atomic64_inc...ess_negative(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 atomic64_inc...ess_negative(9) — Kernel API Manual, but make it make sense

okay so bestie, you found the page for atomic64_inc_unless_negative in the Kernel API Manual (that's the manual name btw, written as atomic64_inc...ess_negative(9) up top — yes the header truncates it, that's just how it vibes 💀). Anyway. It's giving "increment, but only if things are chill." Let's get into it 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

atomic64_inc_unless_negative — atomic increment unless negative with full ordering 🔥

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

bool atomic64_inc_unless_negative (atomic64_t *v );

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

  • v — pointer to atomic64_t. that's it. that's the whole argument. she's low maintenance 💅

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Okay so here's the tea 🍓 — if (v >= 0), it atomically updates v to (v + 1) with full ordering. Slay, the number goes up, and everybody sees it happen in the right order ✨

Otherwise — like if v is negative — v is not modified at all, and relaxed ordering is provided. She said "no thank you" and stayed exactly where she was 🙈

⚠️ real talk: Unsafe to use in noinstr code. Use raw_atomic64_inc_unless_negative there instead. no cap, that's the whole warning, don't skip it 💀

👑 RETURN 👑

  • true if v was updated 💖
  • false otherwise 🫶

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h — and bestie, the guest list here is iconic, it's basically the entire atomic family reunion. everybody showed up 👑

the atomic_* girlies:

the 64-bit edition (our main character's squad 💜):

the long-haul crew (atomic_long_*, they've been through it 😭):

and that's the whole page, bestie 🫶 it shipped from ./include/linux/atomic dated October 2026, still filed under atomic64_inc...ess_negative(9). go forth and increment responsibly 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from