swait_event_idle_exclusive(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

🦋 NAME

swait_event_idle_exclusive — okay so this one lets you wait without contributing to system load, bestie 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS

swait_event_idle_exclusive (wq , condition );

🎀 ARGUMENTS

  • wq — the waitqueue you're gonna wait on, that's literally it 🫶
  • condition — a C expression for the event you're waiting for 👑

💖 DESCRIPTION

Okay so here's the vibe: your process gets put to sleep, and specifically it goes into TASK_IDLE 😴 — it just chills there until condition evaluates to true. The condition gets checked every single time the waitqueue wq is woken up, no cap 🔥

This function is mostly used when a kthread or a workqueue is waiting for some condition and doesn't want to contribute to system load — like, it's resting but it's not gonna mess up your load average, iconic behavior tbh 🌈

Heads up bestie: signals are ignored 💀 like, they will not pull you out of this wait, periodt.

🧚 SEE ALSO

Kernel file ./include/linux/swait.h — slay, go read it ✨

💜 ok that's the whole page!! this came from ./include/linux, dated October 2026, in the Kernel API Manual — swait_event_idle_exclusive(9) besties!! go take a nap in TASK_IDLE and don't touch the load average, mwah 🎀🌸

📦 where this page comes from