diff --git a/docs/usage/configuration-options.md b/docs/usage/configuration-options.md
index 1afdd2c5a510568c12524a9b2de323f06e16cae4..f2a912c4e8f19f26ab866981851439a49e3783c2 100644
--- a/docs/usage/configuration-options.md
+++ b/docs/usage/configuration-options.md
@@ -1105,7 +1105,12 @@ You can't use other filenames because Renovate only checks the default filename
 ## gitAuthor
 
 You can customize the Git author that's used whenever Renovate creates a commit.
-The `gitAuthor` option accepts a RFC5322-compliant string.
+The `gitAuthor` option accepts a [RFC5322](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5322)-compliant string.
+It's recommended to include a name followed by an email address, e.g.
+
+```
+Development Bot <dev-bot@my-software-company.com>
+```
 
 <!-- prettier-ignore -->
 !!! danger