[PATCH v2] docs: submitting-patches: Clarify that "reviewer" is a person
From: Krzysztof Kozlowski
Date: Wed May 20 2026 - 12:45:15 EST
Common understanding of word "Reviewer" is: a person performing a review
work [1]. Tools are not persons, thus cannot be reviewers in this term.
Also tools cannot make statements and cannot take responsibility for the
review.
Our docs already clearly mark that "Reviewed-by" must come from a
person:
- "By offering my Reviewed-by: tag, I state that:"
Usage of first person "I" and word "state"
- "A Reviewed-by tag is *a statement of opinion* that the patch is an
appropriate modification of the kernel without any remaining serious"
Only a person can make a statement of opinion.
- "Any interested reviewer (who has done the work) can offer a
Reviewed-by"
A person can offer a tag thus above does not grant the tool
permission to offer a tag.
However this might not be enough, so let's clarify that only a person
with a known identity can state the "Reviewer's statement of oversight".
Link: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reviewer [1]
Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Vlastimil Babka <vbabka@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: David Hildenbrand <david@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Acked-by: Vlastimil Babka (SUSE) <vbabka@xxxxxxxxxx>
Acked-by: Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reviewed-by: Mark Brown <broonie@xxxxxxxxxx>
Acked-by: David Hildenbrand (Arm) <david@xxxxxxxxxx>
Reviewed-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Krzysztof Kozlowski <krzysztof.kozlowski@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Changes in v2:
1. Add tags
2. Rephrase/simplify a bit commit msg. Rephrase title - drop "in
English".
3. Add "with known identity", suggested by David Hildenbrand. I retained
previous tags, assuming this change is within spirit of previous
version and there were no objections on the list.
---
Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst | 12 ++++++------
1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst b/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
index d7290e208e72..cc6a1f73d7f2 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst
@@ -581,12 +581,12 @@ By offering my Reviewed-by: tag, I state that:
A Reviewed-by tag is a statement of opinion that the patch is an
appropriate modification of the kernel without any remaining serious
-technical issues. Any interested reviewer (who has done the work) can
-offer a Reviewed-by tag for a patch. This tag serves to give credit to
-reviewers and to inform maintainers of the degree of review which has been
-done on the patch. Reviewed-by: tags, when supplied by reviewers known to
-understand the subject area and to perform thorough reviews, will normally
-increase the likelihood of your patch getting into the kernel.
+technical issues. Any interested reviewer (who has done the work and is a
+person with known identity) can offer a Reviewed-by tag for a patch. This tag
+serves to give credit to reviewers and to inform maintainers of the degree of
+review which has been done on the patch. Reviewed-by: tags, when supplied by
+reviewers known to understand the subject area and to perform thorough reviews,
+will normally increase the likelihood of your patch getting into the kernel.
Both Tested-by and Reviewed-by tags, once received on mailing list from tester
or reviewer, should be added by author to the applicable patches when sending
--
2.53.0