From 77e978cae58fd2c701bd0cd73168dc28baa2a21f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Alexander Medvednikov <alexander@medvednikov.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:48:07 +0300
Subject: [PATCH] stbi: fix c.stbi_load failing on clang windows (fixes #17248)

---
 vlib/gg/image_private_test.v | 10 ++++++++++
 vlib/stbi/stbi.c.v           | 16 ++++++++++++++++
 vlib/stbi/stbi_test.v        | 11 +++++++++++
 3 files changed, 37 insertions(+)

diff --git a/vlib/gg/image_private_test.v b/vlib/gg/image_private_test.v
index f41294269..a79fdc9b2 100644
--- a/vlib/gg/image_private_test.v
+++ b/vlib/gg/image_private_test.v
@@ -3,6 +3,16 @@ module gg
 
 import os
 
+const background_path = os.join_path(@VEXEROOT, 'examples/flappylearning/assets/img/background.png')
+
+fn test_load_image_loads_supported_file_contents() {
+	img := load_image(background_path)!
+	assert img.width > 0
+	assert img.height > 0
+	assert img.nr_channels == 4
+	assert img.path == background_path
+}
+
 fn test_load_image_returns_error_for_unsupported_file_contents() {
 	file := os.join_path(os.vtmp_dir(), 'gg_unsupported_image_${os.getpid()}.jpg')
 	os.write_file(file, 'not an image') or { panic(err) }
diff --git a/vlib/stbi/stbi.c.v b/vlib/stbi/stbi.c.v
index 75f8c7196..20c23bad1 100644
--- a/vlib/stbi/stbi.c.v
+++ b/vlib/stbi/stbi.c.v
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 module stbi
 
+import os
+
 @[if trace_stbi_allocations ?]
 fn trace_allocation(message string) {
 	eprintln(message)
@@ -129,6 +131,20 @@ pub:
 //    Converting/resizing it, should work fine though.
 pub fn load(path string, params LoadParams) !Image {
 	ext := path.all_after_last('.')
+	$if windows {
+		$if clang {
+			// stb's file-based loader crashes on Windows when compiled with clang.
+			// Read the file through V and decode the in-memory bytes instead.
+			file_bytes := os.read_bytes(path) or {
+				return error('stbi_image failed to load from "${path}"')
+			}
+			mut img := load_from_memory(file_bytes.data, file_bytes.len, params) or {
+				return error('stbi_image failed to load from "${path}"')
+			}
+			img.ext = ext
+			return img
+		}
+	}
 	mut res := Image{
 		ok:          true
 		ext:         ext
diff --git a/vlib/stbi/stbi_test.v b/vlib/stbi/stbi_test.v
index 4105bb3e0..8b8211326 100644
--- a/vlib/stbi/stbi_test.v
+++ b/vlib/stbi/stbi_test.v
@@ -101,3 +101,14 @@ fn test_load_image_from_memory_with_channels_different_than_4() {
 	assert img3.nr_channels == 3, 'load_from_memory should preserve the source channel count when desired_channels is 0'
 	assert img3.original_nr_channels == 3
 }
+
+fn test_load_from_file_matches_memory_decode() {
+	background_bytes := os.read_bytes(background_path)!
+	img_from_file := stbi.load(background_path)!
+	img_from_memory := stbi.load_from_memory(background_bytes.data, background_bytes.len)!
+	assert img_from_file.width == img_from_memory.width
+	assert img_from_file.height == img_from_memory.height
+	assert img_from_file.nr_channels == img_from_memory.nr_channels
+	assert img_from_file.original_nr_channels == img_from_memory.original_nr_channels
+	assert img_from_file.ext == 'png'
+}
-- 
2.39.5