atomic64_ad...tive_release(9)

💅 atomic64_add_negative_release(9) 💅

hii so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual and honestly? it's a little baddie with a big job. sit down, grab a strawberry 🍓, and let's get into it.

✨ NAME ✨

atomic64_add_negative_release — atomic add and test if negative with release ordering

like yes that's the whole name and yes it's a mouthful, but she's worth it 💖

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

bool atomic64_add_negative_release (s64 i , atomic64_t *v );

that's it. that's the whole vibe. two args, one bool, zero drama (well, some drama, it's atomics).

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

i — an s64 value to add. yes bestie, s64, so she can go negative, that's literally the whole point of the function 💀
v — pointer to atomic64_t. this is the girl we're doing math on. handle with care 🫶

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

okay so the tea: it atomically updates v to (v + i) with release ordering. atomically means nobody can catch her mid-operation, and release ordering means the memory ordering is doing its little synchronization moment. it's giving main character energy ✨

🚨 important bestie: this is unsafe to use in noinstr code. do not bring her to the noinstr party. use raw_atomic64_add_negative_release there instead, okay? i'm not mad, i just want you to be safe 🙈

👑 RETURN 👑

returns true if the resulting value of v is negative, false otherwise.

so she's out here doing math and judging the outcome. multi-talented icon behavior, no cap 💅

🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

okay this is the part where i introduce you to literally the entire friend group. it's a lot. i know. but every single one of them matters 💜

the whole thing lives in the kernel file ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h, and here's the roll call:

🎀 the `atomic_*` crew (32-bit girlies)

atomic_inc(9), atomic_inc_return(9), atomic_inc_return_acquire(9), atomic_inc_return_release(9), atomic_inc_return_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_inc(9), atomic_fetch_inc_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic_fetch_inc_relaxed(9), atomic_dec(9), atomic_dec_return(9), atomic_dec_return_acquire(9), atomic_dec_return_release(9), atomic_dec_return_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_dec(9), atomic_fetch_dec_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_dec_release(9), atomic_fetch_dec_relaxed(9),

atomic_xchg(9), atomic_xchg_acquire(9), atomic_xchg_release(9), atomic_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic_cmpxchg(9), atomic_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_sub_and_test(9), atomic_dec_and_test(9), atomic_inc_and_test(9), atomic_add_negative(9), atomic_add_negative_acquire(9), atomic_add_negative_release(9), atomic_add_negative_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_add_unless(9), atomic_add_unless(9), atomic_inc_not_zero(9), atomic_inc_unless_negative(9), atomic_dec_unless_positive(9), atomic_dec_if_positive(9) — ate, no crumbs 🍓

🧚 the `atomic64_*` crew (our 64-bit sisters, the page you're literally reading's family)

atomic64_read(9), atomic64_read_acquire(9), atomic64_set(9), atomic64_set_release(9), atomic64_add(9), atomic64_add_return(9), atomic64_add_return_acquire(9), atomic64_add_return_release(9), atomic64_add_return_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_add(9), atomic64_fetch_add_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_add_release(9), atomic64_fetch_add_relaxed(9), atomic64_sub(9), atomic64_sub_return(9), atomic64_sub_return_acquire(9), atomic64_sub_return_release(9), atomic64_sub_return_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_sub(9), atomic64_fetch_sub_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_sub_release(9), atomic64_fetch_sub_relaxed(9),

atomic64_inc(9), atomic64_inc_return(9), atomic64_inc_return_acquire(9), atomic64_inc_return_release(9), atomic64_inc_return_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_inc(9), atomic64_fetch_inc_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic64_fetch_inc_relaxed(9), atomic64_dec(9), atomic64_dec_return(9), atomic64_dec_return_acquire(9), atomic64_dec_return_release(9), atomic64_dec_return_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_dec(9), atomic64_fetch_dec_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_dec_release(9), atomic64_fetch_dec_relaxed(9),

atomic64_xchg(9), atomic64_xchg_acquire(9), atomic64_xchg_release(9), atomic64_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_cmpxchg(9), atomic64_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic64_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic64_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_sub_and_test(9), atomic64_dec_and_test(9), atomic64_inc_and_test(9), atomic64_add_negative(9), atomic64_add_negative_acquire(9), atomic64_add_negative_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_add_unless(9), atomic64_add_unless(9), atomic64_inc_not_zero(9), atomic64_inc_unless_negative(9), atomic64_dec_unless_positive(9), atomic64_dec_if_positive(9) — she's the moment 💅

🌈 the `atomic_long_*` crew (long girlies, showing up and showing out)

atomic_long_xchg(9), atomic_long_xchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_xchg_release(9), atomic_long_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_sub_and_test(9), atomic_long_dec_and_test(9), atomic_long_inc_and_test(9), atomic_long_add_negative(9), atomic_long_add_negative_acquire(9), atomic_long_add_negative_release(9), atomic_long_add_negative_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_unless(9), atomic_long_add_unless(9), atomic_long_inc_not_zero(9), atomic_long_inc_unless_negative(9), atomic_long_dec_unless_positive(9), atomic_long_dec_if_positive(9) — periodt. 💜

and that's the whole page bestie 🫶 this cutie lives in ./include/linux/atomic, dated October 2026, and it says atomic64_ad...tive_release(9) at the bottom because names that long don't fit in a footer and honestly? relatable. mwah 💋✨

📦 where this page comes from

nixpkgs unstable: linux-manual 7.3.1
💖 girlified by deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 on 2026-11-04: a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms