diff --git a/dist/cli/index.js b/dist/cli/index.js
index 2f3e50c..2288fde 100755
--- a/dist/cli/index.js
+++ b/dist/cli/index.js
@@ -536,13 +536,46 @@ exports["default"] = PullRequestConfigsParser;
 
 "use strict";
 
+var __createBinding = (this && this.__createBinding) || (Object.create ? (function(o, m, k, k2) {
+    if (k2 === undefined) k2 = k;
+    var desc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(m, k);
+    if (!desc || ("get" in desc ? !m.__esModule : desc.writable || desc.configurable)) {
+      desc = { enumerable: true, get: function() { return m[k]; } };
+    }
+    Object.defineProperty(o, k2, desc);
+}) : (function(o, m, k, k2) {
+    if (k2 === undefined) k2 = k;
+    o[k2] = m[k];
+}));
+var __setModuleDefault = (this && this.__setModuleDefault) || (Object.create ? (function(o, v) {
+    Object.defineProperty(o, "default", { enumerable: true, value: v });
+}) : function(o, v) {
+    o["default"] = v;
+});
+var __importStar = (this && this.__importStar) || function (mod) {
+    if (mod && mod.__esModule) return mod;
+    var result = {};
+    if (mod != null) for (var k in mod) if (k !== "default" && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(mod, k)) __createBinding(result, mod, k);
+    __setModuleDefault(result, mod);
+    return result;
+};
 var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
     return (mod && mod.__esModule) ? mod : { "default": mod };
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
+exports.NonFastForwardError = void 0;
 const logger_service_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8936));
-const simple_git_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(9103));
+const simple_git_1 = __importStar(__nccwpck_require__(9103));
 const fs_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(7147));
+class NonFastForwardError extends Error {
+    cause;
+    constructor(cause) {
+        super(cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : String(cause), { cause });
+        this.cause = cause;
+        Object.setPrototypeOf(this, new.target.prototype);
+    }
+}
+exports.NonFastForwardError = NonFastForwardError;
 /**
  * Command line git commands executor service
  */
@@ -647,14 +680,37 @@ class GitCLIService {
         await this.git(cwd).fetch(remote, branch, ["--quiet"]);
     }
     /**
-     * Check if a branch exists in a remote repository.
+     * Check if the remote branch contains commits without an equivalent in
+     * the local branch (i.e. someone added some work to the remote branch)
+     * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
+     * @param branch branch name to search
      * @param remote remote name or URL
+     */
+    async hasRemoteOriginalWork(cwd, branch, remote = "origin") {
+        return this._isUpstreamMissingWork(cwd, `refs/heads/${branch}`, `refs/remotes/${remote}/${branch}`);
+    }
+    /**
+     * Check if the local branch contains commits without an equivalent in
+     * the remote branch (i.e. some new work has been added to the local branch)
+     * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
      * @param branch branch name to search
+     * @param remote remote name or URL
+     */
+    async hasLocalOriginalWork(cwd, branch, remote = "origin") {
+        return this._isUpstreamMissingWork(cwd, `refs/remotes/${remote}/${branch}`, `refs/heads/${branch}`);
+    }
+    /**
+     * Check if `upstream` is missing work present in `head`.
+     * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
+     * @param upstream refspec to compare
+     * @param head reference refspec
      */
-    async remoteBranchExists(remote, branch) {
-        this.logger.info(`Checking if branch ${branch} exists on ${remote}`);
-        const output = await (0, simple_git_1.default)().raw(["ls-remote", "--heads", this.remoteWithAuth(remote), branch]);
-        return output.trim().length > 0;
+    async _isUpstreamMissingWork(cwd, upstream, head) {
+        const stdout = await this.git(cwd).raw(["cherry", upstream, head]);
+        // prefix:
+        // - means equivalent present in both refs
+        // + means missing from upstream
+        return stdout.split("\n").some(line => line.startsWith("+"));
     }
     /**
      * Get cherry-pick a specific sha
@@ -706,7 +762,16 @@ class GitCLIService {
         if (force) {
             options.push("--force-with-lease");
         }
-        await this.git(cwd).push(remote, branch, options);
+        try {
+            await this.git(cwd).push(remote, branch, options);
+        }
+        catch (err) {
+            // hacky, but is there a better way to detect a non-fast-forward rejection?
+            if (err instanceof simple_git_1.GitError && err.message.includes("[rejected] (non-fast-forward)")) {
+                throw new NonFastForwardError(err);
+            }
+            throw err;
+        }
     }
     /**
     * pointToSameCommit checks if two refs point the same commit
@@ -784,6 +849,31 @@ class GitClientFactory {
 exports["default"] = GitClientFactory;
 
