atomic64_dec_and_test(9)

💅 atomic64_dec_and_test — Kernel API Manual, bestie edition ✨

okay so real talk, this one lives in the Kernel API Manual (that's the manual name, don't @ me) and it's genuinely one of the most useful little gremlins in the whole atomic toolkit. pull up a chair 🎀

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🌸 NAME 🌸

atomic64_dec_and_test — atomic decrement and test if zero with full ordering. that's it, that's the whole vibe: subtract one, then check if you just landed on zero. 💖

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

bool atomic64_dec_and_test (atomic64_t *v );

like, that return type is a bool, bestie. it's giving yes-or-no. no in-between, no "maybe", no situationship. 👑

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🫶 ARGUMENTS 🫶

• v — pointer to atomic64_t. yep, that's the whole argument list. it's one (1) pointer and she ate. 💅

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🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

Atomically updates v to (v - 1) with full ordering.

read that again. atomically. meaning no one else can sneak in mid-decrement and mess with your count — the whole thing happens as one glorious indivisible unit, and the full ordering means the memory barrier vibes are fully locked in. it's giving main character energy at the hardware level. 🌈

🚨 careful though: it is unsafe to use in noinstr code. if you're in noinstr land, use raw_atomic64_dec_and_test there instead. no cap, don't skip this one or your kernel will simply pass away 💀

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💖 RETURN 💖

• true — if the resulting value of v is zero 🌟
• false — otherwise 🙈

so basically "did I just hit zero?" yes or no. iconic behaviour honestly.

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

okay bestie, buckle up, because this list is long and I am not skipping a single one of them. every single cross-reference, exactly as it appears — the whole atomic family reunion, atomic and atomic64 and atomic_long branches included. iykyk ✨

📁 lives in the kernel file ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h — noting that for the record 🎀

atomic_read(9), atomic_read_acquire(9), atomic_set(9), atomic_set_release(9),
atomic_add(9), atomic_add_return(9), atomic_add_return_acquire(9),
atomic_add_return_release(9), atomic_add_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_fetch_add(9), atomic_fetch_add_acquire(9),
atomic_fetch_add_release(9), atomic_fetch_add_relaxed(9), atomic_sub(9),
atomic_sub_return(9), atomic_sub_return_acquire(9),
atomic_sub_return_release(9), atomic_sub_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_fetch_sub(9), atomic_fetch_sub_acquire(9),
atomic_fetch_sub_release(9), atomic_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), 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_and(9),
atomic_fetch_and(9), atomic_fetch_and_acquire(9),
atomic_fetch_and_release(9), atomic_fetch_and_relaxed(9),
atomic_andnot(9), atomic_fetch_andnot(9),
atomic_fetch_andnot_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_andnot_release(9),
atomic_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic_or(9), atomic_fetch_or(9),
atomic_fetch_or_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_or_release(9),
atomic_fetch_or_relaxed(9), atomic_xor(9), atomic_fetch_xor(9),
atomic_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_xor_release(9),
atomic_fetch_xor_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), 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_and(9), atomic64_fetch_and(9), atomic64_fetch_and_acquire(9),
atomic64_fetch_and_release(9), atomic64_fetch_and_relaxed(9),
atomic64_andnot(9), atomic64_fetch_andnot(9),
atomic64_fetch_andnot_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_andnot_release(9),
atomic64_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic64_or(9), atomic64_fetch_or(9),
atomic64_fetch_or_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_or_release(9),
atomic64_fetch_or_relaxed(9), atomic64_xor(9), atomic64_fetch_xor(9),
atomic64_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_xor_release(9),
atomic64_fetch_xor_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_inc_and_test(9), atomic64_add_negative(9),
atomic64_add_negative_acquire(9), atomic64_add_negative_release(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), atomic_long_read(9),
atomic_long_read_acquire(9), atomic_long_set(9),
atomic_long_set_release(9), atomic_long_add(9),
atomic_long_add_return(9), atomic_long_add_return_acquire(9),
atomic_long_add_return_release(9), atomic_long_add_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_fetch_add(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_add_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_sub(9), atomic_long_sub_return(9),
atomic_long_sub_return_acquire(9), atomic_long_sub_return_release(9),
atomic_long_sub_return_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_sub(9),
atomic_long_fetch_sub_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_sub_release(9),
atomic_long_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), atomic_long_inc(9),
atomic_long_inc_return(9), atomic_long_inc_return_acquire(9),
atomic_long_inc_return_release(9), atomic_long_inc_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_fetch_inc(9), atomic_long_fetch_inc_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_inc_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_dec(9), atomic_long_dec_return(9),
atomic_long_dec_return_acquire(9), atomic_long_dec_return_release(9),
atomic_long_dec_return_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_dec(9),
atomic_long_fetch_dec_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_dec_release(9),
atomic_long_fetch_dec_relaxed(9), atomic_long_and(9),
atomic_long_fetch_and(9), atomic_long_fetch_and_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_and_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_and_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_andnot(9), atomic_long_fetch_andnot(9),
atomic_long_fetch_andnot_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_andnot_release(9),
atomic_long_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic_long_or(9),
atomic_long_fetch_or(9), atomic_long_fetch_or_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_or_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_or_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_xor(9), atomic_long_fetch_xor(9),
atomic_long_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_xor_release(9),
atomic_long_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), 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)

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and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🧚 go forth and decrement responsibly 💜

sign-off: this little love letter ships from ./include/linux/atomic, dated October 2026, and it's page atomic64_dec_and_test(9) — 🎀 catch you in the next man page, mwah 💋🌟🍓