fscrypt_prep...okup_partial(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 fscrypt_prep...okup_partial(9)

okay so this is a page straight out of the Kernel API Manual, and bestie, it's a lil niche one but we're gonna make it make sense 💖

✨ NAME ✨

fscrypt_prepare_lookup_partial — prepare lookup without the filename setup

like yes she does the prep work, but she is NOT doing the whole name thing, and that's the entire point 🎀

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int fscrypt_prepare_lookup_partial (struct inode *dir , struct dentry
*dentry );

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • dir — the encrypted directory being searched 👀 that's the one we're digging around in
  • dentry — the dentry being looked up in dir, aka the thing we're trying to find in there 🔍

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

okay so here's the vibe check: this function is for the ->lookup and ->atomic_open methods of filesystems that handle filename encryption and no-key name encoding themselves — meaning they literally can't use fscrypt_prepare_lookup. like, they're built different, they do it their own way, respect 💅

so what does she actually do? like fscrypt_prepare_lookup, this function will try to set up the directory's encryption key 🔑 and it will set DCACHE_NOKEY_NAME on the dentry if the key is unavailable. periodt.

but — and this is the main character difference — this function does not set up a struct fscrypt_name for the filename. nope! not her job! someone else's problem! 🙈

⭐ RETURN ⭐

  • 0 on success 🎉
  • -errno on error 😭
wait, before you panic: the encryption key being unavailable is not considered an error. nope, not a vibe killer. also — it's not an error if the encryption policy is unsupported by this kernel either! that's just treated like the key being unavailable, so that files can still be deleted 🗑️✨ (yes that's intentional, she's being nice so you can still clean up)

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

like, go read the whole friend group honestly, they're all iconic 👑

🫶 and that's the page! brought to you by the fine folks over at ./fs/crypto, dated October 2026 — ty for coming to my ted talk, mwah 💋🌸

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