Stephen Smith <ishchis2@xxxxxxxxx> writes: >> From: "Stephen P. Smith" <ishchis2@xxxxxxxxx> >> > > I don't know why git send-email added this extra From line to the body of the > email. This line is not part of the file that format-patch created. Most likely that the author name recorded in the commit object is with "P.", but the name your MUA knows you as is without. In such a case, the command adds what we call "in-body header" to override the headers MUA uses (in this case, "From:" that the recipient takes the authorship identity from). As the name with "P." is what you signed-off your commit on the "Signed-off-by:" trailer line, it is absolutely the right thing to do to override the name MUA knows you as with the in-body header so that the author name matches exactly the name used for signing it off. IOW, what you sent is perfectly fine. For future reference, another header commonly overridden with an in-body header is the "Subject:". In a general discussion that is not a review thread of any specific patch, somebody may come up with a patch to improve the situtation. In such a case, your message may look like: From: A Project Participant <par@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: why does git do this? To: git@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Cc: ...other particpants... Hmph, it does sound like a documentation bug. How about clarifying it this way? ---- >8 ---- Subject: doc: document the condition under which gostak distims the doshes The document does not exactly say when gostak distims the doshes. Make sure it is clear by updating foo and bar documents. Signed-off-by: A Project Particpant <par@xxxxxxxxxx> --- The "scissors" mark (horizontal line drawn with "-" with scissors ">8") tells the recipient to ignore everything in the body before that line, and then we have in-body Subject: header to override the "why does git do this?" e-mail subject on the discussion thread with the title of the commit.