inotify events The inotify_add_watch(2) mask argument and the mask field of the inotify_event structure returned when read(2)ing an inotify file descriptor are both bit masks identifying inotify events. The following bits can be specified in mask when calling ino‐ tify_add_watch(2) and may be returned in the mask field returned by read(2): IN_ACCESS (+) File was accessed (e.g., read(2), execve(2)). IN_ATTRIB (*) Metadata changed—for example, permissions (e.g., chmod(2)), timestamps (e.g., utimensat(2)), extended attributes (setxattr(2)), link count (since Linux 2.6.25; e.g., for the target of link(2) and for unlink(2)), and user/group ID (e.g., chown(2)). IN_CLOSE_WRITE (+) File opened for writing was closed. IN_CLOSE_NOWRITE (*) File or directory not opened for writing was closed. IN_CREATE (+) File/directory created in watched directory (e.g., open(2) O_CREAT, mkdir(2), link(2), symlink(2), bind(2) on a UNIX domain socket). IN_DELETE (+) File/directory deleted from watched directory. IN_DELETE_SELF Watched file/directory was itself deleted. (This event also occurs if an object is moved to another filesystem, since mv(1) in effect copies the file to the other filesystem and then deletes it from the original filesystem.) In addition, an IN_IGNORED event will subsequently be generated for the watch descriptor. IN_MODIFY (+) File was modified (e.g., write(2), truncate(2)). IN_MOVE_SELF Watched file/directory was itself moved. IN_MOVED_FROM (+) Generated for the directory containing the old filename when a file is renamed. IN_MOVED_TO (+) Generated for the directory containing the new filename when a file is renamed. IN_OPEN (*) File or directory was opened.