 
+/***/ }),
+
+/***/ 8127:
+/***/ ((__unused_webpack_module, exports) => {
+
+"use strict";
+
+Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
+exports.PullRequestExists = void 0;
+class PullRequestExists extends Error {
+    url;
+    constructor(url) {
+        let msg = "Pull request already exists";
+        if (url) {
+            msg += ": " + url;
+        }
+        super(msg);
+        this.url = url;
+        Object.setPrototypeOf(this, new.target.prototype);
+    }
+}
+exports.PullRequestExists = PullRequestExists;
+;
+
+
 /***/ }),
 
 /***/ 9080:
@@ -945,11 +1035,13 @@ var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
     return (mod && mod.__esModule) ? mod : { "default": mod };
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
+const git_client_1 = __nccwpck_require__(8127);
 const git_util_1 = __nccwpck_require__(9080);
 const git_types_1 = __nccwpck_require__(750);
 const github_mapper_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(5764));
 const octokit_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(4257));
 const logger_service_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8936));
+const request_error_1 = __nccwpck_require__(6999);
 class GitHubClient {
     logger;
     apiUrl;
@@ -1106,16 +1198,37 @@ class GitHubClient {
     async createPullRequest(backport) {
         this.logger.info(`Creating pull request ${backport.head} -> ${backport.base}`);
         this.logger.info(`${JSON.stringify(backport, null, 2)}`);
-        const { data } = await this.octokit.pulls.create({
-            owner: backport.owner,
-            repo: backport.repo,
-            head: backport.headRepo ? `${backport.headRepo.owner}:${backport.head}` : backport.head,
-            ...(backport.headRepo ? { head_repo: backport.headRepo.project } : {}),
-            base: backport.base,
-            title: backport.title,
-            body: backport.body,
-            maintainer_can_modify: true,
-        });
+        let data;
+        try {
+            const resp = await this.octokit.pulls.create({
+                owner: backport.owner,
+                repo: backport.repo,
+                head: backport.headRepo ? `${backport.headRepo.owner}:${backport.head}` : backport.head,
+                ...(backport.headRepo ? { head_repo: backport.headRepo.project } : {}),
+                base: backport.base,
+                title: backport.title,
+                body: backport.body,
+                maintainer_can_modify: true,
+            });
+            data = resp.data;
+        }
+        catch (err) {
+            if (err instanceof request_error_1.RequestError) {
+                if (this.compatibleForge && err.status === 409) {
+                    // Forgejo returns unstructured message:
+                    // pull request already exists for these targets [id: .., issue_id: .., head_repo_id: .., base_repo_id: .., head_branch: bp-..., base_branch: ...]
+                    this.logger.warn(err.message);
+                    throw new git_client_1.PullRequestExists();
+                }
+                if (!this.compatibleForge && err.status === 422) {
+                    // GitHub returns a structured message without the URL
+                    // {"resource":"PullRequest","code":"custom","message":"A pull request already exists for lampajr:bp-prod-6353aff."}
+                    this.logger.warn(err.message);
+                    throw new git_client_1.PullRequestExists();
+                }
+            }
+            throw err;
+        }
         if (!data) {
             throw new Error("Pull request creation failed");
         }
@@ -1272,7 +1385,7 @@ var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
 const logger_service_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8936));
-const rest_1 = __nccwpck_require__(184);
+const rest_1 = __nccwpck_require__(1942);
 /**
  * Singleton factory class for {Octokit} instance
  */
@@ -1733,12 +1846,36 @@ exports.injectTargetBranch = injectTargetBranch;
 
 "use strict";
 
