__file_ref_put(9)

💖 NAME 💖

okay so bestie, this is __file_ref_put(9) from the Kernel API Manual — the slowpath of file_ref_put(). it's giving kernel-internals realness and i'm obsessed ✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

bool __file_ref_put (file_ref_t *ref , unsigned long cnt );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• ref — Pointer to the reference count. like, the reference-count pointer, bestie.
• cnt — Current reference count. the number we're working with rn.

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

This gets invoked when the reference count is outside of the valid zone 🙈

It returns False if there are still active references or the put raced with a concurrent get/put pair. And the caller is not allowed to deconstruct the protected object. periodt.

🔥 RETURN 🔥

It returns True if this was the last reference with no future references possible. That signals the caller that it can safely schedule the object, which is protected by the reference counter, for deconstruction. slay, that's the green light 💚

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• Kernel file ./fs/file.c
• fd_install(9)
• file_close_fd_locked(9)
• last_fd(9)
• sys_close_range(9)
• file_close_fd(9)
• get_file_rcu(9)
• get_file_active(9)
• receive_fd(9)

iykyk 💅

mwah 💋 — source/version ./fs, dated October 2026, and yes bestie it's literally the __file_ref_put(9) page. bye 🫶