Cherry-pick
A Git operation that applies the changes from a specific commit onto another branch.
Plain English
Copy one chosen commit's change onto the branch you are currently working on.
In context
Cherry-picking creates a new commit on the target branch using the selected commit's changes and is often used for focused fixes across release branches.
Example
“Cherry-pick the login fix onto the release branch after its tests pass.”
When you'll hear this
- release maintenance
- hotfix preparation
- branch management
Common misunderstanding
Cherry-picking does not merge an entire branch or automatically include other commits and dependencies that the selected change needs.
Also known as
cherry pickgit cherry-pick
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-28
