ZenML Backport Workflow

Backporting applies changes from develop to a live release. Only docs and examples can be backported (not src/ changes, which require a new release).

Inputs Required

Before starting, gather:

1. Target release version (e.g., 0.5.7)
2. Commit SHAs from develop to backport (get via git log origin/develop)

Workflow Steps

Step 1: Create Backport Branch

git fetch
git checkout release/<VERSION>
git pull
git checkout -b backport/<descriptive-name>

Step 2: Cherry-pick Commits

For each commit SHA from develop:

git cherry-pick -x <commit-sha>

The -x flag adds a reference to the original commit in the cherry-pick message.

If conflicts occur, resolve them, then:

git add .
git cherry-pick --continue

Step 3: Push and Create PR

git push -u origin backport/<descriptive-name>

Create PR against release/<VERSION> (NOT develop or main):

• Base branch: release/<VERSION>
• Labels: Add backport, no-release-notes, internal
• Reviewers: None required

Use GitHub CLI if available:

gh pr create \
  --base release/<VERSION> \
  --title "Backport: <description>" \
  --body "Backports commits from develop to release/<VERSION>" \
  --label backport --label no-release-notes --label internal

Step 4: Sync to Main (Manual - Hamza Only)

⚠️ STOP HERE - The final sync from release/<VERSION> to main requires htahir1 (Hamza) to perform:

git fetch
git checkout main
git pull
git reset --hard origin/release/<VERSION>
git push --force

Tell the user: "The backport PR is ready. Once merged, Hamza (htahir1) needs to force-push release/<VERSION> to main to complete the sync."