module_refcount(9)

💖 NAME 💖

okay so this is module_refcount(9), straight out of the Kernel API Manual, and it's giving one very specific job: return the refcount, or -1 if unloading. that's it, that's the whole vibe ✨

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

int module_refcount (struct module *mod );

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• mod — the module we're checking. bestie, that's the one we're doing the vibe check on 💅

🦋 RETURN 🦋

if the module is in the process of unloading, you get -1 😭 otherwise you get the number of references in the kernel to the module. periodt, those are the two options 💖

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

the kernel file is ./kernel/module/main.c, and here's the whole see-also squad — no cap, every single one is below and nobody got left out 🫶

• find_any_unique_sec(9)
• is_module_percpu_address(9)
• verify_module_namespace(9)
• elf_validity_ehdr(9)
• elf_validity_cache_sechdrs(9)
• elf_validity_cache_secstrings(9)
• elf_validity_cache_index_info(9)
• elf_validity_cache_index_mod(9)
• elf_validity_cache_index_sym(9)
• elf_validity_cache_index_str(9)
• elf_validity_cache_index_versions(9)
• elf_validity_cache_index(9)
• elf_validity_cache_strtab(9)
• is_module_address(9)
• __module_address(9)
• is_module_text_address(9)
• __module_text_address(9)

okay that's the whole manual page, periodt 💅 — source/version is ./kernel/module, date is October 2026, and yes the page is still module_refcount(9). bye bestie 🫶🎀