Index: llvm/docs/DeveloperPolicy.rst
===================================================================
--- llvm/docs/DeveloperPolicy.rst
+++ llvm/docs/DeveloperPolicy.rst
@@ -354,14 +354,16 @@
   related commit. This could be as simple as "Revert commit NNNN because it
   caused PR#".
 
-* It is acceptable to add metadata to the commit message to automate processes.
-  If the patch fixes a bug in GitHub Issues, we encourage adding
+* It is acceptable to add metadata to the commit message to automate processes,
+  including for downstream consumers. If the patch fixes a bug in GitHub Issues,
+  we encourage adding
   "Fixes https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/issues/12345" to automate closing
   the issue in GitHub. If the patch has been reviewed, we encourage adding a
   link to its review page, as shown
   `here <https://www.llvm.org/docs/Phabricator.html#committing-a-change>`_.
   Other kinds of metadata are also acceptable, including links to resources
-  that are not available to the entire community.
+  that are not available to the entire community. However, such links should
+  not be used in place of making the commit message self-explanatory.
 
 For minor violations of these recommendations, the community normally favors
 reminding the contributor of this policy over reverting. Minor corrections and