vfs_setlease(9)

💖 vfs_setlease(9) 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — this one's vfs_setlease(9), and it's the whole "put a lease on an open file" situation. coming at you fresh from the ./fs directory, October 2026 edition. let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

vfs_setlease — sets a lease on an open file. that's it, that's the whole vibe. 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int vfs_setlease (struct file *filp , int arg , struct file_lease
**lease , void **priv );

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• filp — the file pointer. like, which file are we even talking about, bestie 💅
• arg — the type of lease you're trying to obtain. yes, this one matters 👑
• lease — the file_lock to use when adding a lease 🌈
• priv — private info for lm_setup when adding a lease. it may be NULL if lm_setup doesn't require it, so no pressure 🍓

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

Call this to establish a lease on the file. simple enough, right? 😌

Lowkey the tea here: the lease argument is not used for F_UNLCK requests, and it may be NULL. so don't come for it when it's not even invited 🫥

Now for commands that set or alter an existing lease, the (*lease)->fl_lmops->lm_break operation must be set. if it's not, this function will return -ENOLCK (and generate a scary-looking stack trace). not me warning you twice — it's giving "you were told" energy, so please set it 🙈💀

The priv pointer is passed directly to the lm_setup function, as-is. it may be NULL if the lm_setup operation doesn't require it. no middleman, no processing, just straight through ✨

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Kernel file ./fs/locks.c, plus this whole friend group of functions that also live in the (9) section — literally the group chat, iykyk:

• locks_owner_has_blockers(9)
• lease_open_conflict(9)
• locks_delete_block(9)
• posix_lock_file(9)
• posix_lock_inode_wait(9)
• inode_lease_ignore_mask(9)
• __break_lease(9)
• lease_get_mtime(9)
• __fcntl_getlease(9)
• generic_setlease(9)
• fcntl_setlease(9)
• fcntl_setdeleg(9)
• flock_lock_inode_wait(9)
• locks_lock_inode_wait(9)
• sys_flock(9)
• vfs_test_lock(9)
• locks_translate_pid(9)
• vfs_lock_file(9)
• vfs_cancel_lock(9)
• vfs_inode_has_locks(9)

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okay that's the whole page, bestie, you ate that 🏆 and just so it's on the record: this one shipped in the Kernel API Manual from ./fs, dated October 2026, and it's vfs_setlease(9) — iconic, no cap. mwah 💋💖

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