) for unwind register value transformers written
+    in Python.
+    """
+    def __init__(self, name):
+        """Constructor.
+
+        Arguments:
+            name: An identifying name for the transformer.
+        """
+
+        if not isinstance(name, str):
+            raise TypeError("incorrect type for name: %s" % type(name))
+
+        self._name = name
+
+    @property
+    def name(self):
+        return self._name
+
+    def demangle(self, frame, reg, value):
+        """GDB calls this method to demangle a register unwind value.
+
+        Arguments:
+            frame: gdb.Frame instance.
+            reg: gdb.RegisterDescriptor instance.
+            value: gdb.Value instance.
+
+        Returns:
+            gdb.Value instance if value changed, otherwise None.
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError("UnwindRegisterValueTransformer demangle.")
+
+def register_unwind_register_value_transformer(locus, transformer, replace=False):
+    """Register unwind register value transformer in given locus.
+
+    Currently only one transformer can be registered at any one time and
+    it must be registered globally.
+
+    Arguments:
+        locus: Must be None (which registers the transformer globally).
+               Any other locus will result in an exception.
+        transformer: An object of a gdb.unwinder.UnwindRegisterValueTransformer
+                     subclass.
+        replace: If True, replaces existing transformer if it has the
+                 same name.  Otherwise, raises exception if there is
+                 already a registered transformer.
+
+    Returns:
+        Nothing.
+
+    Raises:
+        TypeError: Bad locus type
+        RuntimeError: Only one transformer can be registered
+    """
+    if locus is None:
+        if gdb.parameter("verbose"):
+            gdb.write(
+                "Registering global unwind register value transformer '%s'\n"
+                % transformer.name)
+        locus = gdb
+    else:
+        raise TypeError("locus should be None")
+
+    transformer_count = len(locus.unwind_register_value_transformers)
+
+    assert transformer_count < 2
+
+    if transformer_count == 1:
+        if replace and transformer.name == locus.unwind_register_value_transformers[0].name:
+            del locus.unwind_register_value_transformers[0]
+        else:
+            raise RuntimeError("Only one unwind register value transformer can "
+                               "be registered")
+
+    locus.unwind_register_value_transformers.insert(0, transformer)
+
+    # Call the private _set_transformer_enabled function within the
+    # _gdb.unwind module.  This function sets a global flag within GDB's
+    # C++ code that enables or disables the Python unwind value
+    # transformer functionality, this improves performance of unwinding
+    # by avoiding unneeded calls into Python when we know that no
+    # transformers are registered.
+    _gdb.unwinder._set_transformer_enabled(True)
+
+    gdb.invalidate_cached_frames()
diff --git a/gdb/python/py-registers.c b/gdb/python/py-registers.c
index c6e0748e935..15a72a162c2 100644
--- a/gdb/python/py-registers.c
+++ b/gdb/python/py-registers.c
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@  gdbpy_reggroup_name (PyObject *self, void *closure)
    each REGNUM (in GDBARCH) only one descriptor is ever created, which is
    then cached on the GDBARCH.  */
 
-static gdbpy_ref<>
+gdbpy_ref<>
 gdbpy_get_register_descriptor (struct gdbarch *gdbarch,
 			       int regnum)
 {
diff --git a/gdb/python/py-unwind.c b/gdb/python/py-unwind.c
index dcf86f7db3d..198a2e4aa74 100644
--- a/gdb/python/py-unwind.c
+++ b/gdb/python/py-unwind.c
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ 
 #include "stack.h"
 #include "charset.h"
 #include "block.h"
+#include "value.h"
 
 
 /* Debugging of Python unwinders.  */
@@ -1004,6 +1005,62 @@  pyuw_on_new_gdbarch (gdbarch *newarch)
     }
 }
 
