raw_atomic_dec_return(9)

💅 raw_atomic_dec_return — Kernel API Manual ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to the raw_atomic_dec_return(9) page, part of the Kernel API Manual 🎀 pull up a chair, we're doing atomics today and honestly? it's giving main character energy.

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🌸 NAME 🌸

raw_atomic_dec_return — atomic decrement with full ordering 💖

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int raw_atomic_dec_return (atomic_t *v );

like, that's the whole incantation. one pointer in, one int out. no cap. 🫶

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• v — pointer to atomic_t. yeah. that's it. just point her at the thing you wanna drop by one 💅

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so what does it do? it atomically updates v to (v - 1) with full ordering. atomic means nobody else can sneak in mid-operation and catch you half-decremented — she's doing the whole thing as one unit, periodt ✨ full ordering means the memory-ordering guarantees come along for the ride too, and we love a complete package 🎀

also super important: this one is safe to use in noinstr code 🔥 like, that's literally its whole reason for existing as a raw_ variant.

but bestie listen — prefer atomic_dec_return elsewhere 👑 the raw_ ones are for the special noinstr situations; everywhere else, the regular one is the move. iykyk 💅

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

it hands you back the updated value of v — so like, the value after the decrement, not before. don't get it twisted 🙈

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

first up, the actual home of this thing, the kernel file: ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h 🏠✨

and now the friend group, the whole entire atomic fam, in order, no one left out (i would never 😭):

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_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),

and ok now the 64-bit girlies, same energy, twice the bits 💀:

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_unless_positive(9), raw_atomic64_dec_if_positive(9) 💖

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and that's the page, bestie 🎀 this one lives under ./include/linux/atomic, from the October 2026 drop, part of the Kernel API Manual — go forth and decrement responsibly, mwah 💋✨