STRUCT THREAD_STACK_ENTRY(9)

💖 struct thread_stack_entry(9) — the kernel API manual for my bestie 💖

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual, and today's main character is struct thread_stack_entry — yes, a thread stack entry, and honestly? it's giving "small struct, big responsibilities" ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

struct thread_stack_entry — thread stack entry. that's it, that's the whole name, no notes 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

struct thread_stack_entry {
    u64 ret_addr;
    u64 timestamp;
    u64 ref;
    u64 branch_count;
    u64 insn_count;
    u64 cyc_count;
    u64 db_id;
    struct call_path *cp;
    bool no_call;
    bool trace_end;
    bool non_call;
 };

look at her. eleven members. every single one of them matters, bestie, we're going through all of them 🫶

🎀 Members 🎀

• ret_addr — the return address. where we're going back to, queen 👑
• timestamp — the timestamp, if known. conditional king behavior ⭐
• ref — an external reference, like the db_id of a sample. it's the link back to where this came from 🔥
• branch_count — the branch count at the moment the entry was created. snapshot energy 📸
• insn_count — the instruction count at the moment the entry was created. same snapshot, different stat 💫
• cyc_count — the cycle count at the moment the entry was created. three for three on the snapshot vibes 😭
• db_id — the id used for db-export. that's her whole job, no cap 🎀
• cp — the call path. (it's a struct call_path *, so yes, pointer moment 🦋)
• no_call — a 'call' was not seen. absence noticed, respectfully 🙈
• trace_end — it was a 'call' but the trace ended. the plot twist 💀
• non_call — a branch but not a 'call' to the start of a different symbol. very specific, very valid 🌸

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• The kernel file ./tools/perf/util/thread-stack.c
• struct thread_stack(9)

okay that's the whole page, and before you go — the source/version on this one is ./tools/perf/util and the date is October 2026. write it down, bestie, iykyk 📝💜 and yeah, this whole thing was struct thread_stack_entry(9) all along. slay 💅✨