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

[Willy Tarreau <w@1wt.eu>]

On Thu, Oct 08, 2026 at 03:15:03PM +0200, Jürgen Groß wrote:
> On 08.10.26 14:51, Konstantin Ryabitsev wrote:
> > THE REST matches every file in the tree via "F: *" and "F: */", so
> > get_maintainer.pl currently adds linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org 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@linuxfoundation.org>
> > ---
> > 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@vger.kernel.org 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.
> 
> Hmm, for me this will be a major problem.
> 
> As the Xen code maintainer I have stumbled over problematic patches which
> were NOT sent to x86 or xen ML several times, which made it possible to catch
> potential regressions early.
> 
> Having to subscribe to each potentially interesting ML (or using korgalore on
> those) would not be my preferred workflow.

I went into the same situation ~20 years ago, with filters sending LKML
traffic into a dedicated folder, to then realize that I was no longer
reading them because it requires to actively think about it and make an
effort. So I turned this back to my normal folder and I can have a glance
at them as messages arrive (like I'm seeing this one BTW).

I understand the problem of volume on LKML that's not really compatible with
2k emails a day (nor with many people's expectations), but at the same time
I think that a dedicated catch-all list with way less subscribers would be
really nice for those who want to stay a bit informed of what's happening.

Just my 2c,
Willy