device_find_any_child(9)

💅 device_find_any_child(9) — the kernel API manual, but make it make sense

okay so bestie, welcome to section 9 of the Kernel API Manual, and today's main character is device_find_any_child(9). yes it's a real function. yes it's iconic. let's get into it 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

device_find_any_child — a device iterator that's literally just here to locate a child device, if there even is one. lowkey the chillest iterator in the family 🦋

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

struct device * device_find_any_child (struct device *parent );

that's it. that's the whole vibe. one argument, one return, no drama 💅

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✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

• parent — the parent struct device. like, the actual parent device struct you're asking about. it's giving family tree energy 🌸

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so this one is similar to the device_find_child function above it (iykyk), BUT — and this is the slay part — instead of whatever that one does, it returns a reference to a child device, if any. fr fr, that's the whole bit. if there's a child, you get a reference to it. no cap 👑

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✨ NOTE ✨

🚨 bestie listen to me 🚨 you will need to drop that reference with put_device after use. do not leave it hanging. that's a leak and we don't do leaks in this house 😭

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✨ SEE ALSO ✨

okay this list is long but every single one of these is required reading, no skipping 🙈

• Kernel file ./include/linux/device.h
• struct subsys_interface(9)
• struct device_attribute(9)
• struct dev_ext_attribute(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_RW(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_ADMIN_RW(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_RW_NAMED(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_RO(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_ADMIN_RO(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_RO_NAMED(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_WO(9)
• DEVICE_ATTR_WO_NAMED(9)
• DEVICE_ULONG_ATTR(9)
• DEVICE_INT_ATTR(9)
• DEVICE_BOOL_ATTR(9)
• DEVICE_STRING_ATTR_RO(9)
• enum device_link_state(9)
• enum dl_dev_state(9)
• enum device_removable(9)
• struct dev_links_info(9)
• struct dev_msi_info(9)
• enum device_physical_location_panel(9)
• enum device_physical_location_vertical_position(9)
• enum device_physical_location_horizontal_position(9)
• struct device_physical_location(9)
• enum struct_device_flags(9)
• struct device(9)
• struct device_link(9)
• device_set_driver_override(9)
• device_has_driver_override(9)
• device_match_driver_override(9)
• device_iommu_mapped(9)
• dev_name(9)
• dev_bus_name(9)
• device_find_child_by_name(9)
• device_lock_set_class(9)
• device_lock_reset_class(9)

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and that's the page!! 🫶 this whole thing lives in ./include/linux and it's dated October 2026 — so yeah, mark your calendars bestie, this manual page is from the future and it ate 💖⭐👑