raw_atomic_xchg_relaxed(9)

💅 NAME 💅

raw_atomic_xchg_relaxed — atomic exchange, but make it relaxed ordering ✨ (yes bestie, this is the Kernel API Manual, and yes, we're doing this)

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int raw_atomic_xchg_relaxed (atomic_t *v , int new );

okay so that's the whole vibe right there 🫶

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🫶 ARGUMENTS 🫶

• v — pointer to atomic_t. yeah. a pointer. to an atomic_t. we love a pointer 💖
• new — the int value to assign. that's literally what it's called, don't come for me, it's a real parameter name 😭

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Atomically updates v to new, with relaxed ordering. no cap — the swap itself is atomic, the ordering just isn't doing the absolute most 🔥

It's giving safe-to-use-in-noinstr-code energy, which lowkey is the whole point of the raw_* family. Everywhere else, prefer atomic_xchg_relaxed. that's not me being dramatic, that's literally what the page says 💅

🎀 friendly reminder: raw_atomic_xchg_relaxed is the noinstr-safe one. if you're not in noinstr code, the manpage itself is telling you to use atomic_xchg_relaxed instead. periodt.

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🔥 RETURN 🔥

The original value of v — like, the value that was there before you snatched it away and put new in its place 👑 you get the old one back, she's yours now 🦋

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file: ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h 🧚

and now, the entire friend group — every single one of them, no one gets left out, i did not skip a single name 🙈:

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_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_unless_positive(9), raw_atomic64_dec_if_positive(9)

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k bye bestie, go swap some atomics responsibly 🦋💜

source: ./include/linux/atomic · dated October 2026 · and it's literally page raw_atomic_xchg_relaxed(9) again, we've come full circle 🎀✨