Documentation/git-send-email.txt

   1 git-send-email(1)
   2 =================
   3
   4 NAME
   5 ----
   6 git-send-email - Send a collection of patches as emails
   7
   8
   9 SYNOPSIS
  10 --------
  11 [verse]
  12 'git send-email' [options] <file|directory|rev-list options>...
  13
  14
  15 DESCRIPTION
  16 -----------
  17 Takes the patches given on the command line and emails them out.
  18 Patches can be specified as files, directories (which will send all
  19 files in the directory), or directly as a revision list.  In the
  20 last case, any format accepted by linkgit:git-format-patch[1] can
  21 be passed to git send-email.
  22
  23 The header of the email is configurable by command line options.  If not
  24 specified on the command line, the user will be prompted with a ReadLine
  25 enabled interface to provide the necessary information.
  26
  27 There are two formats accepted for patch files:
  28
  29 1. mbox format files
  30 +
  31 This is what linkgit:git-format-patch[1] generates.  Most headers and MIME
  32 formatting are ignored.
  33
  34 2. The original format used by Greg Kroah-Hartman's 'send_lots_of_email.pl'
  35 script
  36 +
  37 This format expects the first line of the file to contain the "Cc:" value
  38 and the "Subject:" of the message as the second line.
  39
  40
  41 OPTIONS
  42 -------
  43
  44 Composing
  45 ~~~~~~~~~
  46
  47 --annotate::
  48         Review and edit each patch you're about to send. Default is the value
  49         of 'sendemail.annotate'. See the CONFIGURATION section for
  50         'sendemail.multiedit'.
  51
  52 --bcc=<address>::
  53         Specify a "Bcc:" value for each email. Default is the value of
  54         'sendemail.bcc'.
  55 +
  56 The --bcc option must be repeated for each user you want on the bcc list.
  57
  58 --cc=<address>::
  59         Specify a starting "Cc:" value for each email.
  60         Default is the value of 'sendemail.cc'.
  61 +
  62 The --cc option must be repeated for each user you want on the cc list.
  63
  64 --compose::
  65         Invoke a text editor (see GIT_EDITOR in linkgit:git-var[1])
  66         to edit an introductory message for the patch series.
  67 +
  68 When '--compose' is used, git send-email will use the From, Subject, and
  69 In-Reply-To headers specified in the message. If the body of the message
  70 (what you type after the headers and a blank line) only contains blank
  71 (or Git: prefixed) lines the summary won't be sent, but From, Subject,
  72 and In-Reply-To headers will be used unless they are removed.
  73 +
  74 Missing From or In-Reply-To headers will be prompted for.
  75 +
  76 See the CONFIGURATION section for 'sendemail.multiedit'.
  77
  78 --from=<address>::
  79         Specify the sender of the emails.  If not specified on the command line,
  80         the value of the 'sendemail.from' configuration option is used.  If
  81         neither the command line option nor 'sendemail.from' are set, then the
  82         user will be prompted for the value.  The default for the prompt will be
  83         the value of GIT_AUTHOR_IDENT, or GIT_COMMITTER_IDENT if that is not
  84         set, as returned by "git var -l".
  85
  86 --in-reply-to=<identifier>::
  87         Make the first mail (or all the mails with `--no-thread`) appear as a
  88         reply to the given Message-Id, which avoids breaking threads to
  89         provide a new patch series.
  90         The second and subsequent emails will be sent as replies according to
  91         the `--[no]-chain-reply-to` setting.
  92 +
  93 So for example when `--thread` and `--no-chain-reply-to` are specified, the
  94 second and subsequent patches will be replies to the first one like in the
  95 illustration below where `[PATCH v2 0/3]` is in reply to `[PATCH 0/2]`:
  96 +
  97   [PATCH 0/2] Here is what I did...
  98     [PATCH 1/2] Clean up and tests
  99     [PATCH 2/2] Implementation
 100     [PATCH v2 0/3] Here is a reroll
 101       [PATCH v2 1/3] Clean up
 102       [PATCH v2 2/3] New tests
 103       [PATCH v2 3/3] Implementation
 104 +
 105 Only necessary if --compose is also set.  If --compose
 106 is not set, this will be prompted for.