+var __createBinding = (this && this.__createBinding) || (Object.create ? (function(o, m, k, k2) {
+    if (k2 === undefined) k2 = k;
+    var desc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(m, k);
+    if (!desc || ("get" in desc ? !m.__esModule : desc.writable || desc.configurable)) {
+      desc = { enumerable: true, get: function() { return m[k]; } };
+    }
+    Object.defineProperty(o, k2, desc);
+}) : (function(o, m, k, k2) {
+    if (k2 === undefined) k2 = k;
+    o[k2] = m[k];
+}));
+var __setModuleDefault = (this && this.__setModuleDefault) || (Object.create ? (function(o, v) {
+    Object.defineProperty(o, "default", { enumerable: true, value: v });
+}) : function(o, v) {
+    o["default"] = v;
+});
+var __importStar = (this && this.__importStar) || function (mod) {
+    if (mod && mod.__esModule) return mod;
+    var result = {};
+    if (mod != null) for (var k in mod) if (k !== "default" && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(mod, k)) __createBinding(result, mod, k);
+    __setModuleDefault(result, mod);
+    return result;
+};
 var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
     return (mod && mod.__esModule) ? mod : { "default": mod };
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
 const pr_configs_parser_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(6618));
-const git_cli_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(7538));
+const git_cli_1 = __importStar(__nccwpck_require__(7538));
+const git_client_1 = __nccwpck_require__(8127);
 const git_client_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8550));
 const git_types_1 = __nccwpck_require__(750);
 const logger_service_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8936));
@@ -1855,12 +1992,6 @@ class Runner {
         }
     }
     async executeBackport(configs, backportPR, git) {
-        const remote = backportPR.headRepo?.cloneUrl ?? backportPR.cloneUrl;
-        const branchExists = await git.gitCli.remoteBranchExists(remote, backportPR.head);
-        if (branchExists) {
-            this.logger.warn(`Backport branch ${backportPR.head} already exists on ${remote}, skipping`);
-            return;
-        }
         const notifyError = !configs.dryRun && configs.errorNotification.enabled && configs.errorNotification.message.length > 0;
         if (notifyError && await this.failureAlreadyReported(configs, backportPR, git)) {
             this.logger.warn(`Backport to ${backportPR.base} already failed. Delete failure comment to retry. Skipping.`);
@@ -1974,12 +2105,44 @@ function* backportSteps(logger, configs, backportPR, git) {
     if (!configs.dryRun) {
         // 10. push the new branch to origin
         yield async () => {
-            await git.gitCli.push(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote);
+            try {
+                await git.gitCli.push(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote);
+            }
+            catch (err) {
+                if (!(err instanceof git_cli_1.NonFastForwardError)) {
+                    throw err;
+                }
+                logger.info("Non-fast-forward remote branch");
+                // fetch the diverting remote
+                await git.gitCli.fetch(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote);
+                if (await git.gitCli.hasRemoteOriginalWork(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote)) {
+                    logger.info("Remote branch contains original work, aborting");
+                    // throw original error: we cannot push in non-fast-forwarding way
+                    throw err.cause;
+                }
+                if (await git.gitCli.hasLocalOriginalWork(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote)) {
+                    logger.info("Force-pushing rebased branch");
+                    await git.gitCli.push(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote, true);
+                }
+            }
         };
         // 11. create pull request new branch -> target branch (using octokit)
         yield async () => {
-            const prUrl = await git.gitClientApi.createPullRequest(backportPR);
-            logger.info(`Pull request created: ${prUrl}`);
+            try {
+                const prUrl = await git.gitClientApi.createPullRequest(backportPR);
+                logger.info(`Pull request created: ${prUrl}`);
+            }
+            catch (err) {
+                if (!(err instanceof git_client_1.PullRequestExists)) {
+                    throw err;
+                }
+                if (err.url) {
+                    logger.info(`Pull request updated: ${err.url}`);
+                }
+                else {
+                    logger.info("The existing pull request has been updated");
+                }
+            }
         };
     }
     else {
@@ -2008,9 +2171,12 @@ async function backportScript(configs, backportPR, git, failed) {
         async fetch(_cwd, branch, remote = "origin") {
             s += `git fetch ${remote} ${branch}`;
         },
-        async remoteBranchExists(_remote, _branch) {
+        async hasRemoteOriginalWork(_cwd, _branch, _remote = "origin") {
             return false;
         },
+        async hasLocalOriginalWork(_cwd, _branch, _remote = "origin") {
+            return true;
+        },
         async cherryPick(_cwd, sha, strategy = "recursive", strategyOption = "theirs", cherryPickOptions, emptyCommit = "stop") {
             s += `git cherry-pick -m 1 --strategy=${strategy} --strategy-option=${strategyOption} --empty=${emptyCommit} `;
             if (cherryPickOptions !== undefined) {
@@ -22585,7 +22751,58 @@ module.exports = axios;
 
