prepare_creds(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 prepare_creds — Kernel API Manual ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to the glow-up station for task credentials 🎀 this page lives in the prepare_creds(9) section of the Kernel API Manual, and honestly it's giving "backstage pass to the creds closet" energy. let's get into it 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

prepare_creds — Prepare a new set of credentials for modification

like, the whole point is: you're about to change a task's creds, and this function hands you a shiny fresh copy to mess with 💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

struct cred * prepare_creds (void );

no cap, that's the whole thing. returns a struct cred *. slay.

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • void — no arguments. literally none. it takes nothing, it needs nothing, it's that girl 💅

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

Prepare a new set of task credentials for modification. 🎀

here's the tea, bestie: a task's creds shouldn't generally be modified directly — like, do not just go editing them in place, that's not the vibe and it's not allowed 😭 so instead you call this function to prepare a new copy, which you then modify, and then you commit it by calling commit_creds. main character workflow, honestly 🔥

Preparation involves making a copy of the objective creds for modification. that's it, that's the task. copy time 🧚

Returns a pointer to the new creds-to-be if successful, NULL otherwise. ⭐ so like, vibe check the return value before you go dereferencing anything, iykyk.

💀 important reminder: call commit_creds or abort_creds to clean up. don't leave your new creds just floating there, that's rude, that's a leak, and we don't do that in this house 🙈

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./kernel/cred.c — plus these iconic little functions, go give them a read:

and that's the page, bestie 🎉

cute little sign-off: this one comes from ./kernel 🌸 and it's dated October 2026 🎀 and yes, it's still prepare_creds(9) at the bottom, we didn't lose her 💖 mwah, go copy some creds responsibly 👑

📦 where this page comes from