Table of contents
Choose commits that stand alone
Inspect the candidate commit and its neighbors. If the change depends on prior refactors, pick the dependency chain or use a different integration strategy.
Use `git show` and tests to confirm what the commit changes and what assumptions it makes.
Apply with traceability
Use `-x` so the resulting commit message records the original source hash. This keeps audit trails intact across maintenance branches.
Handle conflicts as first-class merges. Validate behavior in the target branch context, not only the source branch context.
Close with explicit validation
Run targeted tests for the picked area plus branch-specific regression checks. Re-read the final diff against the destination branch.
When backporting to release branches, document risk and rollout/rollback notes in the PR description.
Command checklist
git show <commit>git cherry-pick -x <commit>git cherry-pick --abortgit log --oneline --decorate -n 20git diff origin/release..HEAD
Review checklist
- Verify the commit is self-contained.
- Use `-x` to preserve source traceability.
- Resolve conflicts with full context.
- Run target-branch validation tests.
- Document rollout and rollback notes.