Neither the warning nor the help message gives any hint on the unit for
length: Could be meters, inches, bytes, characters or ... lines.

Extend the output of `--help` to name the unit "lines" and the default:
-  --min-conf-desc-length=n   set the min description length, if shorter, warn
+  --min-conf-desc-length=n   set the minimum description length for config symbols
+                             in lines, if shorter, warn (default 4)

Include the minimum number of lines as other error messages already do:
- WARNING: please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol
+ WARNING: please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol with at least 4 lines

Cc: Andy Whitcroft <apw@canonical.com>
Cc: Joe Perches <joe@perches.com>
Cc: Dwaipayan Ray <dwaipayanray1@gmail.com>
Cc: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Philipp Hahn <p.hahn@avm.de>
---
 scripts/checkpatch.pl | 5 +++--
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index 7b28ad331742..784912f570e9 100755
--- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -113,7 +113,8 @@ Options:
   --max-line-length=n        set the maximum line length, (default $max_line_length)
                              if exceeded, warn on patches
                              requires --strict for use with --file
-  --min-conf-desc-length=n   set the min description length, if shorter, warn
+  --min-conf-desc-length=n   set the minimum description length for config symbols
+                             in lines, if shorter, warn (default $min_conf_desc_length)
   --tab-size=n               set the number of spaces for tab (default $tabsize)
   --root=PATH                PATH to the kernel tree root
   --no-summary               suppress the per-file summary
@@ -3645,7 +3646,7 @@ sub process {
 			    $help_length < $min_conf_desc_length) {
 				my $stat_real = get_stat_real($linenr, $ln - 1);
 				WARN("CONFIG_DESCRIPTION",
-				     "please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol\n" . "$here\n$stat_real\n");
+				     "please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol with at least $min_conf_desc_length lines\n" . "$here\n$stat_real\n");
 			}
 		}
 
-- 
2.34.1

On Mon, 2025-03-10 at 12:22 +0100, Philipp Hahn wrote:
> Neither the warning nor the help message gives any hint on the unit for
> length: Could be meters, inches, bytes, characters or ... lines.

I've no objection to this.

> 
> Extend the output of `--help` to name the unit "lines" and the default:
> -  --min-conf-desc-length=n   set the min description length, if shorter, warn
> +  --min-conf-desc-length=n   set the minimum description length for config symbols
> +                             in lines, if shorter, warn (default 4)
> 
> Include the minimum number of lines as other error messages already do:
> - WARNING: please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol
> + WARNING: please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol with at least 4 lines
> 
> Cc: Andy Whitcroft <apw@canonical.com>
> Cc: Joe Perches <joe@perches.com>
> Cc: Dwaipayan Ray <dwaipayanray1@gmail.com>
> Cc: Lukas Bulwahn <lukas.bulwahn@gmail.com>
> Signed-off-by: Philipp Hahn <p.hahn@avm.de>
> ---
>  scripts/checkpatch.pl | 5 +++--
>  1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
> index 7b28ad331742..784912f570e9 100755
> --- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
> +++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
> @@ -113,7 +113,8 @@ Options:
>    --max-line-length=n        set the maximum line length, (default $max_line_length)
>                               if exceeded, warn on patches
>                               requires --strict for use with --file
> -  --min-conf-desc-length=n   set the min description length, if shorter, warn
> +  --min-conf-desc-length=n   set the minimum description length for config symbols
> +                             in lines, if shorter, warn (default $min_conf_desc_length)
>    --tab-size=n               set the number of spaces for tab (default $tabsize)
>    --root=PATH                PATH to the kernel tree root
>    --no-summary               suppress the per-file summary
> @@ -3645,7 +3646,7 @@ sub process {
>  			    $help_length < $min_conf_desc_length) {
>  				my $stat_real = get_stat_real($linenr, $ln - 1);
>  				WARN("CONFIG_DESCRIPTION",
> -				     "please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol\n" . "$here\n$stat_real\n");
> +				     "please write a help paragraph that fully describes the config symbol with at least $min_conf_desc_length lines\n" . "$here\n$stat_real\n");
>  			}
>  		}
>