 /***/ }),
 
-/***/ 184:
+/***/ 6999:
+/***/ ((__unused_webpack___webpack_module__, __webpack_exports__, __nccwpck_require__) => {
+
+"use strict";
+__nccwpck_require__.r(__webpack_exports__);
+/* harmony export */ __nccwpck_require__.d(__webpack_exports__, {
+/* harmony export */   "RequestError": () => (/* binding */ RequestError)
+/* harmony export */ });
+class RequestError extends Error {
+  name;
+  /**
+   * http status code
+   */
+  status;
+  /**
+   * Request options that lead to the error.
+   */
+  request;
+  /**
+   * Response object if a response was received
+   */
+  response;
+  constructor(message, statusCode, options) {
+    super(message, { cause: options.cause });
+    this.name = "HttpError";
+    this.status = Number.parseInt(statusCode);
+    if (Number.isNaN(this.status)) {
+      this.status = 0;
+    }
+    /* v8 ignore else -- @preserve -- Bug with vitest coverage where it sees an else branch that doesn't exist */
+    if ("response" in options) {
+      this.response = options.response;
+    }
+    const requestCopy = Object.assign({}, options.request);
+    if (options.request.headers.authorization) {
+      requestCopy.headers = Object.assign({}, options.request.headers, {
+        authorization: options.request.headers.authorization.replace(
+          /(?<! ) .*$/,
+          " [REDACTED]"
+        )
+      });
+    }
+    requestCopy.url = requestCopy.url.replace(/\bclient_secret=\w+/g, "client_secret=[REDACTED]").replace(/\baccess_token=\w+/g, "access_token=[REDACTED]");
+    this.request = requestCopy;
+  }
+}
+
+
+
+/***/ }),
+
+/***/ 1942:
 /***/ ((__unused_webpack___webpack_module__, __webpack_exports__, __nccwpck_require__) => {
 
 "use strict";
@@ -23135,47 +23352,8 @@ function node_modules_universal_user_agent_getUserAgent() {
 
 // EXTERNAL MODULE: ./node_modules/fast-content-type-parse/index.js
 var fast_content_type_parse = __nccwpck_require__(7263);
-;// CONCATENATED MODULE: ./node_modules/@octokit/request-error/dist-src/index.js
-class RequestError extends Error {
-  name;
-  /**
-   * http status code
-   */
-  status;
-  /**
-   * Request options that lead to the error.
-   */
-  request;
-  /**
-   * Response object if a response was received
-   */
-  response;
-  constructor(message, statusCode, options) {
-    super(message, { cause: options.cause });
-    this.name = "HttpError";
-    this.status = Number.parseInt(statusCode);
-    if (Number.isNaN(this.status)) {
-      this.status = 0;
-    }
-    /* v8 ignore else -- @preserve -- Bug with vitest coverage where it sees an else branch that doesn't exist */
-    if ("response" in options) {
-      this.response = options.response;
-    }
-    const requestCopy = Object.assign({}, options.request);
-    if (options.request.headers.authorization) {
-      requestCopy.headers = Object.assign({}, options.request.headers, {
-        authorization: options.request.headers.authorization.replace(
-          /(?<! ) .*$/,
-          " [REDACTED]"
-        )
-      });
-    }
-    requestCopy.url = requestCopy.url.replace(/\bclient_secret=\w+/g, "client_secret=[REDACTED]").replace(/\baccess_token=\w+/g, "access_token=[REDACTED]");
-    this.request = requestCopy;
-  }
-}
-
-
+// EXTERNAL MODULE: ./node_modules/@octokit/request-error/dist-src/index.js
+var dist_src = __nccwpck_require__(6999);
 ;// CONCATENATED MODULE: ./node_modules/@octokit/request/dist-bundle/index.js
 // pkg/dist-src/index.js
 
