tpm2_create_primary(9)

💅 tpm2_create_primary — kernel API manual, but make it cute ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to the tpm2_create_primary(9) page 🫶 it lives in the kernel API manual and it's literally all about creating a primary key using a fixed P-256 template. no cap, that's the whole vibe.

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✨ NAME ✨

tpm2_create_primary — create a primary key using a fixed P-256 template 💖

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int tpm2_create_primary (struct tpm_chip *chip , u32 hierarchy , u32
*handle , u8 *name );

that's the whole signature, character for character, no edits from me 👑

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• chip — the TPM chip to create under 🧚
• hierarchy — the hierarchy handle to create under ✨
• handle — the returned volatile handle on success 💫
• name — the name of the returned key 🏷️

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so here's the situation: for platforms that might not have a persistent primary, this is your girl — you can use it to create one quickly on the fly 🔥 and the reason it's fast? it uses Elliptic Curve not RSA, so even slow TPMs can create one fast 😭💨 (yes, even those TPMs. iconic behaviour.)

the template it uses is the TCG mandated H one for non-endorsement ECC primaries, which lowkey means:

• P-256 elliptic curve — the only current one all TPM2s are required to have 👑
• a sha256 name hash 🌈
• no policy — none, zero, nada 🙈

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

• 0 — OK ✅
• -errno — a system error 💀
• TPM_RC — a TPM error 😭

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💜 SEE ALSO 💜

kernel file ./drivers/char/tpm/tpm2-sessions.c, plus these besties:

• tpm_buf_append_name(9)
• tpm_buf_append_hmac_session(9)
• tpm_buf_fill_hmac_session(9)
• tpm_buf_check_hmac_response(9)
• tpm2_end_auth_session(9)
• tpm2_start_auth_session(9)
• tpm2_parse_create_primary(9)
• tpm2_sessions_init(9)

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ok that's the whole page, go forth and create primaries responsibly 🫶

and finally, the cute sign-off: this one's from ./drivers/char/tpm, dated October 2026, and it's tpm2_create_primary(9) forever and always 💅🎀