[PATCH v2] commit: document that $command.signoff will not be added
From: Junio C Hamano <hidden>
Date: 2025-12-16 18:54:18
Every now and then we see this coming up on the list. Let's help new contributors who are not aware of past discussions by clearly documenting our past consensus. Helped-by: brian m. carlson [off-list ref] Helped-by: Elijah Newren [off-list ref] Helped-by: Johannes Sixt [off-list ref] Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <redacted> --- * The text is from Elijah and Johannes this round; I am merely playing a copybot. Documentation/gitfaq.adoc | 19 +++++++++++++++++++ Documentation/signoff-option.adoc | 4 ++++ 2 files changed, 23 insertions(+)
diff --git c/Documentation/gitfaq.adoc w/Documentation/gitfaq.adoc
index f2917d142c..0e40befb77 100644
--- c/Documentation/gitfaq.adoc
+++ w/Documentation/gitfaq.adoc@@ -83,6 +83,25 @@ Windows would be the configuration `"C:\Program Files\Vim\gvim.exe" --nofork`, which quotes the filename with spaces and specifies the `--nofork` option to avoid backgrounding the process. +[[sign-off]] +Why not have `commit.signoff` and other configuration variables?:: + Git intentionally does not (and will not) provide a + configuration variable, such as `commit.signoff`, to + automatically add `--signoff` by default. The reason is to + protect the legal and intentional significance of a sign-off. + If there were more automated and widely publicized ways for + sign-offs to be appended, it would become easier for someone + to argue later that a "Signed-off-by" trailer was just added + out of habit or by automation, without the committer's full + awareness or intent to certify their agreement with the + Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO) or a similar statement. + This could undermine the sign-off’s credibility in legal or + contractual situations. ++ +There exists `format.signoff`, but that is a historical mistake, and +it is not an excuse to pile on more mistakes of the same kind on top. + + Credentials -----------
diff --git c/Documentation/signoff-option.adoc w/Documentation/signoff-option.adoc
index cddfb225d1..9a80d60f1b 100644
--- c/Documentation/signoff-option.adoc
+++ w/Documentation/signoff-option.adoc@@ -16,3 +16,7 @@ endif::git-commit[] + The `--no-signoff` option can be used to countermand an earlier `--signoff` option on the command line. ++ +Git does not (and will not) have a configuration variable to enable +the `--signoff` command line option by default; see the +`commit.signoff` entry in the gitfaq for more details.