More accurate $get_start_time()

DESCRIPTION

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ BugReports: https://github.com/r-lib/processx/issues
 Depends:
     R (>= 3.4.0)
 Imports:
-    ps (>= 1.2.0),
+    ps (>= 1.9.2.9001),
     R6,
     utils
 Suggests:
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ Suggests:
     testthat (>= 3.0.0),
     webfakes,
     withr
+Remotes: r-lib/ps
 Config/Needs/website: tidyverse/tidytemplate
 Config/testthat/edition: 3
 Config/usethis/last-upkeep: 2025-04-25

NEWS.md

@@ -42,6 +42,14 @@
   and `conn_read_bytes()` function for reading raw bytes from a processx
   connection directly (#406).
 
+* On Linux, `process$get_start_time()` now returns the correct wall-clock
+  start time. Previously it was systematically ~0.3–0.5 s too early because
+  the boot time was read from `/proc/stat btime`, which is truncated to whole
+  seconds. processx now derives the boot time from
+  `CLOCK_REALTIME − CLOCK_MONOTONIC`, which has nanosecond precision. The
+  ps package is updated in tandem to accept handles created by either the old
+  or the new method, so new ps + old processx continues to work (#394, #402).
+
 # processx 3.8.7
 
 No changes.

R/initialize.R

@@ -169,6 +169,14 @@ process_initialize <- function(
   connections <- c(list(stdin, stdout, stderr), connections)
 
   "!DEBUG process_initialize exec()"
+  ## Capture time just before the fork so we have a lower bound for the
+  ## child's start time. /proc/<pid>/stat starttime has only 10ms resolution
+  ## (100 Hz clock ticks), so it can appear to slightly predate this point.
+  ## We take max(kernel_start_time, before_start) so the reported start time
+  ## ($get_start_time()) is never earlier than when process$new() was called.
+  ## private$starttime_raw holds the unmodified kernel time and is used for
+  ## ps::ps_handle() validation (which has a 1-tick tolerance).
+  before_start <- as.numeric(Sys.time())
   private$status <- chain_call(
     c_processx_exec,
     command,
@@ -188,17 +196,18 @@ process_initialize <- function(
     linux_pdeathsig
   )
 
-  ## We try the query the start time according to the OS, because we can
+  ## We try to query the start time according to the OS, because we can
   ## use the (pid, start time) pair as an id when performing operations on
   ## the process, e.g. sending signals. This is only implemented on Linux,
   ## macOS and Windows and on other OSes it returns 0.0, so we just use the
   ## current time instead. (In the C process handle, there will be 0,
   ## still.)
-  private$starttime <-
+  private$starttime_raw <-
     chain_call(c_processx__proc_start_time, private$status)
-  if (private$starttime == 0) {
-    private$starttime <- Sys.time()
+  if (private$starttime_raw == 0) {
+    private$starttime_raw <- as.numeric(Sys.time())
   }
+  private$starttime <- max(private$starttime_raw, before_start)
 
   ## Need to close this, otherwise the child's end of the pipe
   ## will not be closed when the child exits, and then we cannot

R/on-load.R

@@ -9,8 +9,14 @@
   ## https://github.com/r-lib/processx/pull/401
   if (is_linux() && ps::ps_is_supported()) {
     ps::ps_handle()
-    bt <- ps::ps_boot_time()
-    .Call(c_processx__set_boot_time, bt)
+    if (utils::packageVersion("ps") >= "1.9.2.9001") {
+      ## Pass NULL to enable CLOCK_REALTIME-CLOCK_MONOTONIC precise boot time,
+      ## which requires ps >= 1.9.2.9001 for compatible handle validation.
+      .Call(c_processx__set_boot_time, NULL)
+    } else {
+      bt <- ps::ps_boot_time()
+      .Call(c_processx__set_boot_time, bt)
+    }
   }
 
   supervisor_reset()

R/process.R

@@ -705,52 +705,52 @@ process <- R6::R6Class(
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_name()] to get the process name.
 
-    get_name = function() ps_method(ps::ps_name, self),
+    get_name = function() ps_method(ps::ps_name, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_exe()] to get the path of the executable.
 
-    get_exe = function() ps_method(ps::ps_exe, self),
+    get_exe = function() ps_method(ps::ps_exe, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_cmdline()] to get the command line.
 
-    get_cmdline = function() ps_method(ps::ps_cmdline, self),
+    get_cmdline = function() ps_method(ps::ps_cmdline, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_status()] to get the process status.
 
-    get_status = function() ps_method(ps::ps_status, self),
+    get_status = function() ps_method(ps::ps_status, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' calls [ps::ps_username()] to get the username.
 
-    get_username = function() ps_method(ps::ps_username, self),
+    get_username = function() ps_method(ps::ps_username, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_cwd()] to get the current working directory.
 
-    get_wd = function() ps_method(ps::ps_cwd, self),
+    get_wd = function() ps_method(ps::ps_cwd, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_cpu_times()] to get CPU usage data.
 
