Dev Tools · 2h ago
Hotfix pipelines: why cherry-picking twice signals deeper trust issues
A production bug exposed flaws in a textbook gitflow pipeline, where untested code on the release branch made hotfix routing risky. The team switched to deploying hotfixes directly from the hotfix branch via Azure slot swaps, bypassing the release branch's baggage. They also automated cherry-pick merges as CI-gated PRs to prevent silent reintroduction of bugs, which had occurred twice in 18 months.
Meridian48 take
The article rightly highlights that process theater—five environments and sign-offs—can mask a lack of trust in your own pipeline, but the real fix is not just automation but admitting when speed trumps full staging for narrow fixes.
gitflowci-cd-pipeline