print_tainted(9)

💅 print_tainted (9) 💅

okay so bestie, welcome to the print_tainted page — it's a little kernel-API moment from the <purple>Kernel API Manual</purple> girlies, and honestly? she's short but she ATE. let's get into it 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

print_tainted — returns a string that represents the kernel taint state. that's the whole gig. no cap. 🦋

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

const char * print_tainted (void );

like, she takes nothing, she gives you a const char *. main character energy fr 💅

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• void — no arguments. none. zero. void. she doesn't want your input, she's booked and busy 😭

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🧚 DESCRIPTION 🧚

so what does she actually do? she hands you back a string describing the kernel's taint state. for what each individual taint flag actually means, go look at Documentation/admin-guide/sysctl/kernel.rst — that's the lore drop, iykyk 📖✨

okay but real talk, bestie, listen: the string is overwritten by the next call to print_tainted. so don't go holding onto that pointer like it's your emotional support string, because it is NOT sticking around 😭💀

the one glow-up she does guarantee: she's always NULL terminated. every single time. periodt. 👑

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• kernel file ./kernel/panic.c 🌈
• panic_smp_redirect_cpu(9)
• panic_try_force_cpu(9)
• vpanic(9)
• print_tainted_verbose(9)
• add_taint(9)

like a little friend group, honestly. go say hi 🫶

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and that's the page!! stan a tiny kernel function that knows exactly what it is ⭐ this cutie lives in ./kernel and the version/date on her birth certificate says October 2026 — mwah, bye bestie 💖🎀🌸