[PATCH v2 0/2] get_maintainer: stop sending every patch to LKML

[Konstantin Ryabitsev]

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 series 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 that get_maintainer.pl would actually output for it.
Patch 2 updates submitting-patches.rst, which currently tells submitters
to send every patch to LKML.

Several v1 reviewers asked for a catch-all list that would keep carrying
every patch for those who want to follow all kernel development. That
is a worthwhile discussion, but it is separate from this series, which
only restores THE REST to its original role.

Translation maintainers are Cc'd because the it_IT, ja_JP, sp_SP, zh_CN
and zh_TW versions of submitting-patches.rst carry the same "send every
patch to LKML" advice and will need a follow-up update once the English
text is settled.

---
Changes in v2:
- Don't count subscribers-only lists (or moderated lists with
  --no-moderated) as a destination, since get_maintainer.pl doesn't
  output them; v1 sent patches to e.g. fs/squashfs/ to no list at all
- Add submitting-patches.rst update describing LKML as the list of last
  resort (Petr Pavlu)
- Rebase on v7.3
- Link to v1: https://patch.msgid.link/20261008-get-maintainer-the-rest-fallback-v1-1-7d26d0b7aa34@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

---
Konstantin Ryabitsev (2):
      get_maintainer: only use THE REST as a fallback
      docs: submitting-patches: make LKML a list of last resort again

 Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst |  9 ++++--
 scripts/get_maintainer.pl                    | 43 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 49 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
---
base-commit: c03c1a14507dfaf8b856c2608f9ac216021fc222
base-tree: git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git master
change-id: 20261008-get-maintainer-the-rest-fallback-6655e8a648d4

Best regards,
--  
Konstantin Ryabitsev <konstantin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>