+static bool python_transformer_enabled = false;
+
+/* Implement gdb._set_transformer_enabled function.  Takes a boolean parameter
+   and sets whether GDB should enter the Python unwind register value
+   transformer code or not.
+
+   This is called from within the Python code when a new transformer is
+   registered.  When no transformers are registered the global C++ flag is set
+   to false, and GDB never even enters the Python environment to check for a
+   transformer.
+
+   When the user registers a new Python transformer, the global C++ flag
+   is set to true, and now GDB will enter the Python environment to use the
+   transformer.  */
+
+static PyObject *
+pyuw_set_transformer_enabled (PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kw)
+{
+  PyObject *newstate;
+  static const char *keywords[] = { "state", nullptr };
+  if (!gdb_PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords (args, kw, "O!", keywords,
+	  &PyBool_Type, &newstate))
+    return nullptr;
+
+  python_transformer_enabled = newstate == Py_True;
+  Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
+/* These are the methods we add into the _gdb.unwinder module, which
+   are then imported into the gdb.unwinder module.  These are global
+   functions that support unwinding.  */
+
+PyMethodDef python_unwinder_methods[] =
+{
+  { "_set_transformer_enabled", (PyCFunction) pyuw_set_transformer_enabled,
+    METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS,
+    "_set_transformer_enabled (STATE) -> None\n\
+Set whether GDB should call into the Python transformer code or not." },
+  {nullptr, nullptr, 0, nullptr}
+};
+
+/* Structure to define the _gdb.unwinder module.  */
+
+static struct PyModuleDef python_unwinder_module_def =
+{
+  PyModuleDef_HEAD_INIT,
+  "_gdb.unwinder",
+  nullptr,
+  -1,
+  python_unwinder_methods,
+  nullptr,
+  nullptr,
+  nullptr,
+  nullptr
+};
+
 /* Initialize unwind machinery.  */
 
 static int
@@ -1017,6 +1074,19 @@  gdbpy_initialize_unwind ()
   if (gdbpy_type_ready (&unwind_info_object_type) < 0)
     return -1;
 
