__must_hold(9)

💅 __must_hold(9) 💅

okay so bestie, we're in the Kernel API Manual, and this page is all about a function attribute that does lock-vibe enforcement. It's short, it's specific, and it absolutely ate. ✨

✨ NAME ✨

__must_hold — function attribute, caller must hold exclusive context lock.

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

__must_hold (... );

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• ... — variable arguments.

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

__must_hold is a function attribute. It declares that the caller must hold the given context lock instance(s) exclusively. Like, that's the whole assignment — the word “exclusively” is doing the heavy lifting here. No cap. 💅

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file: ./include/linux/compiler-context-analysis.h

• __guarded_by(9), __pt_guarded_by(9), context_lock_struct(9), disable_context_analysis(9), enable_context_analysis(9), __no_context_analysis(9)
• context_unsafe(9), __context_unsafe(9), context_unsafe_alias(9), token_context_lock(9), token_context_lock_instance(9), __must_not_hold(9)
• __acquires(9), __cond_acquires(9), __releases(9), __cond_releases(9), __acquire(9), __release(9)
• __must_hold_shared(9), __acquires_shared(9), __cond_acquires_shared(9), __releases_shared(9), __acquire_shared(9), __release_shared(9)
• __acquire_ret(9), __acquire_shared_ret(9)

🫶 and that's the page, bestie. source/version: ./include/linux · date: October 2026 · page: __must_hold(9) — mwah 💋