common_perm(9)

💅 common_perm — the kernel manual, but make it make sense

okay so bestie, we're looking at common_perm(9) from the Kernel API Manual — and she's lowkey iconic. buckle up 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

common_perm — the basic common permission check wrapper fn for paths. that's it, that's her whole job, and she ate 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int common_perm (const char *op , const struct path *path , u32 mask ,
       struct path_cond *cond );

so she takes four things and gives you back an int. simple. elegant. no cap. ✨

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• op — the operation being checked. like, what are you even trying to do, bestie? 👀
• path — the path to check permission of. and listen — this one is NOT NULL. she does not play about that. 🚫
• mask — the requested permissions mask. basically the permission wishlist. 🍓
• cond — conditional info for the permission request. also NOT NULL. two whole NOT NULLs, she's serious. 😭

fr fr do not pass NULL for path or cond. that's not a vibe check you wanna fail 💀

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🌈 RETURN 🌈

returns 0 — or else an error code if there's an error or permission denied. so, zero means slay, anything else means go touch grass and fix your permissions 🫶

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file ./security/apparmor/lsm.c and honestly the whole friend group:

• common_perm_cond(9)
• common_perm_dir_dentry(9)
• common_perm_rm(9)
• common_perm_create(9)
• apparmor_uring_override_creds(9)
• apparmor_uring_sqpoll(9)
• apparmor_bprm_committing_creds(9)
• apparmor_bprm_committed_creds(9)
• apparmor_sk_clone_security(9)
• apparmor_unix_stream_connect(9)
• apparmor_unix_may_send(9)
• apparmor_socket_post_create(9)
• apparmor_socket_bind(9)
• apparmor_socket_getpeersec_stream(9)
• apparmor_socket_getpeersec_dgram(9)
• apparmor_sock_graft(9)
• apparmor_socket_sock_rcv_skb(9)
• set_init_ctx(9)

all linked, all relevant, all invited to the group chat 💜

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and that's the whole page, bestie. this one lives in ./security/apparmor and the version tag says October 2026 — so she's from the future, main character energy only ⭐💖