linux-drivers/
drivers/hid

USB and Bluetooth Human Interface Device (HID) subsystem

The HID subsystem is the part of Linux that talks to keyboards, mice, gamepads, touchscreens, drawing tablets, and wireless receivers connected over USB, Bluetooth, or I2C. It covers generic devices plus vendor-specific quirks for Logitech, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, Wacom and many others, and underpins both desktop input and gaming controllers in 2025.

keep conf=0.91 deploy=high replacement=none subsystem=hid category=input-hid
91%

recommendation

It should stay because this is the kernel's core HID subsystem itself, not a single legacy driver. It handles essentially every modern keyboard, mouse, gamepad, touchscreen, tablet, and wireless receiver, with over 1,100 commits from 339 authors in the last five years and fresh 2026 patch traffic for popular drivers like hid-logitech-dj and hid-sony. New HID-class peripherals such as Logitech's Unifying receivers are still sold today, so removal is not on the table.

repository signals

300 files
146,735 source lines
1,638 commits, 5y
+63,027 / −15,412 lines added / removed, 5y
409 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 1,638 total · active in 60/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 22 commits · +185 −63 2021-05: 23 commits · +109 −57 2021-06: 17 commits · +597 −117 2021-07: 24 commits · +263 −70 2021-08: 14 commits · +255 −46 2021-09: 31 commits · +2,810 −196 2021-10: 19 commits · +131 −67 2021-11: 21 commits · +372 −159 2021-12: 29 commits · +856 −100 2022-01: 35 commits · +685 −422 2022-02: 52 commits · +1,589 −593 2022-03: 15 commits · +510 −214 2022-04: 20 commits · +441 −152 2022-05: 24 commits · +673 −288 2022-06: 13 commits · +643 −37 2022-07: 25 commits · +1,184 −228 2022-08: 30 commits · +660 −164 2022-09: 17 commits · +459 −167 2022-10: 35 commits · +1,930 −153 2022-11: 51 commits · +2,844 −885 2022-12: 33 commits · +457 −104 2023-01: 40 commits · +941 −1,362 2023-02: 31 commits · +760 −687 2023-03: 14 commits · +283 −27 2023-04: 25 commits · +159 −78 2023-05: 21 commits · +314 −159 2023-06: 18 commits · +893 −217 2023-07: 30 commits · +960 −318 2023-08: 14 commits · +487 −119 2023-09: 22 commits · +729 −177 2023-10: 34 commits · +323 −268 2023-11: 10 commits · +92 −72 2023-12: 33 commits · +1,556 −727 2024-01: 21 commits · +607 −163 2024-02: 24 commits · +515 −156 2024-03: 22 commits · +3,273 −666 2024-04: 30 commits · +2,084 −153 2024-05: 21 commits · +742 −119 2024-06: 40 commits · +5,402 −1,358 2024-07: 28 commits · +321 −137 2024-08: 30 commits · +1,201 −225 2024-09: 17 commits · +157 −135 2024-10: 39 commits · +1,899 −215 2024-11: 12 commits · +136 −80 2024-12: 35 commits · +1,159 −283 2025-01: 49 commits · +7,480 −231 2025-02: 69 commits · +2,270 −398 2025-03: 12 commits · +214 −49 2025-04: 22 commits · +165 −118 2025-05: 44 commits · +911 −326 2025-06: 37 commits · +1,140 −474 2025-07: 15 commits · +91 −97 2025-08: 47 commits · +1,453 −471 2025-09: 22 commits · +1,170 −310 2025-10: 28 commits · +377 −159 2025-11: 32 commits · +3,931 −64 2025-12: 19 commits · +316 −57 2026-01: 40 commits · +444 −226 2026-02: 22 commits · +278 −227 2026-03: 12 commits · +62 −4 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    Representative HID driver activity is current in 2026: hid-logitech-dj received a bug-fix patch on 2026-04-10.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    Representative HID driver activity includes nontrivial ongoing refactoring/feature work in 2026: hid-sony patch posted 2026-04-23.

  3. docs.kernel.org

    The kernel documents HID as a broad, current subsystem covering raw HID, HID-BPF, sensors, UHID, and other actively used interfaces.

  4. logitech.com

    New HID-class peripherals/accessories remained on sale in the 2025-era market; Logitech still sold the Unifying USB receiver product page captured by search.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

This is an active driver subsystem, not an obsolete single-device leaf: static evidence already shows 1154 substantive commits in 5 years, 339 authors, and last substantive touch on 2026-03-29. URLs 1-2 were obtained via mcp__lore_http__.lore_activity on representative files `drivers/hid/hid-logitech-dj.c` and `drivers/hid/hid-sony.c`, showing fresh 2026 bug-fix and refactor traffic. URLs 3-4 were obtained via web search: kernel HID docs confirm HID is a current core subsystem, and Logitech's product page is direct deployment evidence that HID peripherals/receivers are still sold new. I attempted explicit removal/deprecation-thread discovery with `lore_regex` and `lei`; the regex query timed out and `lei` was blocked by the sandbox, so I found no removal evidence but keep a small uncertainty for that search gap. No natural replacement driver exists for the directory as a whole because it is the HID subsystem itself.