regulatory_hint_disconnect(9)

💅 regulatory_hint_disconnect(9) — the Kernel API Manual, bestie edition

Okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual about regulatory_hint_disconnect — yes it's a mouthful, no you don't have to say it out loud at a party. It's giving "quietly important helper function" and honestly? Iconic. Let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

regulatory_hint_disconnect — the function that informs all devices have been disconnected (yes, that's the whole vibe: it's the "everyone's gone, time to reset" signal) 💀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void regulatory_hint_disconnect (void );

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• void — no arguments. Zero. None. Not a single one. She takes nothing and she gives everything ✨

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So here's the tea 🍓 — regulatory rules can be enhanced even further upon scanning and upon connection to an AP. Cute, right? But those rules become stale if we disconnect and go to another country, whether or not we suspend and resume. Like, the rules are still wearing last season's fit. Not slay.

And if we do suspend, go to another country, and resume? We'll automatically get disconnected shortly after resuming, and things will be reset as well. So it kinda handles itself, but not fully, iykyk.

This routine is a helper to restore regulatory settings to how they were prior to our first connect attempt. That's the whole job, and she does it well 👑

This includes ignoring country IE and beacon regulatory hints. Very "not me ignoring the red flags" energy, except here it's literal and correct and good.

The ieee80211_regdom module parameter will always be respected — no cap, that one's non-negotiable. But if a user had set the regulatory domain, that will take precedence 💅 (user wins, always).

⚠️ Real talk though: this must be called from process context. Not interrupt context, not "wherever, it'll be fine" context. Process context. Periodt.

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Kernel file ./net/wireless/reg.h — and the whole friend group:

• regulatory_hint_indoor(9)
• regulatory_netlink_notify(9)
• regulatory_hint_found_beacon(9)
• regulatory_hint_country_ie(9)
• cfg80211_get_unii(9)
• regulatory_indoor_allowed(9)
• regulatory_propagate_dfs_state(9)
• reg_dfs_domain_same(9)
• reg_reload_regdb(9)
• reg_check_channels(9)
• reg_leave_invalid_chans_wk(9)
• reg_leave_invalid_nan_wk(9)

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Anyways bestie, that's the page 💖 huge shoutout to ./net/wireless for hosting this whole situation, and to October 2026 for being the date on the tin. Go forth and disconnect responsibly 🌈🧚