+  PyObject *gdb_unwinder_module;
+  gdb_unwinder_module = PyModule_Create (&python_unwinder_module_def);
+
+  if (gdb_pymodule_addobject (gdb_module, "unwinder",
+			      gdb_unwinder_module) < 0)
+    return -1;
+
+  /* This is needed so that 'import _gdb.unwinder' will work.  */
+  PyObject *dict = PyImport_GetModuleDict ();
+  if (PyDict_SetItemString (dict, "_gdb.unwinder",
+			    gdb_unwinder_module) < 0)
+    return -1;
+
   return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1170,3 +1240,102 @@  PyTypeObject unwind_info_object_type =
   0,                              /* tp_init */
   0,                              /* tp_alloc */
 };
+
+/* Execute python demanglers and handle the result.  */
+
+enum ext_lang_rc
+gdbpy_demangle_unwind_register_value (frame_info_ptr frame, int regnum,
+				      struct value **val)
+{
+  if (!gdb_python_initialized || !python_transformer_enabled)
+    return EXT_LANG_RC_ERROR;
+
+  gdbarch *gdbarch = get_frame_arch (frame);
+  gdbpy_enter enter_py (gdbarch);
+
+  /* Disable transformers whilst creating a python frame object if the frame is
+     the sentinel frame and regnum is pc.  This is to avoid recursion as the
+     check for a corrupt stack in `frame_info_to_frame_object` results in
+     another call to this function with the same arguments due to the following
+     chain of calls:
+
+       get_prev_frame
+	 -> get_frame_pc_if_available
+	   -> frame_unwind_pc (frame->next)
+	     -> ...
+	       -> frame_unwind_register_value (frame, pc)
+		 -> ...
+		   -> gdbpy_demangle_unwind_register_value (frame, pc, ...)
+
+     The recursive call is passed the sentinel frame again because for the
+     sentinel frame:  frame->next == frame.  */
+  int pc_regnum = gdbarch_pc_regnum (gdbarch);
+  if (regnum == pc_regnum && is_sentinel_frame_id (get_frame_id (frame)))
+    python_transformer_enabled = false;
+  gdbpy_ref<> py_frame = frame_info_to_frame_object (frame);
+  if (regnum == pc_regnum && is_sentinel_frame_id (get_frame_id (frame)))
+    python_transformer_enabled = true;
+
+  gdbpy_ref<> py_reg_obj (gdbpy_get_register_descriptor (gdbarch, regnum));
+  if (py_reg_obj == nullptr)
+    {
+      gdbpy_print_stack ();
+      return EXT_LANG_RC_ERROR;
+    }
+
+  gdbpy_ref<> py_value_obj (value_to_value_object (*val));
+  if (py_value_obj == nullptr)
+    {
+      gdbpy_print_stack ();
+      return EXT_LANG_RC_ERROR;
+    }
+
+  /* Call demangler.  */
+  const char *func_name = "_execute_unwind_register_value_demanglers";
+  if (gdb_python_module == nullptr
+      || ! PyObject_HasAttrString (gdb_python_module, func_name))
+    {
+      PyErr_SetString (PyExc_NameError,
+	"Installation error: gdb._execute_unwind_register_value_demanglers "
+	"function is missing");
+      gdbpy_print_stack ();
+      return EXT_LANG_RC_ERROR;
+    }
+  gdbpy_ref<> pyo_execute (
+    PyObject_GetAttrString (gdb_python_module, func_name));
+  if (pyo_execute == nullptr)
+    {
+      gdbpy_print_stack ();
+      return EXT_LANG_RC_ERROR;
+    }
+
+  /* Demangler should return a gdb.Value if value has been changed, otherwise
+     None.  */
+  gdbpy_ref<> pyo_execute_ret
+    (PyObject_CallFunctionObjArgs (pyo_execute.get (), py_frame.get (),
+				   py_reg_obj.get (), py_value_obj.get (),
+				   nullptr));
+  if (pyo_execute_ret == nullptr)
+    {
+      gdbpy_print_stack ();
+      return EXT_LANG_RC_ERROR;
+    }
+  /* Use original value.  */
+  if (pyo_execute_ret == Py_None)
+    return EXT_LANG_RC_NOP;
+
+  /* Verify the return value is a gdb.Value.  */
+  struct value *new_val = convert_value_from_python (pyo_execute_ret.get ());
+
+  if (new_val == nullptr)
+    {
+      gdbpy_print_stack ();
+      error (_("The `demangle` method of an unwind register value transformer "
+	       "should return a gdb.Value instance if the value is changed, "
+	       "otherwise None"));
+    }
+  /* Finally update val to the demangled value.  */
+  *val = new_val;
+
+  return EXT_LANG_RC_OK;
+}
diff --git a/gdb/python/py-value.c b/gdb/python/py-value.c
index a5b2303728c..79b72716d0e 100644
--- a/gdb/python/py-value.c
+++ b/gdb/python/py-value.c
@@ -1406,6 +1406,19 @@  valpy_fetch_lazy (PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
   Py_RETURN_NONE;
 }
 
+/* Return the lval_type of this value.  */
+static PyObject *
+valpy_get_lval_type (PyObject *self, void *closure)
+{
+  struct value *value = ((value_object *) self)->value;
+
+  enum lval_type type = value->lval ();
+  if (type != lval_register && type != lval_memory)
+    type = not_lval;
+
+  return gdb_py_object_from_longest (type).release ();
+}
+
 /* Calculate and return the address of the PyObject as the value of
    the builtin __hash__ call.  */
 static Py_hash_t
@@ -2245,6 +2258,12 @@  gdbpy_is_value_object (PyObject *obj)
 static int
 gdbpy_initialize_values ()
 {
+  if (PyModule_AddIntConstant (gdb_module, "NOT_LVAL", not_lval) < 0
+      || PyModule_AddIntConstant (gdb_module, "LVAL_REGISTER",
+				  lval_register) < 0
+      || PyModule_AddIntConstant (gdb_module, "LVAL_MEMORY", lval_memory) < 0)
+    return -1;
+
   return gdbpy_type_ready (&value_object_type);
 }
 