@@ -23253,7 +23431,7 @@ async function fetchWrapper(requestOptions) {
         }
       }
     }
-    const requestError = new RequestError(message, 500, {
+    const requestError = new dist_src.RequestError(message, 500, {
       request: requestOptions
     });
     requestError.cause = error;
@@ -23285,21 +23463,21 @@ async function fetchWrapper(requestOptions) {
     if (status < 400) {
       return octokitResponse;
     }
-    throw new RequestError(fetchResponse.statusText, status, {
+    throw new dist_src.RequestError(fetchResponse.statusText, status, {
       response: octokitResponse,
       request: requestOptions
     });
   }
   if (status === 304) {
     octokitResponse.data = await getResponseData(fetchResponse);
-    throw new RequestError("Not modified", status, {
+    throw new dist_src.RequestError("Not modified", status, {
       response: octokitResponse,
       request: requestOptions
     });
   }
   if (status >= 400) {
     octokitResponse.data = await getResponseData(fetchResponse);
-    throw new RequestError(toErrorMessage(octokitResponse.data), status, {
+    throw new dist_src.RequestError(toErrorMessage(octokitResponse.data), status, {
       response: octokitResponse,
       request: requestOptions
     });
diff --git a/dist/gha/index.js b/dist/gha/index.js
index 9503796..d3c337f 100755
--- a/dist/gha/index.js
+++ b/dist/gha/index.js
@@ -498,13 +498,46 @@ exports["default"] = PullRequestConfigsParser;
 
 "use strict";
 
+var __createBinding = (this && this.__createBinding) || (Object.create ? (function(o, m, k, k2) {
+    if (k2 === undefined) k2 = k;
+    var desc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(m, k);
+    if (!desc || ("get" in desc ? !m.__esModule : desc.writable || desc.configurable)) {
+      desc = { enumerable: true, get: function() { return m[k]; } };
+    }
+    Object.defineProperty(o, k2, desc);
+}) : (function(o, m, k, k2) {
+    if (k2 === undefined) k2 = k;
+    o[k2] = m[k];
+}));
+var __setModuleDefault = (this && this.__setModuleDefault) || (Object.create ? (function(o, v) {
+    Object.defineProperty(o, "default", { enumerable: true, value: v });
+}) : function(o, v) {
+    o["default"] = v;
+});
+var __importStar = (this && this.__importStar) || function (mod) {
+    if (mod && mod.__esModule) return mod;
+    var result = {};
+    if (mod != null) for (var k in mod) if (k !== "default" && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(mod, k)) __createBinding(result, mod, k);
+    __setModuleDefault(result, mod);
+    return result;
+};
 var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
     return (mod && mod.__esModule) ? mod : { "default": mod };
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
+exports.NonFastForwardError = void 0;
 const logger_service_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8936));
-const simple_git_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(9103));
+const simple_git_1 = __importStar(__nccwpck_require__(9103));
 const fs_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(7147));
+class NonFastForwardError extends Error {
+    cause;
+    constructor(cause) {
+        super(cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : String(cause), { cause });
+        this.cause = cause;
+        Object.setPrototypeOf(this, new.target.prototype);
+    }
+}
+exports.NonFastForwardError = NonFastForwardError;
 /**
  * Command line git commands executor service
  */
@@ -609,14 +642,37 @@ class GitCLIService {
         await this.git(cwd).fetch(remote, branch, ["--quiet"]);
     }
     /**
-     * Check if a branch exists in a remote repository.
+     * Check if the remote branch contains commits without an equivalent in
+     * the local branch (i.e. someone added some work to the remote branch)
+     * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
+     * @param branch branch name to search
      * @param remote remote name or URL
+     */
+    async hasRemoteOriginalWork(cwd, branch, remote = "origin") {
+        return this._isUpstreamMissingWork(cwd, `refs/heads/${branch}`, `refs/remotes/${remote}/${branch}`);
+    }
+    /**
+     * Check if the local branch contains commits without an equivalent in
+     * the remote branch (i.e. some new work has been added to the local branch)
+     * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
      * @param branch branch name to search
+     * @param remote remote name or URL
      */
-    async remoteBranchExists(remote, branch) {
-        this.logger.info(`Checking if branch ${branch} exists on ${remote}`);
-        const output = await (0, simple_git_1.default)().raw(["ls-remote", "--heads", this.remoteWithAuth(remote), branch]);
-        return output.trim().length > 0;
+    async hasLocalOriginalWork(cwd, branch, remote = "origin") {
+        return this._isUpstreamMissingWork(cwd, `refs/remotes/${remote}/${branch}`, `refs/heads/${branch}`);
+    }
+    /**
+     * Check if `upstream` is missing work present in `head`.
+     * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
+     * @param upstream refspec to compare
+     * @param head reference refspec
+     */
+    async _isUpstreamMissingWork(cwd, upstream, head) {
+        const stdout = await this.git(cwd).raw(["cherry", upstream, head]);
+        // prefix:
+        // - means equivalent present in both refs
+        // + means missing from upstream
+        return stdout.split("\n").some(line => line.startsWith("+"));
     }
     /**
      * Get cherry-pick a specific sha
@@ -668,7 +724,16 @@ class GitCLIService {
         if (force) {
             options.push("--force-with-lease");
         }
-        await this.git(cwd).push(remote, branch, options);
+        try {
+            await this.git(cwd).push(remote, branch, options);
+        }
+        catch (err) {
+            // hacky, but is there a better way to detect a non-fast-forward rejection?
+            if (err instanceof simple_git_1.GitError && err.message.includes("[rejected] (non-fast-forward)")) {
+                throw new NonFastForwardError(err);
+            }
+            throw err;
+        }
     }
     /**
     * pointToSameCommit checks if two refs point the same commit
@@ -746,6 +811,31 @@ class GitClientFactory {
 exports["default"] = GitClientFactory;
 
