Script to add maintainers to a Linux kernel patch

16 Aug 2023

Introducing add-maintainer.py

I worked on adding a new script to improve the workflow of developers contributing patches to the Linux kernel. Here it is:

[PATCH v2 0/1] Add add-maintainer.py script - Guru Das Srinagesh

Its fate is yet to be decided - it's only at v2 now, and looks like there is already a mature tool named b4 that possibly does the same thing as my script.

Update (Sep 1)

The upstream maintainers have ruled in favour of b4, sounding the death knell for my script^{1 2}

Takeaways and Learnings

I am extremely proud of the effort I put into v3 - I even added an --undo flag! I think it's a fantastic nifty little script and:

1. Not only did I get to learn some Python, but also
2. Earned the satisfaction of independently identifying a problem that needed fixing, and
3. Solving the non-trivial problem using Python in Pythonic ways and following best practices.

Onwards and upwards, I say! On to the next problem. I'm on a roll.

1. Mark Brown's response to v3 of my script ↩
2. Krzysztof being his usual blunt and brutal self ↩