Skip to main content

/cherry-pick Command

Apply specific commits from one branch to another without merging entire branch.

Usage

# Cherry-pick a commit
/cherry-pick abc1234

# Cherry-pick multiple commits
/cherry-pick abc1234 def5678 ghi8901

# Cherry-pick commit range
/cherry-pick abc1234..ghi8901

Arguments

ArgumentTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
<commit>stringNo-Commit hash or reference
--editflagNofalseEdit commit before applying
--no-commitflagNofalseApply changes but don't commit

Workflow

1. Identify Commits

# List commits on source branch
git log source-branch --oneline

# Find specific commits:
abc1234 Fix authentication bug
def5678 Add user profile
ghi8901 Refactor auth service

# Or find range:
git log source-branch --oneline | head -5

2. Switch to Target Branch

# Switch to branch where you want commits
git checkout main

# Verify current branch
git branch

3. Cherry-Pick Commits

# Cherry-pick single commit
git cherry-pick abc1234

# Cherry-pick multiple commits
git cherry-pick abc1234 def5678 ghi8901

# Cherry-pick with range
git cherry-pick abc1234..ghi8901

4. Handle Conflicts (if any)

# If cherry-pick fails with conflict:
# Resolve conflict
git add <file>
git cherry-pick --continue

# Or skip this commit
git cherry-pick --skip

# Or abort cherry-pick
git cherry-pick --abort

Use Cases

Apply Bug Fix to Main

# Scenario: Bug fix in feature branch needs to be in main

# 1. Find bug fix commit
git log feature/auth --oneline

# Output:
abc1234 Fix authentication timeout

# 2. Cherry-pick to main
git checkout main
git cherry-pick abc1234

# 3. Commit with message
git commit -m "cherry-pick: Fix authentication timeout"

Port Feature to Different Branch

# Scenario: Feature implemented in develop, needed in release

# 1. Find feature commits
git log develop --oneline --grep "user profiles"

# Output:
abc1234 Add user profile model
def5678 Add profile editing
ghi8901 Add profile deletion

# 2. Cherry-pick to release branch
git checkout release
git cherry-pick abc1234 def5678 ghi8901

# 3. Result: All 3 commits on release branch

Selectively Merge

# Scenario: Only cherry-pick specific commits from PR

# 1. Identify commits you want
git log feature/auth --oneline

# 2. Cherry-pick only those commits
git checkout main
git cherry-pick abc1234 ghi8901

# 3. Skip other commits

Options

Cherry-Pick with Edit

# Edit commit before applying
git cherry-pick --edit abc1234

# Opens editor with commit
# Modify commit message or content
# Continue when ready

Cherry-Pick Without Commit

# Apply changes but don't commit
git cherry-pick --no-commit abc1234

# Make additional changes
git add .

# Commit manually
git commit -m "Custom message"

Best Practices

When to Use Cherry-Pick

✅ DO:

  • Use for porting specific fixes/features
  • Use when you want selective merging
  • Use for backporting fixes to older branches
  • Verify cherry-picked changes work

❌ DON'T:

  • Cherry-pick large ranges (> 10 commits)
  • Cherry-pick without understanding context
  • Cherry-pick unrelated commits
  • Skip testing after cherry-picking

Cherry-Picking Best Practices

  1. Identify commits carefully - Verify you understand each commit
  2. Test after cherry-pick - Ensure changes work correctly
  3. Handle conflicts properly - Don't leave in broken state
  4. Commit message clarity - Note it's a cherry-pick
  5. Limit cherry-pick range - Fewer commits is better

Common Patterns

Backporting Bug Fixes

# Scenario: Bug fixed in main, needs backport to release-1.x

# 1. Find fix commit in main
git log main --oneline --grep "fix auth timeout"

# Output:
abc9876 Fix authentication timeout

# 2. Backport to release branch
git checkout release-1.x
git cherry-pick abc9876

# 3. Push to release
git push origin release-1.x

Undoing Commits

# Scenario: Need to revert specific commit but keep others

# 1. Identify commit to revert
git log main --oneline

# Output:
def5678 Add breaking change

# 2. Revert that specific commit
git revert def5678

# Result: New revert commit without removing other commits

Moving Commits Between Branches

# Scenario: Commit in wrong branch

# 1. Find commit hash
git log wrong-branch --oneline

# 2. Cherry-pick to correct branch
git checkout correct-branch
git cherry-pick abc1234

# 3. Delete from wrong branch (if needed)
git checkout wrong-branch
git reset HEAD~1

Conflict Resolution

During Cherry-Pick

# Cherry-pick stops at conflict:
ERROR: could not apply abc1234...hint: conflicts

# Steps:
# 1. Resolve conflicts in files
# 2. Stage resolved files: git add .
# 3. Continue cherry-pick: git cherry-pick --continue

# If you want to abort:
git cherry-pick --abort

# If you want to skip this commit:
git cherry-pick --skip