replace_mm_exe_file(9)

💅 replace_mm_exe_file — Kernel API Manual ✨

okay so you found the replace_mm_exe_file page in the Kernel API Manual and you're like "bestie what is this" — don't worry, I got you 🫶 it's genuinely not that deep, it's literally one function that swaps out which file counts as a process's "executable" 💖

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✨ NAME ✨

replace_mm_exe_file — replace a reference to the mm's executable file 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int replace_mm_exe_file (struct mm_struct *mm , struct file
*new_exe_file );

like, it takes two things and gives you back an int, that's the whole vibe 😌

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• mm — the mm you're changing. that's your main character right there 👑
• new_exe_file — the new file you wanna use. the glow-up file 💅

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so what it does: it changes mm's executable file — and yes, that's the one you see as the symlink at /proc/[pid]/exe 🧚 like, when you peek at that path, this is the thing you're peeking at, no cap ✨

the main user of this is sys_prctl(PR_SET_MM_MAP/EXE_FILE) — that's the one calling the shots 🔥

ngl it's a small function but it's doing real work in there, respect it 🫡

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

sibling functions, the whole friend group 💖 all from the Kernel file ./kernel/fork.c:

• set_mm_exe_file(9)
• get_mm_exe_file(9)
• get_task_exe_file(9)
• get_task_mm(9)
• dup_mm(9)
• pidfd_prepare(9)
• clone3_stack_valid(9)
• sys_clone3(9)

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aaaand that's the page 🎀 source is ./kernel, version date October 2026, and the header was still screaming replace_mm_exe_file(9) at us the whole time because of course it was 😭 go read fork.c bestie, it's giving required reading 💀⭐