context_unsafe_alias(9)

✨ context_unsafe_alias(9) — like, the Kernel API Manual, but make it make sense ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the context_unsafe_alias(9) page 💅 this one's from the Kernel API Manual and it's honestly so niche but so important, stay with me.

---

🎀 NAME 🎀

context_unsafe_alias — the little helper that inserts a context lock "alias barrier" 🛡️

---

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

context_unsafe_alias (p );

---

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• p — a pointer that's aliasing a context lock, or an object that contains context locks. yeah, that kind of p. 🫶

---

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so this is a no-op function — like, it literally does nothing at runtime, no cap — but it acts as a "context lock alias barrier." think of it as a little signpost for the analysis 🪧

here's the vibe: the analysis is totally right that we're switching aliases (it's not confused, it clocked it 👑), but the switch is actually safe, it's just... beyond what the analysis can reason about. so we tell it, gently, "bestie, this one's fine, trust me." 💅

you should drop this in before the first use of such an alias. not after, not in the middle — before. periodt. ⭐

Implementation Note: the compiler ignores aliases that may be reassigned but whose value cannot be determined (e.g. when you pass a non-const pointer to an alias as a function argument). lowkey important, don't forget it 🙈

---

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• the 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)
• token_context_lock(9)
• token_context_lock_instance(9)
• __must_hold(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)

like, the whole annotated-context extended universe fr fr 🧚

---

and that's the page, bestie 🍓 this one lives over in ./include/linux, dated October 2026, and it's filed under context_unsafe_alias(9). slay, go annotate something 💜