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Hotfix Patch Release Workflow

Branch from the exact production tag, apply the minimal fix, run targeted tests, and release a patch without pulling in unreleased work.

Overview

Deliver a minimal, auditable hotfix to production from the released commit rather than the main branch tip.

This workflow is reusable across teams and environments; adapt the commands to your tooling while keeping the sequence and checkpoints intact.

Environment and prerequisites

• A production tag or commit hash
• Access to cut a release branch
• CI access for the release pipeline

Procedure

1. Branch from the production tag

Create a hotfix branch from the exact tag currently running in production, not from main.

Expected state: The branch contains only released code plus the fix to come.

2. Apply the minimal fix

Make the smallest change that resolves the incident and add a regression test that fails without it.

Expected state: A single focused commit with an accompanying test exists.

3. Run targeted and smoke tests

Run the affected test suites and a smoke suite against a staging build of the hotfix.

Expected state: Targeted tests pass and the critical journey works on staging.

4. Release the patch and back-merge

Tag the patch release, deploy it, then merge the fix back into main so it is not lost.

Expected state: Production runs the patch and main contains the same fix.

git fetch --tags
git switch -c hotfix/incident-4821 v1.8.3
git commit -am 'fix: guard null invoice owner'
git push -u origin hotfix/incident-4821

Verification

Confirm the deployed commit matches the hotfix tag, the regression test passes, and a back-merge commit exists on main.

Decision points

Hotfix from tag or from main?

• Branch from the production tag
• Ship main tip

Recommendation: Branch from the tag so unreleased work cannot leak into production.

Patch now or wait for the scheduled release?

• Patch immediately
• Bundle with the next release

Recommendation: Patch immediately when users are impacted; otherwise bundle to avoid extra risk.

Common failures

• Branching from main drags in unrelated changes.
• No regression test means the bug can return.
• Skipping the back-merge loses the fix on future releases.