get_pwq(9)

🌸 get_pwq(9) — from the Kernel API Manual, bestie ✨

okay so we're in the workqueue corner of the kernel today 💅 this is get_pwq(9), straight out of the Kernel API Manual, and yeah we're reading the whole thing together, no skimming, no skipping 🫶

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🎀 NAME

get_pwq — get an extra reference on the specified pool_workqueue.

that's it, that's the whole job. one more ref on a pool_workqueue. iconic behaviour, honestly 👑

✨ SYNOPSIS

void get_pwq (struct pool_workqueue *pwq );

🦋 ARGUMENTS

• pwq — pool_workqueue to get. (the little guy you're grabbing the extra reference on — main character energy, fr fr 🌟)

💖 DESCRIPTION

So the manpage keeps it short and sweet: obtain an extra reference on pwq. slay, done, love that for us.

BUT — and this is the part where you sit up straight, bestie 🧚 — the caller has to guarantee two things:

• that pwq has a positive refcnt
• that you're holding the matching pool->lock

no cap, those aren't vibes, they're requirements 😭 the page says the caller should guarantee them, and if you don't... that's between you and the scheduler. good luck explaining that one 💀

🌈 SEE ALSO

okay this is the part where the page absolutely ate and left no crumbs — the SEE ALSO list is massive. here's the entire crew, in order, zero skips:

First up, go touch the source itself — Kernel file ./kernel/workqueue.c, because obviously 🔥

Then, the extended family:

for_each_pool(9), for_each_pool_worker(9), for_each_pwq(9), worker_pool_assign_id(9), unbound_effective_cpumask(9), get_work_pool(9), worker_set_flags(9), worker_clr_flags(9), worker_enter_idle(9), worker_leave_idle(9), find_worker_executing_work(9), move_linked_works(9), assign_work(9), kick_pool_pick(9), kick_pool(9)

wq_worker_running(9), wq_worker_sleeping(9), wq_worker_tick(9), wq_worker_last_func(9), wq_node_nr_active(9), wq_update_node_max_active(9), put_pwq(9), put_pwq_unlocked(9), pwq_tryinc_nr_active(9), pwq_activate_first_inactive(9), unplug_oldest_pwq(9), node_activate_pending_pwq(9), pwq_dec_nr_active(9), pwq_dec_nr_in_flight(9), try_to_grab_pending(9)

work_grab_pending(9), insert_work(9), queue_work_on(9), select_numa_node_cpu(9), queue_work_node(9), queue_delayed_work_on(9), mod_delayed_work_on(9), queue_rcu_work(9), worker_attach_to_pool(9), worker_detach_from_pool(9), create_worker(9), set_worker_dying(9), idle_worker_timeout(9), idle_cull_fn(9), maybe_create_worker(9)

manage_workers(9), process_one_work(9), process_scheduled_works(9), worker_thread(9), rescuer_thread(9), check_flush_dependency(9), insert_wq_barrier(9), flush_workqueue_prep_pwqs(9), __flush_workqueue(9), drain_workqueue(9), flush_work(9), flush_delayed_work(9), flush_rcu_work(9), cancel_work_sync(9), cancel_delayed_work(9)

cancel_delayed_work_sync(9), disable_work(9), disable_work_sync(9), enable_work(9), disable_delayed_work(9), disable_delayed_work_sync(9), enable_delayed_work(9), schedule_on_each_cpu(9), execute_in_process_context(9), free_workqueue_attrs(9), alloc_workqueue_attrs(9), init_worker_pool(9), put_unbound_pool(9), get_unbound_pool(9), wq_calc_pod_cpumask(9)

apply_workqueue_attrs(9), unbound_wq_update_pwq(9), wq_adjust_max_active(9), destroy_workqueue(9), workqueue_set_max_active(9), workqueue_set_min_active(9), current_work(9), current_is_workqueue_rescuer(9), current_is_workqueue_mem_reclaim(9), workqueue_congested(9), work_busy(9), set_worker_desc(9), print_worker_info(9), show_one_workqueue(9), show_one_worker_pool(9)

show_all_workqueues(9), show_freezable_workqueues(9), rebind_workers(9), restore_unbound_workers_cpumask(9), work_on_cpu_key(9), freeze_workqueues_begin(9), freeze_workqueues_busy(9), thaw_workqueues(9), workqueue_unbound_housekeeping_update(9), workqueue_set_unbound_cpumask(9), workqueue_sysfs_register(9), workqueue_sysfs_unregister(9), workqueue_init_early(9), workqueue_init(9), llc_count_cores(9)

llc_populate_cpu_shard_id(9), precompute_cache_shard_ids(9), workqueue_init_topology(9)

like?? that's a whole graduation class 😭 go read them, iykyk 💜

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and that's the page, bestie 🎀 it's get_pwq(9) from ./kernel, dated October 2026 — so go get that extra reference, hold that pool->lock, and check that refcnt is positive first. periodt. 💅✨