# [PATCH] doc: add missing --message long option to merge docs 3 messages from 2026-05-29 to 2026-05-31. Participants: Brandon Dong via GitGitGadget, Junio C Hamano, Brandon. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/65711 ## Brandon Dong via GitGitGadget, 2026-05-29 01:55 Subject: [PATCH] doc: add missing --message long option to merge docs Message-ID: ``` From: Brandon Include mention of --message flag in merge docs to match what is accepted (builtin/merge.c) and to make it consistent with the git commit docs. Signed-off-by: Brandon Dong --- doc: add missing --message long option to merge docs Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-2315%2Fbrandondong%2Fmerge_message_docs-v1 Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-2315/brandondong/merge_message_docs-v1 Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/2315 Documentation/git-merge.adoc | 1 + 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+) diff --git a/Documentation/git-merge.adoc b/Documentation/git-merge.adoc index a055384ad6..6581f4c69c 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-merge.adoc +++ b/Documentation/git-merge.adoc @@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ OPTIONS include::merge-options.adoc[] `-m `:: +`--message=`:: Set the commit message to be used for the merge commit (in case one is created). + base-commit: c69baaf57ba26cf117c2b6793802877f19738b0d -- gitgitgadget ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2026-05-29 05:02 Subject: Re: [PATCH] doc: add missing --message long option to merge docs Message-ID: In-Reply-To: ``` "Brandon Dong via GitGitGadget" writes: > From: Brandon As you identify yourself as "Brandon Dong" on the Signed-off-by line below, please match this in-body From: line with it. > Include mention of --message flag in merge docs to match what is > accepted (builtin/merge.c) and to make it consistent with the git > commit docs. > > Signed-off-by: Brandon Dong > --- > doc: add missing --message long option to merge docs > > Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-2315%2Fbrandondong%2Fmerge_message_docs-v1 > Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-2315/brandondong/merge_message_docs-v1 > Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/2315 > > Documentation/git-merge.adoc | 1 + > 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+) > > diff --git a/Documentation/git-merge.adoc b/Documentation/git-merge.adoc > index a055384ad6..6581f4c69c 100644 > --- a/Documentation/git-merge.adoc > +++ b/Documentation/git-merge.adoc > @@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ OPTIONS > include::merge-options.adoc[] > > `-m `:: > +`--message=`:: > Set the commit message to be used for the merge commit (in > case one is created). > + Hmph. This is still not consistent with "git merge -h" output has, which seems to accept --[no-]message as well. It is not exactly your fault, but there are a few options other than this one that support optional [no-] and they are not documented as such, even though they appear in "git merge -h". "git merge -m foo --no-message other" behaves as if "GIT_EDITOR=: git merge other" was run, it seems. ``` ## Brandon, 2026-05-31 06:37 Subject: Re: [PATCH] doc: add missing --message long option to merge docs Message-ID: In-Reply-To: ``` Junio C Hamano writes: > Hmph. This is still not consistent with "git merge -h" output has, > which seems to accept --[no-]message as well. > > It is not exactly your fault, but there are a few options other than > this one that support optional [no-] and they are not documented as > such, even though they appear in "git merge -h". "git merge -m foo > --no-message other" behaves as if "GIT_EDITOR=: git merge other" was > run, it seems. Looking at the code, I believe this might be intentional or maybe a stylistic choice to document this way? The overwhelming majority of long name flags have a [no-] variant as it comes for free when defining a new option and otherwise requires an explicit opt out (via PARSE_OPT_NONEG). The -h output auto-generates the inclusion of [no-] but for the handwritten docs, most examples I see where it's included are for cases where the [no-] variant has some behavior nuance that needs to be explained or it's for a bool-like flag. Most string-valued options do not include mention of the [no-] variant and they share the default behavior where passing the [no-] variant unsets the option. For -m/--message in particular, none of the git-commit/git-notes/git-svn/git-tag docs mention the --no variant either and I think merge should be consistent with them. ```