Why Linus Torvalds Rejects GitHub Merge Messages for Linux Kernel Contributions
Linus Torvalds criticizes the use of GitHub’s merge interface for Linux kernel contributions, arguing that its commit messages lack essential details such as what is being merged, why, and proper author attribution, and he emphasizes the need for signed, well‑documented PRs despite his past reluctance to use GitHub.
Paragon Software recently submitted their NTFS driver to the Linux kernel, but Linus Torvalds complained when the commit was merged into version 5.15, stating that the GitHub merge created "useless garbage merge information" and should never be used for merging.
Linus acknowledges that GitHub is a good code‑hosting platform, yet its merge process fails to meet Linux kernel standards. Kernel merges must follow strict rules, requiring commit messages that clearly describe what is being merged, why it is needed, and include precise author and committer information—details GitHub’s interface omits.
Using Paragon’s commit as an example, Linus highlighted that the submission was unacceptable, especially because it listed a fake committer name "github.com". Merge branch 'torvalds:master' into master He also stressed that every pull request should be signed; ideally, PRs would be PGP‑signed, allowing a trust chain to trace back to the submitter, although he has never strictly enforced this requirement.
Linus previously expressed similar concerns in 2012, refusing to use GitHub’s PR feature because it discards crucial contributor information, making it impossible to locate a contributor’s valid email address. He believes Git already provides a solid PR generation mechanism, which GitHub replaces with an inferior version.
Ultimately, Linus accepted Paragon’s code, stating that while he will merge the current submission, future contributions must adhere to the established rules.
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Programmer DD
A tinkering programmer and author of "Spring Cloud Microservices in Action"
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