Post

Needed one change from a feature branch, without dragging the whole branch into main? There is a clean Git move for that. Quick thread on copying a single file across branches, no merge required.

Kenton Vizdos

@kv.codes

Scenario: you updated a file in a branch, but main only needs to update that one file. Merging the branch would pull unrelated commits, risk conflicts, and expand the review surface.

14/2/26, 1:01 am0 reposts0 likes

Kenton Vizdos

@kv.codes

14 Feb

Git can restore a file from another branch directly into your working tree. No cherry-pick, no merge commit, no rebasing gymnastics.

Kenton Vizdos

@kv.codes

14 Feb

Command: git restore --source branch_name -- file_path This replaces the file in your current branch with the version from the specified branch.

Kenton Vizdos

@kv.codes

14 Feb

After running it, you still control what lands in main. Review the diff, run tests, then commit just that file change.

Kenton Vizdos

@kv.codes

14 Feb

Takeaway: when you want a targeted update, treat it like a file-level import. Use git restore, keep main clean, and keep the change set small and auditable.