@@ -2269,6 +2288,8 @@  static gdb_PyGetSetDef value_object_getset[] = {
     "Boolean telling whether the value is lazy (not fetched yet\n\
 from the inferior).  A lazy value is fetched when needed, or when\n\
 the \"fetch_lazy()\" method is called.", NULL },
+  { "lval_type", valpy_get_lval_type, nullptr,
+    "Return the type of the lval", nullptr },
   { "bytes", valpy_get_bytes, valpy_set_bytes,
     "Return a bytearray containing the bytes of this value.", nullptr },
   {NULL}  /* Sentinel */
diff --git a/gdb/python/python-internal.h b/gdb/python/python-internal.h
index 37bc37691fe..b8d0e2429b8 100644
--- a/gdb/python/python-internal.h
+++ b/gdb/python/python-internal.h
@@ -447,6 +447,8 @@  extern enum ext_lang_bp_stop gdbpy_breakpoint_cond_says_stop
   (const struct extension_language_defn *, struct breakpoint *);
 extern int gdbpy_breakpoint_has_cond (const struct extension_language_defn *,
 				      struct breakpoint *b);
+extern enum ext_lang_rc gdbpy_demangle_unwind_register_value
+  (frame_info_ptr frame, int regnum, struct value **val);
 
 extern enum ext_lang_rc gdbpy_get_matching_xmethod_workers
   (const struct extension_language_defn *extlang,
@@ -521,6 +523,7 @@  PyObject *gdbpy_lookup_objfile (PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kw);
 gdbpy_ref<> gdbarch_to_arch_object (struct gdbarch *gdbarch);
 PyObject *gdbpy_all_architecture_names (PyObject *self, PyObject *args);
 
+gdbpy_ref<> gdbpy_get_register_descriptor (struct gdbarch *gdbarch, int regnum);
 PyObject *gdbpy_new_register_descriptor_iterator (struct gdbarch *gdbarch,
 						  const char *group_name);
 PyObject *gdbpy_new_reggroup_iterator (struct gdbarch *gdbarch);
diff --git a/gdb/python/python.c b/gdb/python/python.c
index 502fe682b2c..5837c5afcb8 100644
--- a/gdb/python/python.c
+++ b/gdb/python/python.c
@@ -185,7 +185,9 @@  static const struct extension_language_ops python_extension_ops =
   gdbpy_print_insn,
 
   gdbpy_handle_missing_debuginfo,
-  gdbpy_find_objfile_from_buildid
+  gdbpy_find_objfile_from_buildid,
+
+  gdbpy_demangle_unwind_register_value
 };
 
