raw_atomic64...ess_positive(9)

💅 raw_atomic64...ess_positive(9) — Kernel API Manual, bestie edition ✨

okay so we're in the Kernel API Manual today and the star of the show is a little function called raw_atomic64_dec_unless_positive — yes the header truncates it, yes that's just how it is, we move. 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

raw_atomic64_dec_unless_positive — atomic decrement unless positive with full ordering

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

bool raw_atomic64_dec_unless_positive (atomic64_t *v );

(yes there's a space before the ) — copy it exactly, don't @ me 💀)

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• v — pointer to atomic64_t

that's it. one (1) argument. she's lowkey minimalist. 👑

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here's the tea: if (v <= 0), it atomically updates v to (v - 1) with full ordering. 🎯

otherwise, v is not modified and relaxed ordering is provided. no touchy, just vibes. 🌈

and listen — it's safe to use in noinstr code; prefer atomic64_dec_unless_positive elsewhere. periodt. 💅

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

true if v was updated, false otherwise. simple as that, iykyk. 🍓

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🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

kernel file ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h — that's the home address bestie 🏠

and now… the group chat. literally everyone showed up. no cap, this is the whole squad, all of them, in order:

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_release(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_if_positive(9)

like… that's a lot of friends. she's popular. 💖

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ngl if you're reading this page you were probably looking for the non-raw_ version — remember: noinstr code only, bestie. everywhere else, use atomic64_dec_unless_positive. 🙈

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and that's the page!! 🦋 this one came out of ./include/linux/atomic, dated October 2026, and it's the raw_atomic64...ess_positive(9) manual — mwah, iconic, no notes. 💜🧚✨