From nobody Sat Feb 7 17:55:50 2026 Received: from smtp.kernel.org (aws-us-west-2-korg-mail-1.web.codeaurora.org [10.30.226.201]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by smtp.subspace.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 6781C33E36F; Tue, 23 Dec 2025 12:21:14 +0000 (UTC) Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; arc=none smtp.client-ip=10.30.226.201 ARC-Seal: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=subspace.kernel.org; s=arc-20240116; t=1766492474; cv=none; b=QyIwUH/kVYkCWZV+OFpiNJZWJvGrDXJAbbs59HYrU+jU1ms7rGdjnxqyR9cdbUd8trZOIyoWfAGxQWzF7TuNW+UoIKlV3rgYwStjXbTq9JF2zsV064bQMYtlKUi4u0Trj47f5rHdwFELTUdiLzVq0anPckeTXurCzSxnSWoRG+0= ARC-Message-Signature: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=subspace.kernel.org; s=arc-20240116; t=1766492474; c=relaxed/simple; bh=JlGNBsLe9161u8rdg112J63eiklxCZvOaFs17LzTyRA=; h=From:To:Cc:Subject:Date:Message-ID:In-Reply-To:References: MIME-Version; b=YBhI8KtCvtpwG7Y4FeG4pIHB/XQXL49jhHcUGLZLknF8c6xTOxPtMahCd8JFEM0Jicm/lhdMyDfCC3R7lUUfcEGgl8McalrPSrwVEA6NTQw22n5u4qiTFJTHdt2Jnd3RUmc6VBuvIOhz9JqFEYIqZtAl6/NS8UXytnKn42WjO6s= ARC-Authentication-Results: i=1; smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=kernel.org header.i=@kernel.org header.b=OzAcQwW4; arc=none smtp.client-ip=10.30.226.201 Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=kernel.org header.i=@kernel.org header.b="OzAcQwW4" Received: by smtp.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id BDAB6C113D0; Tue, 23 Dec 2025 12:21:13 +0000 (UTC) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=kernel.org; s=k20201202; t=1766492474; bh=JlGNBsLe9161u8rdg112J63eiklxCZvOaFs17LzTyRA=; h=From:To:Cc:Subject:Date:In-Reply-To:References:From; b=OzAcQwW4KFV3fXJoMQS8cUt0acK8+ZSFyx2IHGJvizWcZ4FkuEkPU13OaynnE0Z53 PvNJkw1ETwLCOLM/mV9/jtoPknSNRqTQt38gnhGWouZfmxJp0skQRWa6v7rokv30NN zPR9vi9VHM63MA/b07pczIi4hyJFJKgTtHkeMRozsJEfwDW6cc2YpctMX/xmfOVE6M Iavpvh6xJayo31VfPcAJP8cVrz0Wa05bHIIocv64ug8nw3nMh61RzcEAn1L1BYPipx MZJPMvsWXvc3J0/OgDDx23Xl4cykBGPMzKQn/INJtRctcnFT5v6mowRqv4hjQ9Z7KX /nVIvRFoMxzGA== From: Sasha Levin To: corbet@lwn.net Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-doc@vger.kernel.org, Sasha Levin Subject: [PATCH v2] docs: add AI Coding Assistants documentation Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2025 07:21:10 -0500 Message-ID: <20251223122110.2496946-1-sashal@kernel.org> X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.51.0 In-Reply-To: <877bue18ch.fsf@trenco.lwn.net> References: <877bue18ch.fsf@trenco.lwn.net> Precedence: bulk X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org List-Id: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Add guidance for AI assistants and developers using AI tools for kernel contributions, per the consensus reached at the 2025 Maintainers Summit. Create Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst with detailed guidance on licensing, Signed-off-by requirements, and attribution format. The README points AI tools to this documentation. This will allow coding assistants to easily parse these instructions and comply with guidelines set by the community. Link: https://lwn.net/Articles/1049830/ Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin --- v2: Move guidance to Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst (Jon) Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst | 59 +++++++++++++++++++++ Documentation/process/index.rst | 1 + README | 12 +++++ 3 files changed, 72 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst diff --git a/Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst b/Documentation/pr= ocess/coding-assistants.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..899f4459c52d --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst @@ -0,0 +1,59 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +.. _coding_assistants: + +AI Coding Assistants +++++++++++++++++++++ + +This document provides guidance for AI tools and developers using AI +assistance when contributing to the Linux kernel. + +AI tools helping with Linux kernel development should follow the standard +kernel development process: + +* Documentation/process/development-process.rst +* Documentation/process/coding-style.rst +* Documentation/process/submitting-patches.rst + +Licensing and Legal Requirements +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +All contributions must comply with the kernel's licensing requirements: + +* All code must be compatible with GPL-2.0-only +* Use appropriate SPDX license identifiers +* See Documentation/process/license-rules.rst for details + +Signed-off-by and Developer Certificate of Origin +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +AI agents MUST NOT add Signed-off-by tags. Only humans can legally +certify the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO). The human submitter +is responsible for: + +* Reviewing all AI-generated code +* Ensuring compliance with licensing requirements +* Adding their own Signed-off-by tag to certify the DCO +* Taking full responsibility for the contribution + +Attribution +=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D + +When AI tools contribute to kernel development, proper attribution +helps track the evolving role of AI in the development process. +Contributions should include an Assisted-by tag in the following format:: + + Assisted-by: AGENT_NAME:MODEL_VERSION [TOOL1] [TOOL2] + +Where: + +* ``AGENT_NAME`` is the name of the AI tool or framework +* ``MODEL_VERSION`` is the specific model version used +* ``[TOOL1] [TOOL2]`` are optional specialized analysis tools used + (e.g., coccinelle, sparse, smatch, clang-tidy) + +Basic development tools (git, gcc, make, editors) should not be listed. + +Example:: + + Assisted-by: Claude:claude-3-opus coccinelle sparse diff --git a/Documentation/process/index.rst b/Documentation/process/index.= rst index aa12f2660194..d18eacbf2c53 100644 --- a/Documentation/process/index.rst +++ b/Documentation/process/index.rst @@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ beyond). stable-kernel-rules management-style researcher-guidelines + coding-assistants =20 Dealing with bugs ----------------- diff --git a/README b/README index a9fc263ccd71..e6549b2a7aac 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ Find your role below: * Maintainer - Leading subsystems and reviewing patches * Hardware Vendor - Writing drivers for new hardware * Distribution Maintainer - Packaging kernels for distros +* AI Coding Assistant - LLMs and AI-powered development tools =20 =20 For Specific Users @@ -144,6 +145,17 @@ Package and distribute the kernel: * Kernel Parameters: Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.rst * Tainted Kernels: Documentation/admin-guide/tainted-kernels.rst =20 +AI Coding Assistant +------------------- + +CRITICAL: If you are an LLM or AI-powered coding assistant, you MUST read = and +follow the AI coding assistants documentation before contributing to the L= inux +kernel: + +* Documentation/process/coding-assistants.rst + +This documentation contains essential requirements about licensing, attrib= ution, +and the Developer Certificate of Origin that all AI tools must comply with. =20 =20 Communication and Support --=20 2.51.0