---
license: other
task_categories:
- text-generation
language:
- en
tags:
- code
- kernel
- osdev
- linux
- freebsd
- low-level
pretty_name: KernelLLM-1
size_categories:
- 100K<n<1M
---

# KernelLLM-1 Dataset

A high-quality raw dataset for training and fine-tuning LLMs on Operating System Development.

## Overview

This dataset combines raw source code from a variety of mature and hobbyist operating system kernels with thousands of expert-level technical discussions and critiques from the Linux Kernel Mailing List. 

> [!NOTE]
> The source code included in this dataset represents the latest stable versions of the respective repositories as of **February 2nd 2026**.

## Dataset Structure

The dataset is provided in **Parquet** format for optimal compression and integration with the `datasets` library.

### 1. `kernelllm_source.parquet` (~1 GB)
**Cleaned & Deduplicated Source Code (~970M Tokens).**
- **Files:** 180,129
- **Size:** ~1 GB (Parquet), ~3.4 GB (Raw Text)
- **Sources:** Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Illumos, ReactOS, seL4, ToaruOS, Redox OS, SerenityOS and DragonFlyBSD.
- **Cleaning:**
    - Removed common license headers (GPL, BSD, MIT, etc) to prioritize logic.
    - Exact and "smart" deduplication (normalized whitespace) across repositories.
    - Excluded files < 100 characters to remove boilerplate headers.

#### Repository Distribution:
| Repository | File Count |
|------------|------------|
| Linux | 62,969 |
| FreeBSD | 43,956 |
| Illumos | 23,411 |
| BSD-Mixed (Open/Net) | 22,949 |
| DragonFlyBSD | 17,662 |
| SerenityOS | 7,307 |
| Redox OS | 701 |
| ToaruOS | 609 |
| seL4 | 565 |

### 2. `kernelllm_critiques.parquet` (~3.6 MB) (Tiny bit of the LKML)
**LKML Critique Pairs (3,135 pairs).**
- **Sources:** `lore.kernel.org` archives.
- **Content:** Pairs code snippets (patches) with substantive replies, critiques and NACKs from senior maintainers.
- **Schema:**
```json
{
  "source": "lkml",
  "subject": "[PATCH] ...",
  "code": "(The patch content)",
  "critique": "(The maintainer feedback)",
  "metadata": {
    "author": "...",
    "date": "...",
    "thread_id": "..."
  }
}
```

## Dataset Release Strategy 

This is the **Raw** version of the dataset. It is intended for:
1.  **Intermediate Training:** Pre-training on high-quality systems code.
2.  **Fine-Tuning:** Instruction-tuning models to act as "Kernel Maintainers". (Or just make them better at Kernel code.)
3.  **Research:** Analyzing developer communication patterns in low-level systems.

## Licensing and Usage

This dataset is a collection of publicly available open-source code and mailing list archives. It contains content governed by multiple licenses. For full details, see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file.

*   **GNU General Public License (GPL) v2/v3** (e.g., Linux, ReactOS)
*   **BSD 2-Clause / 3-Clause** (e.g., FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD)
*   **MIT License** (e.g. SerenityOS, ToaruOS)
*   **Apache License 2.0** (e.g., seL4)

### Disclaimer

1.  **Original Licenses Apply:** The individual source code files and mailing list archives contained in this dataset remain governed by their original respective licenses. 
2.  **Attribution:** The `metadata` field for each entry in the dataset includes repository and author information to facilitate attribution.
3.  **Research & Ethics:** This dataset is provided primarily for research and educational purposes in the field of LLM training and systems programming analysis.
4.  **License Compliance:** Users of this dataset are responsible for ensuring that their use of the data complies with all applicable licenses.w

### Opt-out

If you are a maintainer of one of the included repositories and would like your data removed from future versions of this dataset, please open an issue on the Hugging Face dataset page.