As of October 19, 2026, the Linux kernel’s coding-assistant documentation still tells contributors to add an Assisted-by tag when AI tools help with a contribution. On October 13, Phoronix reported that Sasha Levin had posted a patch proposing to remove the documentation. That is a proposed change, not a completed policy update.
What the Assisted-by tag records
The guidance gives the format as Assisted-by: LLM [TOOL1] [TOOL2]. The tag identifies AI assistance in a contribution. Contributors may also name specialized analysis tools; basic tools such as git, gcc, make, and editors should not be listed.
SoftZone reported that the Linux Maintainers Summit reached consensus to deprecate the tag on October 8. Phoronix later reported Levin’s patch to remove the documentation. The reported agreement and patch describe steps toward a change, while the kernel documentation still contains the instruction.
Human sign-off remains a separate responsibility
The same guidance says AI agents must not add Signed-off-by. A human submitter must provide that sign-off, review AI-generated code, ensure licensing compliance, and certify the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO). Those responsibilities are distinct from the Assisted-by disclosure.
For related context, NeoTeo previously covered Linus Torvalds’s use of Claude Code on an experimental Linux patch.