 
+/***/ }),
+
+/***/ 8127:
+/***/ ((__unused_webpack_module, exports) => {
+
+"use strict";
+
+Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
+exports.PullRequestExists = void 0;
+class PullRequestExists extends Error {
+    url;
+    constructor(url) {
+        let msg = "Pull request already exists";
+        if (url) {
+            msg += ": " + url;
+        }
+        super(msg);
+        this.url = url;
+        Object.setPrototypeOf(this, new.target.prototype);
+    }
+}
+exports.PullRequestExists = PullRequestExists;
+;
+
+
 /***/ }),
 
 /***/ 9080:
@@ -907,11 +997,13 @@ var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
     return (mod && mod.__esModule) ? mod : { "default": mod };
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
+const git_client_1 = __nccwpck_require__(8127);
 const git_util_1 = __nccwpck_require__(9080);
 const git_types_1 = __nccwpck_require__(750);
 const github_mapper_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(5764));
 const octokit_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(4257));
 const logger_service_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8936));
+const request_error_1 = __nccwpck_require__(6999);
 class GitHubClient {
     logger;
     apiUrl;
@@ -1068,16 +1160,37 @@ class GitHubClient {
     async createPullRequest(backport) {
         this.logger.info(`Creating pull request ${backport.head} -> ${backport.base}`);
         this.logger.info(`${JSON.stringify(backport, null, 2)}`);
-        const { data } = await this.octokit.pulls.create({
-            owner: backport.owner,
-            repo: backport.repo,
-            head: backport.headRepo ? `${backport.headRepo.owner}:${backport.head}` : backport.head,
-            ...(backport.headRepo ? { head_repo: backport.headRepo.project } : {}),
-            base: backport.base,
-            title: backport.title,
-            body: backport.body,
-            maintainer_can_modify: true,
-        });
+        let data;
+        try {
+            const resp = await this.octokit.pulls.create({
+                owner: backport.owner,
+                repo: backport.repo,
+                head: backport.headRepo ? `${backport.headRepo.owner}:${backport.head}` : backport.head,
+                ...(backport.headRepo ? { head_repo: backport.headRepo.project } : {}),
+                base: backport.base,
+                title: backport.title,
+                body: backport.body,
+                maintainer_can_modify: true,
+            });
+            data = resp.data;
+        }
+        catch (err) {
+            if (err instanceof request_error_1.RequestError) {
+                if (this.compatibleForge && err.status === 409) {
+                    // Forgejo returns unstructured message:
+                    // pull request already exists for these targets [id: .., issue_id: .., head_repo_id: .., base_repo_id: .., head_branch: bp-..., base_branch: ...]
+                    this.logger.warn(err.message);
+                    throw new git_client_1.PullRequestExists();
+                }
+                if (!this.compatibleForge && err.status === 422) {
+                    // GitHub returns a structured message without the URL
+                    // {"resource":"PullRequest","code":"custom","message":"A pull request already exists for lampajr:bp-prod-6353aff."}
