> Detection of available extensions: we usually have to rely on OS to query available extensions since the `misa` register is accessible only in machine mode.

Not a RISC-V programmer, but this drives me crazy on ARM. Dozens of optional features, but the FEAT_ bits are all readable only from EL1, and it's unspecified what API the OS exposes to query it and which feature bits are exposed. I don't care if it'd be slow, just give us the equivalent of a dedicated CPUID instruction, even if it just a reserved opcode that traps to kernel mode and is handled in software.

> but the FEAT_ bits are all readable only from EL1, [...] I don't care if it'd be slow, just give us the equivalent of a dedicated CPUID instruction, even if it just a reserved opcode that traps to kernel mode and is handled in software.

I like the way the Linux kernel solves this: these FEAT_ bits are also readable from EL0, since trying to read them traps to kernel mode and the read is emulated by the kernel. See https://docs.kernel.org/arch/arm64/cpu-feature-registers.htm... for details. Unfortunately, it's a Linux-only feature, and didn't exist originally (so old enough Linux kernel versions won't have the emulation).