backport-changes

name	backport-changes
description	Analyze and backport changes from nightly to the release branch in dotnet/dotnet-docker.
user-invocable	true
disable-model-invocation	true

Backporting Changes

Workflow

1. Get candidates for backport: Run pwsh scripts/Get-BackportPRs.ps1 to find PRs to backport.
2. Analyze PRs - classify each PR using the backport guidelines below and present the analysis table to the user
3. Cherry-pick - confirm the plan with the user, then run git cherry-pick <commits> (in the order they were merged).
   • If any templates or manifests changed, regenerate Dockerfiles and READMEs. Confirm that the diff looks correct.
4. Resolve conflicts - follow the conflict resolution table below; stop and consult the user for anything not covered

Backport guidelines

• Backport:
  • New images - if ready for the main branch
  • Removal of EOL images - end-of-life image cleanup
  • Dockerfile/template changes - structural changes to how images are built
  • Image component updates - MinGit, PowerShell, and other tools
  • Infrastructure and tooling changes - build scripts, CI/CD updates
  • Automated eng/common updates - standard engineering infrastructure
• Do not backport:
  • Version-only updates for daily/preview builds (no Dockerfile changes)
  • Changes already on the release branch
  • Experimental or incomplete features
• Requires extra consideration:
  • Daily builds of .NET or appliance images - only backport if they include Dockerfile changes beyond simple version updates.

Output

After analyzing PRs, present results in a table:

| PR | Title | Backport | Reason | Commit |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| #1234 | Update PowerShell to X.Y.Z | ✅ Yes | Component update | 123abc... |
| #1235 | Daily build .NET X.Y.Z-preview.Y | ❌ No | Version-only update, no Dockerfile changes | 123abc... |
| #1236 | Add Ubuntu X.Y images | ✅ Yes | New images ready for release | 123abc... |

Conflict resolution

Conflicting files	Resolution
src/*	Regenerate Dockerfiles.
READMEs	Regenerate READMEs.
manifest.json	Take changes from nightly, ensure latest tags are on the correct (non-preview) versions, then regenerate Dockerfiles and READMEs.
manifest.versions.json	Keep the latest/most up-to-date versions.
Other files	Stop and consult the user.