[PATCH v2 1/2] get_maintainer: only use THE REST as a fallback

From: Konstantin Ryabitsev

Date: Tue Oct 20 2026 - 11:41:27 EST


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 that get_maintainer.pl would actually output. Lists marked
"subscribers-only" are omitted unless --s is given, and lists marked
"moderated" are omitted with --no-moderated, so such lists don't count
as a destination in those cases. Files that match no section, or only
sections without such a list, still fall back to THE REST, so every
patch keeps reaching at least one known-public mailing list.

Signed-off-by: Konstantin Ryabitsev <konstantin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
scripts/get_maintainer.pl | 43 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 43 insertions(+)

diff --git a/scripts/get_maintainer.pl b/scripts/get_maintainer.pl
index 16b80a700d4a..265245e568c6 100755
--- a/scripts/get_maintainer.pl
+++ b/scripts/get_maintainer.pl
@@ -959,6 +959,15 @@ sub get_maintainers {
$tvi = $end + 1;
}

+ # THE REST matches every file, so only fall back to it when no
+ # other matching section provides a mailing list for this file
+ # that we would actually output with the current options.
+ my ($the_rest) = grep { get_section_name($_) eq "THE REST" } keys %hash;
+ if (defined($the_rest) &&
+ grep { $_ != $the_rest && section_has_list($_) } keys %hash) {
+ delete $hash{$the_rest};
+ }
+
foreach my $line (sort {$hash{$b} <=> $hash{$a}} keys %hash) {
add_categories($line, "");
if ($sections) {
@@ -1295,6 +1304,40 @@ sub find_ending_index {
return $index;
}

+sub get_section_name {
+ my ($index) = @_;
+
+ return $typevalue[find_starting_index($index)];
+}
+
+sub section_has_list {
+ my ($index) = @_;
+
+ my $start = find_starting_index($index);
+ my $end = find_ending_index($index);
+ for (my $i = $start; $i < $end; $i++) {
+ next if ($typevalue[$i] !~ m/^L:\s*(.*)/);
+ my $list_additional = "";
+ if ($1 =~ m/[^\s]+\s+(.*)$/) {
+ $list_additional = $1;
+ }
+ return 1 if (list_is_selected($list_additional));
+ }
+ return 0;
+}
+
+# Must match the list selection in add_categories()
+sub list_is_selected {
+ my ($list_additional) = @_;
+
+ if ($list_additional =~ m/subscribers-only/) {
+ return $email_subscriber_list;
+ } elsif ($list_additional =~ m/moderated/) {
+ return $email_list && $email_moderated_list;
+ }
+ return $email_list;
+}
+
sub get_subsystem_name {
my ($index) = @_;


--
2.55.0