Creating a commit with multiple authors or on behalf of an organization

Creating a commit with multiple authors

Add one or more Co-authored-by trailers to a commit message to attribute a commit to multiple authors.

Required co-author information

Before adding a co-author, get the email address they want used in the trailer. For the commit to count as a contribution, use an email address associated with their account on your GitHub Enterprise Server instance.

If a co-author keeps their email address private, use their GitHub-provided no-reply email. See Setting your commit email address.

Creating co-authored commits using GitHub Desktop

You can use GitHub Desktop to create a commit with a co-author. See Committing and reviewing changes to your project in GitHub Desktop and GitHub Desktop.

Creating co-authored commits on the command line

1. Collect the name and email address for each co-author.

2. Type your commit message and a short, meaningful description of your changes. After your commit description, add an empty line instead of a closing quotation mark.

   $ git commit -m "Refactor usability tests.
   >
   >
   

3. Add one Co-authored-by: name <name@example.com> line for each co-author, then add the closing quotation mark.

   $ git commit -m "Refactor usability tests.
   >
   > Co-authored-by: NAME <NAME@EXAMPLE.COM>
   > Co-authored-by: ANOTHER-NAME <ANOTHER-NAME@EXAMPLE.COM>"
   

The new commit and message appear on your GitHub Enterprise Server instance after you push. See Pushing commits to a remote repository.

Creating co-authored commits on GitHub

After you make changes in a file using the web editor on GitHub, add co-author trailers before you commit.

1. Collect the name and email address for each co-author.
2. Click Commit changes...
3. In the "Commit message" field, type a short, meaningful commit message that describes the changes you made.
4. In the text box below your commit message, add one Co-authored-by: name <name@example.com> line for each co-author.
5. Click Commit changes or Propose changes.

The new commit and message appear on your GitHub Enterprise Server instance.

Creating a commit on behalf of an organization

Add an on-behalf-of: trailer to a signed commit to attribute it to an organization. To use the trailer, you must be a member of the organization, and both your commit email and the organization email must be in a domain verified by the organization.

Creating commits with an on-behalf-of badge on the command line

1. Type your commit message and a short, meaningful description of your changes. After your commit description, add two empty lines instead of a closing quotation mark.

   $ git commit -m "Refactor usability tests.
   >
   >
   

2. Add on-behalf-of: @org <name@organization.com>, then add the closing quotation mark.

   $ git commit -m "Refactor usability tests.
   >
   >
   on-behalf-of: @ORG NAME@ORGANIZATION.COM"
   

The new commit, message, and badge appear on GitHub after you push. See Pushing commits to a remote repository.

Creating commits with an on-behalf-of badge on GitHub

After you make changes in a file using the web editor on GitHub, add the organization trailer before you commit.

1. Click Commit changes...
2. In the "Commit message" field, type a short, meaningful commit message that describes the changes you made.
3. In the text box below your commit message, add on-behalf-of: @org <name@organization.com>.
4. Click Commit changes or Propose changes.

The new commit, message, and badge appear on GitHub.

Further reading

• Viewing contributions on your profile
• Troubleshooting missing contributions
• Viewing a project's contributors
• Changing a commit message
• Committing and reviewing changes to your project in GitHub Desktop in the GitHub Desktop documentation