STRUCT PINCTRL_DEV(9)

💖 struct pinctrl_dev(9) 💖

okay so real talk bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — this page is all about struct pinctrl_dev, which is literally the pin control class device. it's giving "backstage pass to every pin on your board" energy and honestly? iconic. let's get into it 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

struct pinctrl_dev — the pin control class device, no cap 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

here's the whole struct, copied exactly, do not touch, do not "clean up", she is perfect as she is:

struct pinctrl_dev {
    struct list_head node;
    const struct pinctrl_desc *desc;
    struct radix_tree_root pin_desc_tree;
  #ifdef CONFIG_GENERIC_PINCTRL_GROUPS;
    struct radix_tree_root pin_group_tree;
    unsigned int num_groups;
  #endif;
  #ifdef CONFIG_GENERIC_PINMUX_FUNCTIONS;
    struct radix_tree_root pin_function_tree;
    unsigned int num_functions;
  #endif;
    struct list_head gpio_ranges;
    struct device *dev;
    struct module *owner;
    void *driver_data;
    struct pinctrl *p;
    struct pinctrl_state *hog_default;
    struct pinctrl_state *hog_sleep;
    struct mutex mutex;
  #ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_FS;
    struct dentry *device_root;
  #endif;
 };

like. look at her. a whole pin controller in one struct. we stan 🫶

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🦋 Members 🦋

okay so this is the part where we go field by field, and honestly every single one of them matters, so pay attention:

• node — the node that includes this pin controller in the global pin controller list 📋
• desc — the pin controller descriptor that got supplied when this pin controller was initialized
• pin_desc_tree — every pin descriptor for this pin controller lives in this radix tree 🌳
• pin_group_tree — optionally, each pin group can be stored in this radix tree
• num_groups — optionally, the number of groups can be kept right here
• pin_function_tree — optionally, each function can be stored in this radix tree
• num_functions — optionally, the number of functions can be kept right here
• gpio_ranges — a list of GPIO ranges handled by this pin controller, and heads up: ranges get added to this list at runtime ⏱️
• dev — the device entry for this pin controller
• owner — the module providing the pin controller, used for refcounting (very much a "who's holding the tab" situation)
• driver_data — driver data for drivers registering to the pin controller subsystem
• p — the result of pinctrl_get for this device
• hog_default — default state for pins hogged by this device 🐷
• hog_sleep — sleep state for pins hogged by this device 😴
• mutex — mutex taken on each pin controller specific action 🔒
• device_root — debugfs root for this device

ngl the hog_default / hog_sleep pair is lowkey my favorite naming in all of the kernel. whoever named them ate and left zero crumbs 🍓

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

go read the Kernel file ./drivers/pinctrl/core.h and then, in no particular order, slay through these:

• struct pinctrl(9)
• struct pinctrl_state(9)
• struct pinctrl_setting_mux(9)
• struct pinctrl_setting_configs(9)
• struct pinctrl_setting(9)
• struct pin_desc(9)
• struct pinctrl_maps(9)
• struct group_desc(9)

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and that's the whole page, bestie, you're officially pinctrl-pilled 💀✨

later, fairy 🧚 — this one came from ./drivers/pinctrl, dated October 2026, and it's titled struct pinctrl_dev(9) if you ever need to find it again 💜