Re: [PATCH] get_maintainer: only use THE REST as a fallback

[Petr Pavlu]

On 10/8/26 2:51 PM, Konstantin Ryabitsev wrote:
> THE REST matches every file in the tree via "F: *" and "F: */", so
> get_maintainer.pl currently adds linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to every
> patch, regardless of whether the touched files already belong to a
> subsystem with its own mailing list.
> 
> Only add THE REST for a file when no other matching section provides a
> mailing list for it. Files that match no section, or only sections
> without an L: entry, still fall back to THE REST, so every patch keeps
> reaching at least one public list.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Konstantin Ryabitsev <konstantin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> LKML has become mostly a firehose of patches that are already going to a
> subsystem list. The reason is THE REST: it matches every file in the
> tree, so get_maintainer.pl adds linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to every
> single patch. During the week of Oct 1-7, 2026:
> 
>   - LKML carried 13,641 messages (~1,950/day), 90% of which were also
>     sent to at least one other list;
>   - with ~2,100 subscribers, that is about 29 million deliveries per
>     week for LKML alone.
> 
> This issue came up during the 2026 Maintainer Summit and the consensus
> was that "always include linux-kernel for every patch" was never the
> intent.
> 
> This patch makes THE REST a fallback as initially intended: it is only
> added for a file when no other matching MAINTAINERS section provides a
> mailing list for it.

Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst currently says:

| linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx should be used by default for all patches, but the
| volume on that list has caused a number of developers to tune it out.  Please
| do not spam unrelated lists and unrelated people, though.

If the behavior of scripts/get_maintainer.pl is changed, it would be
good to update this documentation accordingly, possibly by simply
reverting commit 77167b966b7e ("docs: submitting-patches: clarify the
role of LKML").

-- 
Thanks,
Petr