 107
 108 --subject=<string>::
 109         Specify the initial subject of the email thread.
 110         Only necessary if --compose is also set.  If --compose
 111         is not set, this will be prompted for.
 112
 113 --to=<address>::
 114         Specify the primary recipient of the emails generated. Generally, this
 115         will be the upstream maintainer of the project involved. Default is the
 116         value of the 'sendemail.to' configuration value; if that is unspecified,
 117         and --to-cmd is not specified, this will be prompted for.
 118 +
 119 The --to option must be repeated for each user you want on the to list.
 120
 121 --8bit-encoding=<encoding>::
 122         When encountering a non-ASCII message or subject that does not
 123         declare its encoding, add headers/quoting to indicate it is
 124         encoded in <encoding>.  Default is the value of the
 125         'sendemail.assume8bitEncoding'; if that is unspecified, this
 126         will be prompted for if any non-ASCII files are encountered.
 127 +
 128 Note that no attempts whatsoever are made to validate the encoding.
 129
 130 --compose-encoding=<encoding>::
 131         Specify encoding of compose message. Default is the value of the
 132         'sendemail.composeencoding'; if that is unspecified, UTF-8 is assumed.
 133
 134
 135 Sending
 136 ~~~~~~~
 137
 138 --envelope-sender=<address>::
 139         Specify the envelope sender used to send the emails.
 140         This is useful if your default address is not the address that is
 141         subscribed to a list. In order to use the 'From' address, set the
 142         value to "auto". If you use the sendmail binary, you must have
 143         suitable privileges for the -f parameter.  Default is the value of the
 144         'sendemail.envelopesender' configuration variable; if that is
 145         unspecified, choosing the envelope sender is left to your MTA.
 146
 147 --smtp-encryption=<encryption>::
 148         Specify the encryption to use, either 'ssl' or 'tls'.  Any other
 149         value reverts to plain SMTP.  Default is the value of
 150         'sendemail.smtpencryption'.
 151
 152 --smtp-domain=<FQDN>::
 153         Specifies the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) used in the
 154         HELO/EHLO command to the SMTP server.  Some servers require the
 155         FQDN to match your IP address.  If not set, git send-email attempts
 156         to determine your FQDN automatically.  Default is the value of
 157         'sendemail.smtpdomain'.
 158
 159 --smtp-pass[=<password>]::
 160         Password for SMTP-AUTH. The argument is optional: If no
 161         argument is specified, then the empty string is used as
 162         the password. Default is the value of 'sendemail.smtppass',
 163         however '--smtp-pass' always overrides this value.
 164 +
 165 Furthermore, passwords need not be specified in configuration files
 166 or on the command line. If a username has been specified (with
 167 '--smtp-user' or a 'sendemail.smtpuser'), but no password has been
 168 specified (with '--smtp-pass' or 'sendemail.smtppass'), then
 169 a password is obtained using 'git-credential'.
 170
 171 --smtp-server=<host>::
 172         If set, specifies the outgoing SMTP server to use (e.g.
 173         `smtp.example.com` or a raw IP address).  Alternatively it can
 174         specify a full pathname of a sendmail-like program instead;
 175         the program must support the `-i` option.  Default value can
 176         be specified by the 'sendemail.smtpserver' configuration
 177         option; the built-in default is `/usr/sbin/sendmail` or
 178         `/usr/lib/sendmail` if such program is available, or
 179         `localhost` otherwise.
 180
 181 --smtp-server-port=<port>::
 182         Specifies a port different from the default port (SMTP
 183         servers typically listen to smtp port 25, but may also listen to
 184         submission port 587, or the common SSL smtp port 465);
 185         symbolic port names (e.g. "submission" instead of 587)
 186         are also accepted. The port can also be set with the
 187         'sendemail.smtpserverport' configuration variable.
 188
 189 --smtp-server-option=<option>::
 190         If set, specifies the outgoing SMTP server option to use.
 191         Default value can be specified by the 'sendemail.smtpserveroption'
 192         configuration option.
 193 +
 194 The --smtp-server-option option must be repeated for each option you want
 195 to pass to the server. Likewise, different lines in the configuration files
 196 must be used for each option.
