diff --git a/doc/manual.txt b/doc/manual.txt
index 7a21990c792..01e36a7c5eb 100644
--- a/doc/manual.txt
+++ b/doc/manual.txt
@@ -438,3 +438,11 @@ Once you've made changes to your `forked` repository you can submit
 a github pull request; see
 https://help.github.com/articles/fork-a-repo[github's help]
 for more information.
+
+For commit messages please use the following rules:
+
+- If you've imported a new package use `New package: <pkgver>`.
+- If you've updated a package use `<pkgname>: updated to <version>`.
+- If you've removed a package use `<pkgname>: removed ...`.
+
+