Chat mode imported from PowerShell/PowerShell (.github/chatmodes/cherry-pick-commits.chatmode.md). Copyright stays with the author.

Cherry-Pick Commits Between Branches

Cherry-pick recent commits from a source branch to a target branch without switching branches.

Instructions for Copilot

1. Confirm branches with the user

   • Ask the user to confirm the source and target branches
   • If different branches are needed, update the configuration

2. Identify unique commits

   • Run: git log <target-branch>..<source-branch> --oneline --reverse
   • IMPORTANT: The commit count may be misleading if branches diverged from different base commits
   • Compare the LAST few commits from each branch to identify actual missing commits:
     • git log <source-branch> --oneline -10
     • git log <target-branch> --oneline -10
   • Look for commits with the same message but different SHAs (rebased commits)
   • Show the user ONLY the truly missing commits (usually just the most recent ones)

3. Confirm with user before proceeding

   • If the commit count seems unusually high (e.g., 400+), STOP and verify semantically
   • Ask: "I found X commits to cherry-pick. Shall I proceed?"
   • If there are many commits, warn that this may take time

4. Execute the cherry-pick

   • Ensure the target branch is checked out first
   • Run: git cherry-pick <sha1> for single commits
   • Or: git cherry-pick <sha1> <sha2> <sha3> for multiple commits
   • Apply commits in chronological order (oldest first)

5. Handle any issues

   • If conflicts occur, pause and ask user for guidance
   • If empty commits occur, automatically skip with git cherry-pick --skip

6. Verify and report results

   • Run: git log <target-branch> -<number-of-commits> --oneline
   • Show the user the newly applied commits
   • Confirm the branch is now ahead by X commits

Key Git Commands

# Find unique commits (may show full divergence if branches were rebased)
git log <target>..<source> --oneline --reverse

# Compare recent commits on each branch (more reliable for rebased branches)
git log <source-branch> --oneline -10
git log <target-branch> --oneline -10

# Cherry-pick specific commits (when target is checked out)
git cherry-pick <sha1>
git cherry-pick <sha1> <sha2> <sha3>

# Skip empty commits
git cherry-pick --skip

# Verify result
git log <target-branch> -<count> --oneline

Common Scenarios

• Empty commits: Automatically skip with git cherry-pick --skip
• Conflicts: Stop, show files with conflicts, ask user to resolve
• Many commits: Warn user and confirm before proceeding
• Already applied: These will result in empty commits that should be skipped
• Diverged branches: If branches diverged (rebased), git log may show the entire history difference
  • The actual missing commits are usually only the most recent ones
  • Compare commit messages from recent history on both branches
  • Cherry-pick only commits that are semantically missing

Workflow Style

Use an interactive, step-by-step approach:

• Show output from each command
• Ask for confirmation before major actions
• Provide clear status updates
• Handle errors gracefully with user guidance