STRUCT XE_GUARD(9)

💅 struct xe_guard(9) — the Kernel API Manual, bestie edition 💅

okay so this is struct xe_guard(9) straight out of the Kernel API Manual, and it is literally the simplest little bouncer you've ever met. its whole job? protect a feature. that's it. that's the vibe. 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

struct xe_guard — simple logic to protect a feature. no cap, that's the entire elevator pitch.

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

here's the whole struct, character for character, don't @ me:

struct xe_guard {
    int counter;
    const char *name;
    void *owner;
    spinlock_t lock;
 };

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🦋 Members 🦋

• counter — the main character tbh. it implements simple exclusive/lockdown logic:
  • if == 0 then the guard/feature is idle / not in use 😴
  • if < 0 then the feature is active and can't be locked-down 🔥
  • if > 0 then the feature is locked-down and can't be activated 🔒
• name — the name of the guard (useful for debug) 🏷️
• owner — the info about the last owner of the guard (for debug) 🕵️‍♀️
• lock — protects guard's data. it's a lock, guarding the guard, very meta of it 💅

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🌸 Description 🌸

so what does it actually do? it implements this simple semaphore-like logic that you can use to lockdown a feature — but only unless it's already in use. icon behavior honestly. ✨

it lets you enable the otherwise incompatible features, the ones where we literally can't follow the strict owner semantics that rw_semaphore requires. so it's the friend that makes two people who don't get along actually coexist. ate. 💖

NOTE! 🚨 It shouldn't be used to protect a data — use rw_semaphore instead. fr fr, do not do it. this is a feature-lockdown guard, not a data protector. 😭

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file ./drivers/gpu/drm/xe/xe_guard.h xe_guard_init(9), xe_guard_arm(9), xe_guard_disarm(9), xe_guard_mode_str(9) — go read the whole family, they're all slaying in their own way. 💜

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<div align="center">💫 anyway bestie, this page came to you from ./drivers/gpu/drm/xe, dated October 2026, brought to you by the Kernel API Manual. mwah. 🍓💅</div>