 197
 198 --smtp-ssl::
 199         Legacy alias for '--smtp-encryption ssl'.
 200
 201 --smtp-ssl-cert-path::
 202         Path to ca-certificates (either a directory or a single file).
 203         Set it to an empty string to disable certificate verification.
 204         Defaults to the value set to the 'sendemail.smtpsslcertpath'
 205         configuration variable, if set, or `/etc/ssl/certs` otherwise.
 206
 207 --smtp-user=<user>::
 208         Username for SMTP-AUTH. Default is the value of 'sendemail.smtpuser';
 209         if a username is not specified (with '--smtp-user' or 'sendemail.smtpuser'),
 210         then authentication is not attempted.
 211
 212 --smtp-debug=0|1::
 213         Enable (1) or disable (0) debug output. If enabled, SMTP
 214         commands and replies will be printed. Useful to debug TLS
 215         connection and authentication problems.
 216
 217 Automating
 218 ~~~~~~~~~~
 219
 220 --to-cmd=<command>::
 221         Specify a command to execute once per patch file which
 222         should generate patch file specific "To:" entries.
 223         Output of this command must be single email address per line.
 224         Default is the value of 'sendemail.tocmd' configuration value.
 225
 226 --cc-cmd=<command>::
 227         Specify a command to execute once per patch file which
 228         should generate patch file specific "Cc:" entries.
 229         Output of this command must be single email address per line.
 230         Default is the value of 'sendemail.cccmd' configuration value.
 231
 232 --[no-]chain-reply-to::
 233         If this is set, each email will be sent as a reply to the previous
 234         email sent.  If disabled with "--no-chain-reply-to", all emails after
 235         the first will be sent as replies to the first email sent.  When using
 236         this, it is recommended that the first file given be an overview of the
 237         entire patch series. Disabled by default, but the 'sendemail.chainreplyto'
 238         configuration variable can be used to enable it.
 239
 240 --identity=<identity>::
 241         A configuration identity. When given, causes values in the
 242         'sendemail.<identity>' subsection to take precedence over
 243         values in the 'sendemail' section. The default identity is
 244         the value of 'sendemail.identity'.
 245
 246 --[no-]signed-off-by-cc::
 247         If this is set, add emails found in Signed-off-by: or Cc: lines to the
 248         cc list. Default is the value of 'sendemail.signedoffbycc' configuration
 249         value; if that is unspecified, default to --signed-off-by-cc.
 250
 251 --[no-]cc-cover::
 252         If this is set, emails found in Cc: headers in the first patch of
 253         the series (typically the cover letter) are added to the cc list
 254         for each email set. Default is the value of 'sendemail.cccover'
 255         configuration value; if that is unspecified, default to --no-cc-cover.
 256
 257 --[no-]to-cover::
 258         If this is set, emails found in To: headers in the first patch of
 259         the series (typically the cover letter) are added to the to list
 260         for each email set. Default is the value of 'sendemail.tocover'
 261         configuration value; if that is unspecified, default to --no-to-cover.
 262
 263 --suppress-cc=<category>::
 264         Specify an additional category of recipients to suppress the
 265         auto-cc of:
 266 +
 267 --
 268 - 'author' will avoid including the patch author
 269 - 'self' will avoid including the sender
 270 - 'cc' will avoid including anyone mentioned in Cc lines in the patch header
 271   except for self (use 'self' for that).
 272 - 'bodycc' will avoid including anyone mentioned in Cc lines in the
 273   patch body (commit message) except for self (use 'self' for that).
 274 - 'sob' will avoid including anyone mentioned in Signed-off-by lines except
 275    for self (use 'self' for that).
 276 - 'cccmd' will avoid running the --cc-cmd.
 277 - 'body' is equivalent to 'sob' + 'bodycc'
 278 - 'all' will suppress all auto cc values.
 279 --
 280 +
 281 Default is the value of 'sendemail.suppresscc' configuration value; if
 282 that is unspecified, default to 'self' if --suppress-from is
 283 specified, as well as 'body' if --no-signed-off-cc is specified.
 284
 285 --[no-]suppress-from::
 286         If this is set, do not add the From: address to the cc: list.
 287         Default is the value of 'sendemail.suppressfrom' configuration
 288         value; if that is unspecified, default to --no-suppress-from.