 #endif /* HAVE_PYTHON */
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer-error.py b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer-error.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c926f374f1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer-error.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ 
+# Copyright (C) 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+from gdb.unwinder import UnwindRegisterValueTransformer
+
+class TestUnwindRegisterValueTransformer(UnwindRegisterValueTransformer):
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        super().__init__("test transformer")
+
+    def demangle(self, frame, reg, value):
+        """
+        Return a type that cannot be converted to a gdb.Value.
+        """
+        return []
+
+test_transformer = TestUnwindRegisterValueTransformer()
+gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer(None, test_transformer,
+                                                        True)
+
+print("Python script imported")
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.c b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9ac9672d325
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.c
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@ 
+/* This test program is part of GDB, the GNU debugger.
+
+   Copyright 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+   the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+   (at your option) any later version.
+
+   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+   GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+   along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.  */
+
+/* This is the test program loaded into GDB by the py-unwind-transformer test.
+
+   The start/end of each non-inlined function mangles/demangles the saved RBP
+   and RIP to simulate a target that stores RBP and RIP in a mangled form on the
+   stack.  */
+
+#define MY_FRAME ((volatile __UINTPTR_TYPE__ *)__builtin_frame_address (0))
+
+/* Mangle previous RBP and RIP using bitwise negation.
+
+   This is ABI-specifc.  On AMD64, the word at RBP contains contains previous
+   RBP and the word at RBP+8 contains previous RIP (unless -fomit-frame-pointer
+   was enabled *and* the compiler was able to omit RBP).  */
+
+#define MANGLE(FRAME)                                \
+  do                                                 \
+    {                                                \
+      *FRAME = ~*FRAME;                              \
+      *(FRAME + 1) = ~*(FRAME + 1);                  \
+    } while (0)
+
+#define DEMANGLE MANGLE
+
+/* This function does not have its own frame when inlined so does not do any
+   mangling.  */
+__attribute__ ((always_inline))
+static inline void
+f3_inline (void)
+{
+  __attribute__ ((unused))
+  volatile int x = 5;
+}
+
+static void
+f2 (void)
+{
+  MANGLE (MY_FRAME);
+
+  f3_inline ();
+
+  DEMANGLE (MY_FRAME);
+}
+
+static void
+f1 (void)
+{
+  MANGLE (MY_FRAME);
+
+  f2 ();
+
+  DEMANGLE (MY_FRAME);
+}
+
+int
+main ()
+{
+  MANGLE (MY_FRAME);
+
+  f1 ();
+
+  DEMANGLE (MY_FRAME);
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.exp b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.exp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..91922e4a286
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.exp
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@ 
+# Copyright (C) 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+# This file is part of the GDB testsuite.  It tests python support for unwind
+# register value transformers.
+
+# The transformer for this test is written for a hypothetical x86_64 target that
+# mangles RBP and RIP when saving them to the stack.  The C file for this test
+# simulates this behaviour by mangling the saved RBP and RIP at the start of
+# each function and demangling them at the end.
+
+require allow_python_tests
+
+standard_testfile
+
+if { [prepare_for_testing "failed to prepare" ${testfile} ${srcfile} {debug}] } {
+    return -1
+}
+
+# This test runs on a specific platform.
+require is_x86_64_m64_target
+
+# The following tests require execution.
+if {![runto_main]} {
+    return 0
+}
+
+# Continue to the innermost frame of the execution.
+gdb_breakpoint "f3_inline"
+gdb_continue_to_breakpoint "break in f3_inline"
+
+# Without the transformer sourced the backtrace should be incorrect.
+#
+# * Inline frame #0 is ok because it shares the same frame as #1.
+# * Frame #1 is ok because the frame address and program counter are in
+# registers RBP and RIP whose contents is not mangled.
+# * Frame #2 is not ok because its frame address and program counter are mangled
+# in memory.
+gdb_test_lines "bt 3" "broken backtrace when transformer not sourced" \
+[multi_line \
+    "#0 \[^\r\n\]* f3_inline \\(\\) at \[^\r\n\]+" \
+    "#1 \[^\r\n\]* f2 \\(\\) at \[^\r\n\]+" \
+    "#2 \[^\r\n\]* \\?\\? \\(\\)" \
+    "\\(More stack frames follow...\\)"]
+
+# Source the python unwind value transformer
+set pyfile [gdb_remote_download host ${srcdir}/${subdir}/${testfile}.py]
+
+gdb_test "source ${pyfile}" \
+    "Python script imported" \
+    "import python scripts"
+
