generic_listxattr(9)

💖 generic_listxattr(9) 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual side of the group chat, where we make kernel helpers feel fetch. this page is all about generic_listxattr, and it is lowkey iconic in a “run through a dentry’s xattr list() operations” kinda way. 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

generic_listxattr — run through a dentry's xattr list() operations. that’s the name, that’s the job, and it’s giving helper-function main character energy. 💅

💫 SYNOPSIS 💫

ssize_t generic_listxattr (struct dentry *dentry , char *buffer , size_t
       buffer_size );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• dentry — dentry to list the xattrs. this is the dentry we’re doing the list-y thing on, bestie. 🎀
• buffer — result buffer. it’s where the results go, like a little result bucket. ✨
• buffer_size — size of buffer. yes, the size of that buffer. iconic. 💖

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so the vibe here is teamwork: this function combines the results of the list operation from every xattr_handler in the xattr_handler stack. literally every handler in the stack contributes, and generic_listxattr is the main character collecting the combined results. 🔥

important note, bestie: this will not include the entries for POSIX ACLs. so don’t come for it about missing POSIX ACL entries — it said what it said. 🙈

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the Kernel file ./fs/xattr.c is like the mothership, and these are the linked besties you should also check out:

• may_write_xattr(9)
• __vfs_setxattr_noperm(9)
• __vfs_setxattr_locked(9)
• vfs_listxattr(9)
• __vfs_removexattr_locked(9)
• xattr_full_name(9)
• simple_xattr_space(9)
• simple_xattr_free(9)
• simple_xattr_free_rcu(9)
• simple_xattr_alloc(9)
• simple_xattr_get(9)
• simple_xattr_set(9)
• simple_xattr_set_limited(9)
• simple_xattr_list(9)
• simple_xattr_add(9)
• simple_xattr_add_limited(9)
• simple_xattrs_free(9)
• simple_xattr_cache_cleanup(9)

signing off from source corner ./fs with the October 2026 timestamp, your girl generic_listxattr(9) 💅✨