This repository contains all these firmware images which have been
extracted from older drivers, as well various new firmware images which
we were never permitted to include in a GPL'd work, but which we have
been permitted to redistribute under separate cover.
All firmware submitted to this repository must be redistributable to anyone,
royalty-free, without restrictions beyond those listed in
LICENSE-CRITERIA.md. Read that document before preparing
a submission — it describes the grants a license must provide, the restrictions
the project accepts, and how new license texts are reviewed. Vendors with an
existing license file in LICENSES/ should reuse it; new license texts require
explicit maintainer review as described in LICENSE-CRITERIA.md section 5.
Submission paths
To submit firmware to this repository, please do one of the following:
send a git binary diff to linux-firmware@kernel.org
send a git pull request to: linux-firmware@kernel.org
Signed-off-by requirement
All commits must include a Signed-off-by line to track the provenance of the
firmware. This signature must be from someone with authority over the licensing
of the firmware, typically someone from within the company that owns or
controls the firmware. The Signed-off-by line serves as an attestation that
the contributor has the right to submit the firmware under the specified
license terms and that it can be redistributed according to those terms.
At times, a contributor may work at a location that makes it difficult to
submit patches or MRs from their offical company accounts. In this case,
the Signed-off-by line in the commit should still be via the company
address, but the submitter can use a personal address with the company address
on CC for the MR or patch contribution.
Firmware must be submitted by the vendor that owns or controls it, or with
the vendor's explicit participation. Submissions from third parties acting
without vendor involvement will not be accepted: either the commit must carry
a Signed-off-by from the vendor, or the vendor must be copied on the
submission and acknowledge it.
AI assisted contributions
AI assisted contributions are welcome. If a commit was aided by or generated by
an AI agent or tool, the contribution must note this in the commit message using
an Assisted-by: trailer (or a similar convention such as Co-developed-by:),
naming the tool or model used. The exact tag is not critical; clearly surfacing
that AI was involved in producing the change is what matters. This requirement
is in addition to, and does not replace, the Signed-off-by requirement above.
Quality
If your commit adds new firmware, it must update the WHENCE file to clearly
state the license and that the firmware is redistributable. The full criteria
a license must meet are in LICENSE-CRITERIA.md sections
5 and 6. If the license text is long, place it in the LICENSES/ directory and
reference it from WHENCE (e.g. 'See LICENSE.foo for details.').
Where possible, the commit message should also include a changelog of the
firmware itself — what changed in this revision — since for binary firmware
the commit message is frequently the only human-readable record of the change.
To maintain consistent quality on the repository, please run the following
before submitting a patch:
make check
If you don't have pre-commit installed, you can install it with:
pip install pre-commit
Your commit must contain a Signed-Off-By: from someone authoritative on
the licensing of the firmware in question (i.e. from within the company
that owns the code).
Warnings
Don't send any CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT in your e-mail, patch or
request. Otherwise your firmware will never be accepted.
Maintainers are really busy, so don't expect a prompt reply.