+# The saved RBP and RIP should now be demangled before GDB uses them and the
+# backtrace should be correct.
+gdb_test_lines "bt" "correct backtrace when transformer sourced" \
+[multi_line \
+    "#0 \[^\r\n\]* f3_inline \\(\\) at \[^\r\n\]+" \
+    "#1 \[^\r\n\]* f2 \\(\\) at \[^\r\n\]+" \
+    "#2 \[^\r\n\]* f1 \\(\\) at \[^\r\n\]+" \
+    "#3 \[^\r\n\]* main \\(\\) at \[^\r\n\]+"]
+
+gdb_test_lines "frame 2" "select frame 2" \
+[multi_line \
+    "#2 \[^\r\n\]* f1 \\(\\) at \[^\r\n\]+" \
+    "\[0-9\]+.*f2 \\(\\);"]
+
+# Writing back to a demangled register is not currently supported.  Check that
+# it fails gracefully.
+gdb_test "p \$pc = 0x12345678" "Attempt to assign to an unmodifiable value." \
+    "error writing back to demangled register"
+
+# Check for error message when trying to add too many transformers.
+# Same name, replace = False.
+gdb_test_no_output "python obj = UnwindRegisterValueTransformer('test_transformer')" \
+  "Instantiate transformer 1"
+gdb_test \
+  "python gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer(None, obj)" \
+  "Only one unwind register value transformer can be registered" \
+  "exceed transformer limit: replace=False"
+# Different name, replace = True.
+gdb_test_no_output "python obj = UnwindRegisterValueTransformer('test_transformer2')" \
+  "Instantiate transformer 2"
+gdb_test \
+  "python gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer(None, obj, True)" \
+  "Only one unwind register value transformer can be registered" \
+  "exceed transformer limit: replace=True"
+
+# Check for error message when trying to register a transformer to an
+# unsupported locus.
+gdb_test_no_output "python pspace = gdb.selected_inferior().progspace"
+gdb_test_no_output "python obj = UnwindRegisterValueTransformer('test_transformer')" \
+  "Instantiate transformer 3"
+gdb_test "python gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer(pspace, obj)" "locus should be None" "unsupported locus"
+
+# Source a python unwind value transformer that returns an invalid type.
+set pyfile [gdb_remote_download host ${srcdir}/${subdir}/${testfile}-error.py]
+# Check for error message on invalid return type.
+gdb_test "source ${pyfile}" \
+[multi_line \
+    "Python script imported" \
+    "Python Exception <class 'TypeError'>: Could not convert Python object: [].*" \
+    "The `demangle` method of an unwind register value transformer should return a gdb.Value instance if the value is changed, otherwise None.*"] \
+"error on invalid return type"
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.py b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a113aaea9b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-unwind-transformer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ 
+# Copyright (C) 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+from gdb.unwinder import UnwindRegisterValueTransformer
+
+class TestUnwindRegisterValueTransformer(UnwindRegisterValueTransformer):
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        super().__init__("test transformer")
+
+    def demangle1(self, value):
+        """
+        For this test case mangled values are the bitwise negation of the
+        original value.
+        """
+        mask = 0xffffffffffffffff
+        return value.cast(gdb.Value (mask).type) ^ mask
+
+    def demangle(self, frame, reg, value):
+        """
+        Demangle RBP or RIP if their value is from memory.
+        """
+        if frame.type() == gdb.SENTINEL_FRAME or frame.type() == gdb.INLINE_FRAME:
+            return None
+
+        if ((reg.name == 'rbp' or reg.name == 'rip')
+            and value.lval_type == gdb.LVAL_MEMORY):
+                return self.demangle1(value)
+
+        return None
+
+
+test_transformer = TestUnwindRegisterValueTransformer()
+gdb.unwinder.register_unwind_register_value_transformer(None, test_transformer, False)
+
+print("Python script imported")
diff --git a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-value.exp b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-value.exp
index a384f4139dd..8b534c786ee 100644
--- a/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-value.exp
+++ b/gdb/testsuite/gdb.python/py-value.exp
@@ -257,6 +257,14 @@  proc test_value_in_inferior {} {
   # Smoke-test is_optimized_out attribute
   gdb_test "python print ('result = %s' % arg0.is_optimized_out)" "= False" "test is_optimized_out attribute"
 
+  # Test lval_type attribute
+  gdb_test "python print (gdb.parse_and_eval ('\$pc').lval_type == gdb.LVAL_REGISTER)" "True" "test lval_type attribute: lval_register"
+  gdb_test "python print (gdb.parse_and_eval ('*(int *)\$sp').lval_type == gdb.LVAL_MEMORY)" "True" "test lval_type attribute: lval_memory"
+  gdb_test "python print (gdb.Value(5).type.optimized_out().lval_type == gdb.NOT_LVAL)" "True" "test lval_type attribute: not_lval"
+  # Unsupported types are mapped to not_lval
+  gdb_test "p \$myvar = 3"
+  gdb_test "python print (gdb.parse_and_eval ('\$myvar').lval_type == gdb.NOT_LVAL)" "True" "test lval_type attribute: lval_internalvar"
+
   # Test address attribute
   gdb_test "python print ('result = %s' % arg0.address)" "= 0x\[\[:xdigit:\]\]+" "test address attribute"