The Interrupted Flow

📁 Files

src/api.js

src/search.cssU

src/search.jsM

! ConflictS StagedM ModifiedU Untracked

No files staged. Use git add to stage changes.

📊 Commit Graphcurrent branchfeature/search

🏷️ Release Branch WorkflowAdvanced0/11

📖 Concepts

Release branchA branch that stabilizes a specific version. You branch from a known-good commit before risky features landed. Only critical bug fixes are cherry-picked in.

Cherry-pick into releaseNew features on main are too risky for a release. Use git cherry-pick <hash> to pick only the specific bug fix commits, ignoring later feature commits.

Push branch and tagAfter tagging, push both the branch (git push origin release/v1.0) and the tag (git push origin v1.0.0). Tags are not pushed automatically with branches.

📖 Story

Your team has been busy: 2 new features (dashboard, API refactor) and a critical bug fix were pushed to origin/main. You need to ship v1.0 with the bug fix but WITHOUT the unfinished features. You'll create a release branch from the last stable commit (before the fix and features), cherry-pick only the fix, tag the release, and push both the branch and the tag. Then you'll sync main, merge the fix back, and push cleanly. This is the standard release branch workflow used to stabilize a version without blocking ongoing development.

View the current state

Run git log --oneline. Main has 3 commits. The remote has 3 more: a bug fix (r4d5e6f) and two risky features (dashboard, API refactor). We need only the fix for the release.

● View the current state

○ Fetch the remote commits

○ Branch from the stable commit

○ Cherry-pick only the bug fix

○ Tag the release

○ Push the release branch

○ Push the tag

○ Switch back to main

○ Pull the latest main

○ Merge the release fix into main

○ Push main

🧩 The Interrupted FlowUnsolved

📖 Story

You're halfway through building a search feature — files modified, nothing committed. Your manager just pinged: critical bug on main, needs fixing NOW. You can't commit half-finished work. You can't lose it either. Stash your current changes, switch to main, fix the bug (change the return value in src/api.js from null to []), commit the fix, then return to your feature work exactly where you left off.

Goal

Solve the problem by using the correct Git commands.

Terminal

🧩 Problem: The Interrupted Flow

You're mid-feature when an urgent bug report arrives. Stash your work, fix the bug, then recover cleanly.

Use the terminal to solve the problem. Results are checked automatically.