raw_atomic_i...ess_negative(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

🌸 NAME 🌸

Okay bestie, this is the raw_atomic_i...ess_negative(9) page from the Kernel API Manual — yes, the title is literally truncated like that, it's giving mysterious cliffhanger energy, but the function is raw_atomic_inc_unless_negative: the atomic increment-unless-negative with full ordering. 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

bool raw_atomic_inc_unless_negative (atomic_t *v );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • v — pointer to atomic_t. That's the counter cutie we're checking and maybe bumping. 🫶

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So here's the vibe: if v >= 0, this atomically updates v to v + 1 with full ordering. If v is negative, v does not get modified, and you get relaxed ordering instead. No cap. ✨

It's safe to use in noinstr code — but bestie, everywhere else you should prefer atomic_inc_unless_negative. That's the rule. 💖

💖 RETURN 💖

  • true if v was updated.
  • false otherwise.

Simple as that, bestie. ✅

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file: ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h — that's the spot. 👑

The whole raw atomic family, bestie:

Source: ./include/linux/atomic • Version/manual: Kernel API Manual • Date: October 2026 • Page: raw_atomic_i...ess_negative(9). That's the whole page, bestie — go atomically increment responsibly! 💅✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from