[PATCH 1/2] docs: dt: submitting-patches: Document sending DTS patches

Krzysztof Kozlowski
2025-02-25T18:48:27Z

Document two rules already widely used and enforced by DT maintainers
and SoC platform maintainers:

1. DTS patches should be placed at the end of driver patchset to
indicate no dependencies of driver code on DTS.

2. DTS patches should be applied via SoC platform maintainers, because
it is a driver-independent hardware description. However some
driver maintainers are reluctant to pick up portions of patchsets and
prefer to take entire set at once. For such cases, the DTS portion
should be split into separate patchset, so it will not end up in the
driver subsystem integration tree.

Signed-off-by: Krzysztof Kozlowski <krzysztof.kozlowski@linaro.org>
---
.../bindings/submitting-patches.rst | 19 +++++++++++++++++--
1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/submitting-patches.rst b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/submitting-patches.rst
index a64f21a5f299..f3e23e69a638 100644
--- a/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/submitting-patches.rst
+++ b/Documentation/devicetree/bindings/submitting-patches.rst
@@ -54,11 +54,22 @@ I. For patch submitters
followed as of commit bff5da4335256513497cc8c79f9a9d1665e09864
("checkpatch: add DT compatible string documentation checks"). ]

- 7) If a documented compatible string is not yet matched by the
+ 7) DTS is treated in general as driver-independent hardware description, thus
+ any DTS patches, regardless whether using existing or new bindings, should
+ be placed at the end of patchset to indicate no dependency of drivers on
+ the DTS. DTS will be anyway applied through separate tree or branch, so
+ different order would indicate the serie is non-bisectable.
+
+ If a driver subsystem maintainer prefers to apply entire set, instead of
+ their relevant portion of patchset, please split the DTS patches into
+ separate patchset with a reference in changelog or cover letter to the
+ bindings submission on the mailing list.
+
+ 8) If a documented compatible string is not yet matched by the
driver, the documentation should also include a compatible
string that is matched by the driver.

- 8) Bindings are actively used by multiple projects other than the Linux
+ 9) Bindings are actively used by multiple projects other than the Linux
Kernel, extra care and consideration may need to be taken when making changes
to existing bindings.

@@ -79,6 +90,10 @@ II. For kernel maintainers
3) For a series going though multiple trees, the binding patch should be
kept with the driver using the binding.

+ 4) The DTS files should however never be applied via driver subsystem tree,
+ but always via platform SoC trees on dedicated branches (see also
+ Documentation/process/maintainer-soc.rst).
+
III. Notes
==========

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2.43.0