# git cherry: Usage, Options & Common CI Errors > git cherry shows which commits on a branch have or have not been applied upstream. Reference for -v, the + / - markers, and using it to gate backports in CI. Source: https://latchkey.dev/learn/command-reference/git-cherry Updated: 2026-06-25 git cherry tells you which of your commits are already upstream and which are not. Before backporting or re-pushing, cherry distinguishes commits whose change is already present upstream (by patch id) from those still missing - handy for release and backport gates. ## What it does git cherry compares a branch against an upstream and marks each commit with - if an equivalent change already exists upstream (matched by patch id) or + if it does not. ## Common usage ```Terminal git cherry -v main feature git cherry main # upstream=main, head=current git cherry -v upstream/main HEAD # count unmerged commits: git cherry main feature | grep -c '^+' ``` ## Options | Flag | What it does | | --- | --- | | -v | Show commit subjects alongside markers | | | Branch to compare against | | | Branch to examine (default: HEAD) | | | Restrict to commits after this point | ## Common errors in CI cherry matches by patch id, so a commit that was rebased or slightly modified still shows + even though it is logically present - do not treat + as "definitely missing". A shallow clone can also skew results because the upstream history needed for patch-id matching is incomplete. ## Using this in CI CI checkouts are shallow and detached by default, which changes the answer this command gives you. Commands that read history, branch names, or tags need the checkout configured for it. ```.github/workflows/ci.yml - uses: actions/checkout@v4 with: fetch-depth: 0 # history, tags, and git describe all need this - run: | git rev-parse --is-shallow-repository # expect false git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD # prints HEAD when detached ``` > `git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD` returns the literal string `HEAD` on a detached checkout rather than a branch name. On GitHub Actions read `github.ref_name` instead; the git command cannot know what it was checked out for. ## FAQ ### git cherry: Usage, Options & Common CI Errors? Before backporting or re-pushing, cherry distinguishes commits whose change is already present upstream (by patch id) from those still missing - handy for release and backport gates. ### What it does? git cherry compares a branch against an upstream and marks each commit with - if an equivalent change already exists upstream (matched by patch id) or + if it does not. ### Common errors in CI? cherry matches by patch id, so a commit that was rebased or slightly modified still shows + even though it is logically present - do not treat + as "definitely missing". A shallow clone can also skew results because the upstream history needed for patch-id matching is incomplete. --- Latchkey runs CI/CD that repairs its own failures. Agent entry points: https://latchkey.dev/agent.txt, https://latchkey.dev/openapi.json, https://latchkey.dev/llms.txt