 289
 290 --[no-]thread::
 291         If this is set, the In-Reply-To and References headers will be
 292         added to each email sent.  Whether each mail refers to the
 293         previous email (`deep` threading per 'git format-patch'
 294         wording) or to the first email (`shallow` threading) is
 295         governed by "--[no-]chain-reply-to".
 296 +
 297 If disabled with "--no-thread", those headers will not be added
 298 (unless specified with --in-reply-to).  Default is the value of the
 299 'sendemail.thread' configuration value; if that is unspecified,
 300 default to --thread.
 301 +
 302 It is up to the user to ensure that no In-Reply-To header already
 303 exists when 'git send-email' is asked to add it (especially note that
 304 'git format-patch' can be configured to do the threading itself).
 305 Failure to do so may not produce the expected result in the
 306 recipient's MUA.
 307
 308
 309 Administering
 310 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 311
 312 --confirm=<mode>::
 313         Confirm just before sending:
 314 +
 315 --
 316 - 'always' will always confirm before sending
 317 - 'never' will never confirm before sending
 318 - 'cc' will confirm before sending when send-email has automatically
 319   added addresses from the patch to the Cc list
 320 - 'compose' will confirm before sending the first message when using --compose.
 321 - 'auto' is equivalent to 'cc' + 'compose'
 322 --
 323 +
 324 Default is the value of 'sendemail.confirm' configuration value; if that
 325 is unspecified, default to 'auto' unless any of the suppress options
 326 have been specified, in which case default to 'compose'.
 327
 328 --dry-run::
 329         Do everything except actually send the emails.
 330
 331 --[no-]format-patch::
 332         When an argument may be understood either as a reference or as a file name,
 333         choose to understand it as a format-patch argument ('--format-patch')
 334         or as a file name ('--no-format-patch'). By default, when such a conflict
 335         occurs, git send-email will fail.
 336
 337 --quiet::
 338         Make git-send-email less verbose.  One line per email should be
 339         all that is output.
 340
 341 --[no-]validate::
 342         Perform sanity checks on patches.
 343         Currently, validation means the following:
 344 +
 345 --
 346                 *       Warn of patches that contain lines longer than 998 characters; this
 347                         is due to SMTP limits as described by http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt.
 348 --
 349 +
 350 Default is the value of 'sendemail.validate'; if this is not set,
 351 default to '--validate'.
 352
 353 --force::
 354         Send emails even if safety checks would prevent it.
 355
 356
 357 CONFIGURATION
 358 -------------
 359
 360 sendemail.aliasesfile::
 361         To avoid typing long email addresses, point this to one or more
 362         email aliases files.  You must also supply 'sendemail.aliasfiletype'.
 363
 364 sendemail.aliasfiletype::
 365         Format of the file(s) specified in sendemail.aliasesfile. Must be
 366         one of 'mutt', 'mailrc', 'pine', 'elm', or 'gnus'.
 367
 368 sendemail.multiedit::
 369         If true (default), a single editor instance will be spawned to edit
 370         files you have to edit (patches when '--annotate' is used, and the
 371         summary when '--compose' is used). If false, files will be edited one
 372         after the other, spawning a new editor each time.
 373
 374 sendemail.confirm::
 375         Sets the default for whether to confirm before sending. Must be
 376         one of 'always', 'never', 'cc', 'compose', or 'auto'. See '--confirm'
 377         in the previous section for the meaning of these values.
 378
 379 EXAMPLE
 380 -------
 381 Use gmail as the smtp server
 382 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 383 To use 'git send-email' to send your patches through the GMail SMTP server,
 384 edit ~/.gitconfig to specify your account settings:
 385
 386         [sendemail]
 387                 smtpencryption = tls
 388                 smtpserver = smtp.gmail.com
 389                 smtpuser = yourname@gmail.com
 390                 smtpserverport = 587
 391
 392 Once your commits are ready to be sent to the mailing list, run the
 393 following commands:
 394
 395         $ git format-patch --cover-letter -M origin/master -o outgoing/
 396         $ edit outgoing/0000-*
 397         $ git send-email outgoing/*
 398
 399 Note: the following perl modules are required
 400       Net::SMTP::SSL, MIME::Base64 and Authen::SASL
 401
 402 SEE ALSO
 403 --------
 404 linkgit:git-format-patch[1], linkgit:git-imap-send[1], mbox(5)
 405
 406 GIT
 407 ---
 408 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite