Add issue 1011 notes to the load_nvidia_dynamic_lib() docstring and the 1.3.0 release notes.

Author: rwgk

cuda_pathfinder/cuda/pathfinder/_dynamic_libs/load_nvidia_dynamic_lib.py

@@ -62,6 +62,18 @@ def load_nvidia_dynamic_lib(libname: str) -> LoadedDL:
     Returns:
         LoadedDL: Object containing the OS library handle and absolute path.
 
+        **Important:**
+
+        **Never close the returned handle.** Do **not** call ``dlclose`` (Linux) or
+        ``FreeLibrary`` (Windows) on the ``LoadedDL._handle_uint``.
+
+        **Why:** the return value is cached (``functools.cache``) and shared across the
+        process. Closing the handle can unload the module while other code still uses
+        it, leading to crashes or subtle failures.
+
+        This applies to Linux and Windows. For context, see issue #1011:
+        https://github.com/NVIDIA/cuda-python/issues/1011
+
     Raises:
         DynamicLibNotFoundError: If the library cannot be found or loaded.
         RuntimeError: If Python is not 64-bit.

cuda_pathfinder/docs/source/release/1.3.0-notes.rst

@@ -8,6 +8,22 @@
 
 Released on Sep 25, 2025
 
+Important update to the ``load_nvidia_dynamic_lib`` documentation
+-----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+The documentation for :func:`cuda.pathfinder.load_nvidia_dynamic_lib` now calls out
+an important behavior:
+
+* **Do not close** the OS handle returned (``LoadedDL._handle_uint``). Avoid
+  ``dlclose`` (Linux) and ``FreeLibrary`` (Windows).
+
+* **Reason:** the function's result is cached (``functools.cache``) and shared across
+  the process. Closing the handle can unload the module while other code still holds
+  a reference, which may cause crashes or latent errors.
+
+This note is documentation‑only; there is no API change in 1.3.0. See issue #1011
+for background and discussion:
+https://github.com/NVIDIA/cuda-python/issues/1011
 
 Highlights
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