How to Cherry Pick Range of Commits in Git

To cherry pick a range of commits in Git, use git cherry-pick A^..B where A is the first commit and B is the last commit in the range. This command applies all commits from A up to B onto your current branch.

Syntax

The basic syntax to cherry pick a range of commits is:

• git cherry-pick A^..B: Picks all commits from commit A through commit B.
• A and B are commit hashes or references.
• The ^ means "the parent of" commit A, so the range includes A.

bash

git cherry-pick A^..B

Example

This example shows how to cherry pick commits from abc1234 to def5678 onto your current branch.

bash

git checkout feature-branch
# Cherry pick commits from abc1234 to def5678
git cherry-pick abc1234^..def5678

Output

First, switched to branch 'feature-branch'
[feature-branch 123abcd] Commit message from abc1234
[feature-branch 456efgh] Commit message from intermediate commit
[feature-branch 789ijkl] Commit message from def5678

Common Pitfalls

1. Wrong range selection: Forgetting to use ^ after the first commit excludes it from the range.

2. Conflicts: Cherry picking multiple commits can cause conflicts that must be resolved manually.

3. Non-linear history: If commits are not in a straight line, cherry picking a range may fail or produce unexpected results.

bash

git cherry-pick abc1234..def5678  # This excludes abc1234 commit

# Correct way:
git cherry-pick abc1234^..def5678

Quick Reference

• git cherry-pick A^..B: Pick commits from A to B inclusive.
• Use commit hashes or branch names for A and B.
• Resolve conflicts if they appear during cherry pick.
• Use git cherry-pick --abort to cancel if needed.

Key Takeaways

Use git cherry-pick A^..B to pick a range of commits including A and B.

Always include the caret (^) after the first commit to include it in the range.

Be prepared to resolve conflicts during cherry picking multiple commits.

Cherry picking works best with linear commit history.

Use git cherry-pick --abort to cancel if conflicts are too complex.