diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/backport-commoncore.yml b/.gitea/workflows/backport-commoncore.yml
index 5f53da29..eee0e527 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/backport-commoncore.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/backport-commoncore.yml
@@ -35,29 +35,53 @@ jobs:
             local method="$1"
             local path="$2"
             local body="${3:-}"
+            local response_file
+            local status
+
+            response_file="$(mktemp)"
 
             if [[ -n "$body" ]]; then
-              curl --fail --silent --show-error \
+              status="$(curl --silent --show-error \
                 -X "$method" \
                 -H "Authorization: token ${GITEA_TOKEN}" \
                 -H "Accept: application/json" \
                 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
                 --data "$body" \
-                "${GITHUB_API_URL}${path}"
+                --output "$response_file" \
+                --write-out "%{http_code}" \
+                "${GITHUB_API_URL}${path}")"
             else
-              curl --fail --silent --show-error \
+              status="$(curl --silent --show-error \
                 -X "$method" \
                 -H "Authorization: token ${GITEA_TOKEN}" \
                 -H "Accept: application/json" \
-                "${GITHUB_API_URL}${path}"
+                --output "$response_file" \
+                --write-out "%{http_code}" \
+                "${GITHUB_API_URL}${path}")"
             fi
+
+            if [[ "$status" -lt 200 || "$status" -ge 300 ]]; then
+              echo "Gitea API ${method} ${path} failed with HTTP ${status}" >&2
+              cat "$response_file" >&2
+              rm -f "$response_file"
+              return 1
+            fi
+
+            cat "$response_file"
+            rm -f "$response_file"
           }
 
           repo_path="/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
+          repo_owner="${GITHUB_REPOSITORY%%/*}"
           pr_number="$(jq -r '.number' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH")"
           pr_title="$(jq -r '.pull_request.title // ""' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH")"
           event_commit="$(jq -r '.pull_request.merge_commit_sha // .pull_request.merged_commit_id // .commit_id // env.GITHUB_SHA' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH")"
 
+          if jq -e '.pull_request.labels[]? | select(.name == "no-backport")' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH" >/dev/null; then
+            echo "PR #${pr_number} has label no-backport; skipping automatic backport."
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
           commoncore_files=()
           page=1
           while true; do
@@ -113,6 +137,41 @@ jobs:
             git cat-file -e "${commit}^{commit}"
           done
 
+          apply_commoncore_change() {
+            local commit="$1"
+            local parent
+            local patch_file
+
+            if [[ "$(git rev-list --parents -n 1 "$commit" | wc -w)" -gt 2 ]]; then
+              parent="${commit}^1"
+            else
+              parent="${commit}^"
+            fi
+
+            patch_file="$(mktemp)"
+            git diff --binary "$parent" "$commit" -- CommonCore/ > "$patch_file"
+
+            if [[ ! -s "$patch_file" ]]; then
+              echo "Commit ${commit} has no CommonCore/ diff; skipping it."
+              rm -f "$patch_file"
+              return 0
+            fi
+
+            if git apply --reverse --check "$patch_file" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+              echo "CommonCore/ diff from ${commit} is already present; skipping it."
+              rm -f "$patch_file"
+              return 0
+            fi
+
+            if git apply --3way --index "$patch_file"; then
+              rm -f "$patch_file"
+              return 0
+            fi
+
+            rm -f "$patch_file"
+            return 1
+          }
+
           mapfile -t version_branches < <(
             git for-each-ref --format='%(refname:short)' refs/remotes/origin/version |
               sed 's#^origin/##' |
@@ -142,53 +201,53 @@ jobs:
             git checkout -B "$head_branch" "origin/${target_branch}"
 
             for commit in "${source_commits[@]}"; do
-              cherry_pick_args=(-x)
-              if [[ "$(git rev-list --parents -n 1 "$commit" | wc -w)" -gt 2 ]]; then
-                cherry_pick_args=(-x -m 1)
-              fi
-
-              if git cherry-pick "${cherry_pick_args[@]}" "$commit"; then
+              if apply_commoncore_change "$commit"; then
                 continue
               fi
 
-              if [[ -z "$(git status --porcelain)" ]]; then
-                echo "Cherry-pick of ${commit} produced no changes; skipping it."
-                git cherry-pick --skip || true
-                continue
-              fi
-
-              git cherry-pick --abort || true
-              failures+=("${target_branch}: cherry-pick of ${commit} failed")
-              break
+              echo "Failed to apply CommonCore/ diff from ${commit} to ${target_branch}" >&2
+              exit 1
             done
 
-            if [[ "${failures[*]:-}" == *"${target_branch}:"* ]]; then
+            if git diff --cached --quiet; then
+              echo "${target_branch} already contains the CommonCore/ change; no PR needed."
               git checkout main
               continue
             fi
 
-            if git diff --quiet "origin/${target_branch}" HEAD; then
-              echo "${target_branch} already contains the change; no PR needed."
-              git checkout main
-              continue
-            fi
+            git commit -m "Backport CommonCore changes from #${pr_number}" \
+              -m "Source PR: ${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/pulls/${pr_number}" \
+              -m "Only CommonCore/ changes are included in this backport."
+
+            git push origin "HEAD:refs/heads/${head_branch}" --force-with-lease
 
             if [[ "${#source_commits[@]}" -eq 1 ]]; then
               source_text="Source commit: \`${source_commits[0]}\`"
             else
               source_text="Source commits:"
               for commit in "${source_commits[@]}"; do
-                source_text="${source_text} \`${commit}\`"
+                source_text="${source_text}"$'\n'"- \`${commit}\`"
               done
             fi
 
-            description="Automated backport of #${pr_number} to ${target_branch} because the source PR changed CommonCore/. Source PR: ${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/pulls/${pr_number}. ${source_text}. This PR will be merged automatically by the Pull Request Build workflow after a successful build."
+            body="$(cat <<BODY
+          Automated backport of #${pr_number} to \`${target_branch}\` because the source PR changed \`CommonCore/\`.
 
-            git push \
-              -o "topic=${head_branch}" \
-              -o "title=Backport #${pr_number} to ${target_branch}: ${pr_title}" \
-              -o "description=${description}" \
-              origin "HEAD:refs/for/${target_branch}"
+          Source PR: ${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/pulls/${pr_number}
+          ${source_text}
+
+          This PR will be merged automatically by the Pull Request Build workflow after a successful build.
+          BODY
+          )"
+
+            payload="$(jq -n \
+              --arg base "$target_branch" \
+              --arg head "${repo_owner}:${head_branch}" \
+              --arg title "Backport #${pr_number} to ${target_branch}: ${pr_title}" \
+              --arg body "$body" \
+              '{base: $base, head: $head, title: $title, body: $body}')"
+
+            api POST "${repo_path}/pulls" "$payload" >/dev/null
             echo "Created backport PR from ${head_branch} to ${target_branch}."
             git checkout main
           done