resolve_metric(9)

💅 resolve_metric(9) 💅

okay so bestie, welcome to the resolve_metric page — it's from the Kernel API Manual (section 9, kernel API gang 👑) and honestly it's giving "find the metrics, then find the metrics inside those metrics" energy. recursive slay. 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

resolve_metric — locate metrics within the root metric and recursively add references to them. recursion?? in MY kernel tree?? it's more likely than you think 💀

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int resolve_metric (struct list_head *metric_list , struct perf_pmu *pmu
, const char *modifier , bool metric_no_group , bool metric_no_threshold
, const char *user_requested_cpu_list , bool system_wide , struct metric
*root_metric , const struct visited_metric *visited , const struct
pmu_metrics_table *table );

yeah she's got a LOT of arguments, but like… main character function, you know? 🌸

✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

here's the whole cast, no skips, we respect every single param 🫶

• metric_list — the list the metric gets added to. that's it, that's the vibe. it's the destination 💖
• pmu — the PMU name to resolve metrics on, or literally the string "all" if you want every PMU in the building. ✨
• modifier — if non-null, event modifiers like "u". classic. 🎀
• metric_no_group — should the events written to events be grouped "{}" or global? grouping is the default, BUT because of multiplexing the user may override it. so yeah, you CAN break the group, just know why you're doing it 🙈
• metric_no_threshold — -- undescribed -- 😭 bestie the docs literally said "no thoughts head empty" on this one. it's undescribed in the source, and we're not gonna make something up. periodt. 💀
• user_requested_cpu_list — command line specified CPUs to record on. the "I only care about THESE cores" list 🧚
• system_wide — are events for all processes being recorded? yes/no, iconic boolean moment 🦋
• root_metric — metrics may reference other metrics to form a tree (a tree!! 🌈). in that case the root_metric holds all the IDs and a list of referenced metrics. and when you're adding a root, this argument is NULL. important detail, don't forget it 💜
• visited — a singly linked list of metric names being added, used to detect recursion. lowkey the bouncer at the club checking if you've already been let in 👑 (recursion detection is SO real)
• table — the table that's searched for metrics — most commonly the table for the architecture perf is running upon. iykyk 💅

ngl bestie, this one's a helper deep in perf's metric machinery. every detail above is straight from the source — don't @ me if you skip one. 💖

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

go read these next, they're literally the rest of the friend group 🫶

Kernel file ./tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c — plus setup_metric_events(9), __add_metric(9), metric_list_cmp(9), default_metricgroup_cmp(9), metricgroup__add_metric(9), metricgroup__add_metric_list(9), find_tool_events(9), build_combined_expr_ctx(9), parse_ids(9). 🍓

okay that's the page!! mwah 💋 this one lives over in ./tools/perf/util, dated October 2026, and it's page resolve_metric(9) — go forth and resolve your metrics, you absolute icon ⭐🌈👑