Re: [MAINTAINERS SUMMIT] The place of AI code review in the Linux Kernel process

On 15/07/2026 18:55, Roman Gushchin wrote:
> * Prompt development and testing.
> Currently, prompts are maintained in two GitHub repositories and are
> changed manually or with the help of AI coding agents. However, there is
> no established practice for testing them, especially across various LLM
> models. At the last LSFMMBPF conference, there was a discussion about
> moving them into the kernel tree. I see some pros and cons to this
> approach, but the ownership and testing models are not entirely clear.

Prompts in a meaning how to parse kernel, work with it or produce
reports: yeah, sure.

Prompts teaching kernel code: I don't think so. I find it really
incorrect approach to create a dedicated and duplicated basic knowledge
for LLMs, instead of focusing on knowledge for developers. I understand
that LLM has to be taught basics of C [1], but we should not duplicate
kernel coding style or kernel rules into LLM-only instructions. Instead:

1. Fix docs or kerneldoc to have these properly documented,
2. Instruct LLM to read these documents.

We do have tribal knowledge and it should be our kernel docs for the
developers, first of all. If the knowledge is so important for LLM that
it must be duplicated in prompts (just read some of the subsystem
specifics at [2]), then maybe better add it to some guide "writing HID
driver" or "common mistakes in Bluetooth", so developer writing such
driver that will find it. And LLM too.

I keep growing such codified and condensed (keep as short as possible)
rules for subsystem I am part of [3] and LLM should read that one. LLM
does not need dedicated doc, different than developers need. Well,
except teaching C. [1] :)


[1]
https://github.com/masoncl/review-prompts/blob/main/kernel/technical-patterns.md#null-pointer-dereference

[2] https://github.com/masoncl/review-prompts/tree/main/kernel/subsystem

[3]
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-devicetree/?q=dfn%3Awriting-bindings+f%3Akozlowski

Best regards,
Krzysztof