frontbuffer_flush(9)

💅 frontbuffer_flush — the kernel API manual, but make it make sense

okay so real talk, this is frontbuffer_flush(9) from the Kernel API Manual, and honestly? she's short but she matters. let's get into it 🎀

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🌸 NAME 🌸

frontbuffer_flush — flush frontbuffer. that's it, that's the vibe. she flushes. 💅

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void frontbuffer_flush (struct intel_display *display , unsigned int
frontbuffer_bits , enum fb_op_origin origin );

like, look at her go 🫶 three args, returns void, no drama.

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• display — display device. the whole display situation, bestie. 🖥️
• frontbuffer_bits — frontbuffer plane tracking bits. this is the "which planes are we even talking about" bitfield, keep up. ✨
• origin — which operation caused the flush. like, why are we flushing? she wants to know. 🔍

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

okay so this function gets called every single time rendering on the given planes has completed and frontbuffer caching can be started again. every time. no cap. ⭐

and here's the part that's giving main character energy: flushes will get delayed if they're blocked by some outstanding asynchronous rendering. so if you're sitting there like "why hasn't it flushed 😭" — bestie, something async is still cooking. 🔥

also the icon that she is: can be called without any locks held. no lock anxiety, no "not me forgetting to unlock", just vibes. 🧚

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• Kernel file ./drivers/gpu/drm/i915/display/intel_frontbuffer.c — go read the source, iykyk 💜
• frontbuffer tracking(9)
• intel_frontbuffer_flip(9)
• intel_frontbuffer_queue_flush(9)
• intel_frontbuffer_track(9)

like, the whole friend group honestly 🌈

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ngl, this page is short — but every line is doing its job. don't skip the "no locks held" part, it's lowkey the most important sentence here. 💀

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✨ that's the whole page, bestie ✨ this cutie lives in ./drivers/gpu/drm/i915/display, dated October 2026, and she's frontbuffer_flush(9) — periodt. 🍓💅