Re: [PATCH] [v5] Documentation: Provide guidelines for tool-generated content
Dave Hansen <[email protected]> Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:20:31 -0800
| Newsgroups | dev.linux.lists.ksummit,org.kernel.vger.linux-kernel,org.kernel.vger.workflows |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
On 1/12/26 21:30, Dan Carpenter wrote: >> +If tools permit you to generate a contribution automatically, expect >> +additional scrutiny in proportion to how much of it was generated. >> + >> +As with the output of any tooling, the result may be incorrect or >> +inappropriate. You are expected to understand and to be able to defend >> +everything you submit. If you are unable to do so, then do not submit >> +the resulting changes. >> + >> +If you do so anyway, maintainers are entitled to reject your series >> +without detailed review. > Argh... Flip. In context, that sounds even more sinister and > threatening than my over the top proposal. We have to "defend" > everything? "If you do so anyway" sounds like we're jumping to a > "per my last email" from the get go. What about: > > If tools permit you to generate a contribution automatically, expect > additional scrutiny in proportion to how much of it was generated. > > Every kernel patch needs careful review from multiple people. Please, > don't start the public review process until after you have carefully > reviewed the patches yourself. If you don't have the necessary > expertise to review kernel code, consider asking for help first before > sending them to the main list. > > Ideally, patches would be tested but we understand that that's not > always possible. Be transparent about how confident we can be that the > changes don't introduce new problems and how they have been tested. > > Bug reports especially are very welcome. Bug reports are more likely > to be dealt with if they can be tied to the individual commit which > introduced them. With new kinds of warnings, it is better to send > a few at a time at the start to see if they are a real issue or how > they can be improved. Hey Dan, I agree with most of what you wrote here in general. My only issue with it is that it seems to be good, generic advice and isn't specific to tooling-generated contributions. For instance, this suggests saying: "Ideally, patches would be tested..." Testing is covered in Documentation/process/submit-checklist.rst and in a few other places. The thing that I do think belongs in this document (and is missing in v5) is a note that maintainers might expect *extra* testing from tool-generated content. I've added a blurb like that to my working v6 version. Are there other things that are missing and truly specific to tooling-generated contributions that aren't covered in other documentation?