backport

name	backport
description	Backport commits or PRs from main to a release branch. Use when the user asks to backport, cherry-pick, or port changes between branches, or when resolving conflicts from a cherry-pick onto a release branch.

Backport to a release branch

The release branches are listed in release-branches.md. Read that file to determine the available target branches.

Key principle

The target release branch's structure is authoritative. The source commit provides intent. Express that intent using the target branch's patterns and components.

Workflow

1. Determine the target release branch. If the user doesn't specify, ask.
2. Switch to the local target release branch (git checkout <branch>) and create a new branch from it (git checkout -b <name>) with a short prefix derived from the branch name (e.g. pf5-<topic> for pattern-fly-5, 4.19-<topic> for release-4.19). Do not branch off a remote ref directly — that sets unwanted upstream tracking.
3. Read the source commit (git show <commit>) to understand the intent.
4. Attempt git cherry-pick <commit>. If conflicts are trivial, resolve them. If the cherry-pick fails badly, abort (git cherry-pick --abort) and manually apply the changes instead.
5. Adapt incoming changes to the target branch's code structure — search the target branch for equivalents when needed. See the branch-specific notes below for known differences.
6. Verify no conflict markers remain.
7. Run npm ci — release branches have different dependency versions, so a clean install from the lockfile is required before linting or building.
8. Run the following in order, fixing any errors you introduced before moving on (ignore pre-existing build failures):
   1. npm run lint-fix
   2. npm run i18n
   3. npm run build
9. Prefix the final commit title to identify the target branch (e.g. "PF5: " for pattern-fly-5, "4.19: " for release-4.19):
   • If cherry-pick succeeded: amend the commit message title (e.g. git commit --amend).
   • If changes were applied manually: create a new commit with the original message, prefixed appropriately.

Branch-specific notes

pattern-fly-5

Components, props, and CSS differ between main and pattern-fly-5 because of the PatternFly 5 → 6 migration. PF6 introduced design tokens (--pf-t--* CSS variables) that don't exist in PF5. When incoming code references Chatbot extension components, PF6-specific APIs, or design tokens, find and use the PF5 equivalent on the target branch.