git-send-email

Send the last commit in the current branch interactively

$ git send-email -1

$ git send-email -1 [commit]

$ git send-email [-10]

$ git send-email -[number_of_commits] --compose

$ git send-email -[number_of_commits] --annotate

git send-email [options] <file | directory | rev-list options>...

--to <address> [--to=<address> ...]
    Primary recipient(s) for To: header.

--cc <address> [--cc=<address> ...]
    Carbon copy recipient(s).

--bcc <address> [--bcc=<address> ...]
    Blind carbon copy recipient(s).

--from <address>
    Sender address (overrides config).

--sender <address>
    Sender identity for non-author emails.

--in-reply-to <identifier>
    Message-ID for threading.

--subject <string>
    Override default subject.

--smtp-server <host>[:<port>]
    SMTP server (default: localhost).

--smtp-encryption={smtp,ssl,tls}
    Encryption method for SMTP.

--smtp-user <user>
    SMTP username.

--smtp-pass <password>
    SMTP password (insecure).

--dry-run
    Simulate sending without transmitting.

--validate [={basic|always}]
    Validate email addresses.

--suppress-from
    Omit From: if sender matches author.

--no-thread
    Disable threading.

--no-chain-reply-to
    Disable chainreply behavior.

--8bit-encoding <encoding>
    Encoding for 8bit cleanup.

--transfer-encoding {auto|7bit|8bit-quoted-printable|quoted-printable|base64}
    MIME transfer encoding.

--annotate
    Edit each patch before sending.

--confirm [={always|cc|compose|auto}]
    Confirmation prompts before sending.

--quiet
    Suppress all output.

--format-patch
    Generate patches internally if no files given.

git send-email is a Git command-line tool for formatting and sending collections of patches as emails, primarily to mailing lists or maintainers. It works seamlessly with git format-patch, which generates patch files from commit ranges, converting them into properly formatted MIME emails with attachments.

Key capabilities include specifying recipients via --to, --cc, and --bcc; threading emails with --in-reply-to; customizing subjects; and supporting various SMTP configurations for secure transmission (e.g., TLS/SSL). It validates email addresses, performs dry runs for testing, and suppresses redundant headers like From: when unnecessary.

Configuration is drawn from .gitconfig (section sendemail), allowing defaults for servers, authentication, and aliases. It's the standard for workflows in projects like the Linux kernel, ensuring patches are reviewable and traceable. Users can send from directories of patches, stdin, or directly from revisions.

The tool emphasizes reliability, with options for 8bit quoting, transfer encoding, and identity management, making it robust for large patch series.

Requires SMTP access or sendmail; insecure password prompts unless configured; does not handle HTML bodies; network-dependent; respects sendemail config but overrides via CLI.

Key git config options: sendemail.smtpServer, sendemail.smtpEncryption=tls, sendemail.smtpUser, sendemail.aliasFile for recipient aliases.

git format-patch -3 --stdout | git send-email --to=dev@example.com --cc=reviewer@example.com
git send-email --dry-run *.patch

Introduced in Git 1.3.0 (2006) by Linus Torvalds and contributors for kernel patch submission. Evolved with SMTP support, TLS encryption (Git 1.7+), and threading improvements; integral to Git's porcelain commands.

git-format-patch(1), git-config(1), git-imap-send(1), sendmail(8), mutt(1)