hlist_add_fake(9)

✨ hlist_add_fake(9) ✨

okay so bestie, we're in the Kernel API Manual today and this page is genuinely a little icon of list trickery 💅

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🌸 NAME

hlist_add_fake — creates a fake hlist that's literally just one single headless node, no cap

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🎀 SYNOPSIS

void hlist_add_fake (struct hlist_node *n );

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🦋 ARGUMENTS

• n — the node you're turning into a fake list, that's it, that's the whole vibe

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💖 DESCRIPTION

so what this does is it makes n appear to be its own predecessor on a headless hlist 🫶 like she's showing up to the party as her own plus-one.

the whole point of this? it's giving "let things like hlist_del work correctly" — specifically in cases where there is no list at all. no list, no problem, we just fake the predecessor link and everyone's happy ✨

fr fr the trick is that downstream code expects a predecessor to exist, so instead of adding a bunch of null checks everywhere you just make the node pretend. iconic behavior tbh 👑

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🌈 SEE ALSO

Kernel file ./include/linux/list.h — and okay bestie, the related-pages list here is long, so buckle up 🍓

• LIST_HEAD_INIT(9), LIST_HEAD(9), LIST_HEAD_GUARDED(9), INIT_LIST_HEAD(9)
• list_add(9), list_add_tail(9), list_add_tail_release(9), list_del(9), list_replace(9), list_replace_init(9), list_swap(9), list_del_init(9), list_move(9), list_move_tail(9), list_bulk_move_tail(9)
• list_is_first(9), list_is_last(9), list_is_head(9), list_empty(9), list_del_init_careful(9), list_empty_careful(9), list_rotate_left(9), list_rotate_to_front(9), list_is_singular(9)
• list_cut_position(9), list_cut_before(9), list_splice(9), list_splice_tail(9), list_splice_init(9), list_splice_tail_init(9)
• list_entry(9), list_first_entry(9), list_last_entry(9), list_first_entry_or_null(9), list_first_entry_or_null_acquire(9), list_last_entry_or_null(9), list_next_entry(9), list_next_entry_circular(9), list_prev_entry(9), list_prev_entry_circular(9), list_count_nodes(9), list_entry_is_head(9)
• list_for_each(9), list_for_each_continue(9), list_for_each_prev(9), list_for_each_safe(9), list_for_each_prev_safe(9)
• list_for_each_entry(9), list_for_each_entry_reverse(9), list_prepare_entry(9), list_for_each_entry_continue(9), list_for_each_entry_continue_reverse(9), list_for_each_entry_from(9), list_for_each_entry_from_reverse(9), list_for_each_entry_safe(9), list_for_each_entry_safe_continue(9), list_for_each_entry_safe_from(9), list_for_each_entry_safe_reverse(9), list_safe_reset_next(9)
• hlist_unhashed(9), hlist_unhashed_lockless(9), hlist_empty(9), hlist_del(9), hlist_del_init(9), hlist_add_head(9), hlist_add_before(9), hlist_add_behind(9), hlist_fake(9), hlist_is_singular_node(9), hlist_move_list(9), hlist_splice_init(9)
• hlist_for_each_entry(9), hlist_for_each_entry_continue(9), hlist_for_each_entry_from(9), hlist_for_each_entry_safe(9), hlist_count_nodes(9)

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and that's the whole page, bestie 🧚💜 this one lives down in ./include/linux, and it's tagged October 2026 in the Kernel API Manual — so like, save the date ig 💫 see u in the kernel sources 🫶