raw_atomic6...turn_release(9)

🌸 NAME 🌸

okay so this is raw_atomic64_dec_return_release — it's a Kernel API Manual page (section 9, kernel dev besties 💖) and it does an atomic decrement with release ordering. That's the whole vibe. she subtracts one, atomically, with release semantics, and hands you back the new number. iconic behavior honestly 🎀

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

s64 raw_atomic64_dec_return_release (atomic64_t *v);

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🫶 ARGUMENTS 🫶

• v — pointer to atomic64_t. just a pointer. to an atomic64_t. that's her whole job 🦋

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

okay so listen — this one atomically updates v to (v - 1) with release ordering. atomically meaning nobody's gonna catch her mid-decrement, it's all one move, no cap 🔥 release ordering meaning the memory ordering guarantees come along for the ride, periodt.

she is safe to use in noinstr code 🧚 which is a whole special club, iykyk. but here's the thing bestie — everywhere else, you should prefer atomic64_dec_return_release instead. like, raw_atomic... is the backstage pass, the regular one is the front door. don't be weird about it 💀

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

she gives you back the updated value of v — so like, post-decrement, the new number, freshly decremented, still warm 🍓

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

the kernel file ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h is where she lives, and here is the entire friend group, literally all of them, no one left out 💜:

raw_atomic_read(9), raw_atomic_read_acquire(9), raw_atomic_set(9),
raw_atomic_set_release(9), raw_atomic_add(9), raw_atomic_add_return(9),
raw_atomic_add_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic_add_return_release(9),
raw_atomic_add_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_add_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_add_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_sub(9),
raw_atomic_sub_return(9), raw_atomic_sub_return_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_sub_return_release(9), raw_atomic_sub_return_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_sub(9), raw_atomic_fetch_sub_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_sub_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_sub_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_inc(9), raw_atomic_inc_return(9),
raw_atomic_inc_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic_inc_return_release(9),
raw_atomic_inc_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_fetch_inc(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_inc_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_inc_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_inc_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_dec(9),
raw_atomic_dec_return(9), raw_atomic_dec_return_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_dec_return_release(9), raw_atomic_dec_return_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_dec(9), raw_atomic_fetch_dec_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_dec_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_dec_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_and(9), raw_atomic_fetch_and(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_and_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_and_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_and_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_andnot(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_andnot(9), raw_atomic_fetch_andnot_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_andnot_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_or(9), raw_atomic_fetch_or(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_or_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_or_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_or_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_xor(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_xor(9), raw_atomic_fetch_xor_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_xor_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_xor_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_xchg(9), raw_atomic_xchg_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_xchg_release(9), raw_atomic_xchg_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_cmpxchg(9), raw_atomic_cmpxchg_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_cmpxchg_release(9), raw_atomic_cmpxchg_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg(9), raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_release(9), raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_sub_and_test(9), raw_atomic_dec_and_test(9),
raw_atomic_inc_and_test(9), raw_atomic_add_negative(9),
raw_atomic_add_negative_acquire(9), raw_atomic_add_negative_release(9),
raw_atomic_add_negative_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add_unless(9),
raw_atomic_add_unless(9), raw_atomic_inc_not_zero(9),
raw_atomic_inc_unless_negative(9), raw_atomic_dec_unless_positive(9),
raw_atomic_dec_if_positive(9), raw_atomic64_read(9),
raw_atomic64_read_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_set(9),
raw_atomic64_set_release(9), raw_atomic64_add(9),
raw_atomic64_add_return(9), raw_atomic64_add_return_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_add_return_release(9), raw_atomic64_add_return_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_add(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_add_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_sub(9), raw_atomic64_sub_return(9),
raw_atomic64_sub_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_sub_return_release(9),
raw_atomic64_sub_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_sub(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_sub_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_sub_release(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_inc(9),
raw_atomic64_inc_return(9), raw_atomic64_inc_return_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_inc_return_release(9), raw_atomic64_inc_return_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_inc(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_inc_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_inc_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_inc_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_dec(9), raw_atomic64_dec_return(9),
raw_atomic64_dec_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_dec_return_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_dec(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_dec_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_dec_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_dec_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_and(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_and(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_and_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_and_release(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_and_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_andnot(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_andnot(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_andnot_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_andnot_release(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_or(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_or(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_or_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_or_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_or_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_xor(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_xor(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_release(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_xchg(9),
raw_atomic64_xchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_xchg_release(9),
raw_atomic64_xchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_cmpxchg(9),
raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_release(9),
raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg(9),
raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_release(9),
raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_sub_and_test(9),
raw_atomic64_dec_and_test(9), raw_atomic64_inc_and_test(9),
raw_atomic64_add_negative(9), raw_atomic64_add_negative_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_add_negative_release(9),
raw_atomic64_add_negative_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_unless(9),
raw_atomic64_add_unless(9), raw_atomic64_inc_not_zero(9),
raw_atomic64_inc_unless_negative(9),
raw_atomic64_dec_unless_positive(9), raw_atomic64_dec_if_positive(9)

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and that's the page, bestie 🫶 this little angel comes from ./include/linux/atomic and she's stamped October 2026 — future icon behavior only 💅✨