smk_access(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 smk_access(9) — like, the kernel API manual page, bestie 💅

okay so real talk, this is smk_access(9) from the "Kernel API Manual" and it's genuinely one of those little functions that carries the whole vibe of Smack access control. no cap. let's get into it ✨

🎀 NAME 🎀

smk_access — determine if a subject has a specific access to an object

like, does this thing get to touch that thing? that's the whole question. slay. 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int smk_access (struct smack_known *subject , struct smack_known *object
, int request , struct smk_audit_info *a );

four arguments, one int back, iconic signature honestly 👑

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • subject — a pointer to the subject's Smack label entry. so, the one doing the thing 💁‍♀️
  • object — a pointer to the object's Smack label entry. the one having the thing done to it 🎀
  • request — the access requested, in "MAY" format. yes, capital-M "MAY", that's literally what the manpage says, iykyk 🌸
  • a — a pointer to the audit data. the receipts, basically 📝

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so what does it actually do? this function looks up the subject/object pair in the access rule list and returns 0 if the access is permitted, non zero otherwise. that's it. that's the whole function and honestly? it ate. 🔥

lowkey important: 0 = yes bestie you're allowed, non zero = nope, not today 💀

also worth knowing: Smack labels are shared on smack_list — so the label entries aren't special little unique snowflakes, they're shared, which is the whole point of passing pointers to them around 🧚

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the whole friend group, fr fr — this all lives in the Kernel file ./security/smack/smack_access.c:

go read all of them, they're all main characters in their own way 💜

kisses, this page ships out of ./security/smack and it's dated October 2026 — so yeah, bookmark it, screenshot it, send it to the group chat, mwah 🎀💋

📦 where this page comes from