-    get_cpu_times = function() ps_method(ps::ps_cpu_times, self),
+    get_cpu_times = function() ps_method(ps::ps_cpu_times, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_memory_info()] to get memory data.
 
-    get_memory_info = function() ps_method(ps::ps_memory_info, self),
+    get_memory_info = function() ps_method(ps::ps_memory_info, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_suspend()] to suspend the process.
 
-    suspend = function() ps_method(ps::ps_suspend, self),
+    suspend = function() ps_method(ps::ps_suspend, self, private),
 
     #' @description
     #' Calls [ps::ps_resume()] to resume a suspended process.
 
-    resume = function() ps_method(ps::ps_resume, self)
+    resume = function() ps_method(ps::ps_resume, self, private)
   ),
 
   private = list(
@@ -768,7 +768,8 @@ process <- R6::R6Class(
     pstderr = NULL, # the original stderr argument
     cleanfiles = NULL, # which temp stdout/stderr file(s) to clean up
     wd = NULL, # working directory (or NULL for current)
-    starttime = NULL, # timestamp of start
+    starttime = NULL, # timestamp of start (display; >= starttime_raw)
+    starttime_raw = NULL, # timestamp of start as reported by OS (for ps compat)
     endtime = NULL, # timestamp of exit, or 0 if not yet exited
     echo_cmd = NULL, # whether to echo the command
     windows_verbatim_args = NULL,
@@ -934,11 +935,11 @@ process_get_result <- function(self, private) {
 }
 
 process_as_ps_handle <- function(self, private) {
-  ps::ps_handle(self$get_pid(), self$get_start_time())
+  ps::ps_handle(self$get_pid(), format_unix_time(private$starttime_raw))
 }
 
-ps_method <- function(fun, self) {
-  fun(ps::ps_handle(self$get_pid(), self$get_start_time()))
+ps_method <- function(fun, self, private) {
+  fun(ps::ps_handle(self$get_pid(), format_unix_time(private$starttime_raw)))
 }
 
 process_close_connections <- function(self, private) {

src/create-time.c

@@ -43,15 +43,25 @@ double processx__create_time(HANDLE process) {
  * on Linux. */
 
 static double processx__linux_boot_time = 0.0;
+static int processx__use_precise_boot_time = 0;
 
+/* Pass NULL to enable the CLOCK_REALTIME-CLOCK_MONOTONIC implementation
+   (requires ps >= 1.9.2.9001). Pass a numeric boot time to use the legacy
+   /proc/stat btime implementation (for older ps). */
 SEXP processx__set_boot_time(SEXP bt) {
-  processx__linux_boot_time = REAL(bt)[0];
+  if (isNull(bt)) {
+    processx__use_precise_boot_time = 1;
+  } else {
+    processx__linux_boot_time = REAL(bt)[0];
+    processx__use_precise_boot_time = 0;
+  }
   return R_NilValue;
 }
 
 #ifdef __linux__
 
 #include <sys/sysinfo.h>
+#include <time.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 int processx__read_file(const char *path, char **buffer, size_t buffer_size) {
@@ -177,23 +187,36 @@ static double processx__linux_clock_period = 0.0;
 
 double processx__create_time(long pid) {
   double ct;
-  double bt;
   double clock;
 
   ct = processx__create_time_since_boot(pid);
   if (ct == 0) return 0.0;
 
-  bt = processx__boot_time();
-  if (bt == 0) return 0.0;
-
-  /* Query if not yet queried */
+  /* Query clock tick rate if not yet queried */
   if (processx__linux_clock_period == 0) {
     clock = sysconf(_SC_CLK_TCK);
     if (clock == -1) return 0.0;
     processx__linux_clock_period = 1.0 / clock;
   }
 
-  return bt + ct * processx__linux_clock_period;
+  if (processx__use_precise_boot_time) {
+    /* Precise boot time: CLOCK_REALTIME - CLOCK_MONOTONIC.
+       CLOCK_MONOTONIC uses the same boot reference as /proc/<pid>/stat
+       starttime, avoiding the whole-second truncation error of /proc/stat
+       btime. Requires ps >= 1.9.2.9001 for compatible handle validation.
+       See https://github.com/r-lib/processx/issues/394 */
+    struct timespec real_time, mono_time;
+    if (clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &real_time) == -1) return 0.0;
+    if (clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &mono_time) == -1) return 0.0;
+    double real_secs = real_time.tv_sec + real_time.tv_nsec * 1e-9;
+    double mono_secs = mono_time.tv_sec + mono_time.tv_nsec * 1e-9;
+    return (real_secs - mono_secs) + ct * processx__linux_clock_period;
+  } else {
+    /* Legacy: cached boot time from /proc/stat btime (integer seconds). */
+    double bt = processx__boot_time();
+    if (bt == 0) return 0.0;
+    return bt + ct * processx__linux_clock_period;
+  }
 }
 
 #endif