git send-email: Usage, Options & Common CI Errors

git send-email sends format-patch output to reviewers as properly threaded emails.

For projects that review patches by email, send-email turns a series of .patch files into a clean, threaded submission over SMTP - the last step of the format-patch workflow.

What it does

git send-email takes patch files (from git format-patch) and emails them over a configured SMTP server, threading the series under the cover letter and honoring To/Cc trailers.

Common usage

Terminal

git send-email --to=maintainer@example.com *.patch
git format-patch -3 -o out/ && git send-email out/
git send-email --smtp-server=smtp.example.com --smtp-encryption=tls *.patch
git send-email --cc=list@example.com --to=maintainer@example.com 0001-*.patch

Options

Flag	What it does
--to / --cc / --bcc	Recipients
--smtp-server <host>	SMTP host (or a sendmail path)
--smtp-encryption=tls\|ssl	Transport security
--annotate	Edit each patch before sending
--dry-run	Show what would be sent

Common errors in CI

git: ‘send-email’ is not a git command - the subcommand ships separately (the git-email package) and needs Perl plus Net::SMTP; install it on the runner. SMTP auth failures ("5.7.x authentication required") mean missing --smtp-user/--smtp-pass or an app password; use --dry-run to validate first.

Related guides

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