Linus Torvalds Cracks Down on Useless Links in Git Commits

2025-09-08

Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is fed up with pointless "Link:" tags in Git commit messages for the Linux kernel. He finds that many of these links simply redirect to the same patch already present, offering no additional context. Moving forward, he'll be stricter about accepting pull requests with these useless links. While he appreciates links for multi-part patch series cover letters, he's pushing for better automation to filter out valueless links, even suggesting AI could help determine a link's usefulness. He urges developers to ensure any "Link:" tags add genuine value, avoiding time-wasting redundancy.

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