+                    this.logger.warn(err.message);
+                    throw new git_client_1.PullRequestExists();
+                }
+            }
+            throw err;
+        }
         if (!data) {
             throw new Error("Pull request creation failed");
         }
@@ -1234,7 +1347,7 @@ var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
 const logger_service_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8936));
-const rest_1 = __nccwpck_require__(184);
+const rest_1 = __nccwpck_require__(1942);
 /**
  * Singleton factory class for {Octokit} instance
  */
@@ -1695,12 +1808,36 @@ exports.injectTargetBranch = injectTargetBranch;
 
 "use strict";
 
+var __createBinding = (this && this.__createBinding) || (Object.create ? (function(o, m, k, k2) {
+    if (k2 === undefined) k2 = k;
+    var desc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(m, k);
+    if (!desc || ("get" in desc ? !m.__esModule : desc.writable || desc.configurable)) {
+      desc = { enumerable: true, get: function() { return m[k]; } };
+    }
+    Object.defineProperty(o, k2, desc);
+}) : (function(o, m, k, k2) {
+    if (k2 === undefined) k2 = k;
+    o[k2] = m[k];
+}));
+var __setModuleDefault = (this && this.__setModuleDefault) || (Object.create ? (function(o, v) {
+    Object.defineProperty(o, "default", { enumerable: true, value: v });
+}) : function(o, v) {
+    o["default"] = v;
+});
+var __importStar = (this && this.__importStar) || function (mod) {
+    if (mod && mod.__esModule) return mod;
+    var result = {};
+    if (mod != null) for (var k in mod) if (k !== "default" && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(mod, k)) __createBinding(result, mod, k);
+    __setModuleDefault(result, mod);
+    return result;
+};
 var __importDefault = (this && this.__importDefault) || function (mod) {
     return (mod && mod.__esModule) ? mod : { "default": mod };
 };
 Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", ({ value: true }));
 const pr_configs_parser_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(6618));
-const git_cli_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(7538));
+const git_cli_1 = __importStar(__nccwpck_require__(7538));
+const git_client_1 = __nccwpck_require__(8127);
 const git_client_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8550));
 const git_types_1 = __nccwpck_require__(750);
 const logger_service_factory_1 = __importDefault(__nccwpck_require__(8936));
@@ -1817,12 +1954,6 @@ class Runner {
         }
     }
     async executeBackport(configs, backportPR, git) {
-        const remote = backportPR.headRepo?.cloneUrl ?? backportPR.cloneUrl;
-        const branchExists = await git.gitCli.remoteBranchExists(remote, backportPR.head);
-        if (branchExists) {
-            this.logger.warn(`Backport branch ${backportPR.head} already exists on ${remote}, skipping`);
-            return;
-        }
         const notifyError = !configs.dryRun && configs.errorNotification.enabled && configs.errorNotification.message.length > 0;
         if (notifyError && await this.failureAlreadyReported(configs, backportPR, git)) {
             this.logger.warn(`Backport to ${backportPR.base} already failed. Delete failure comment to retry. Skipping.`);
@@ -1936,12 +2067,44 @@ function* backportSteps(logger, configs, backportPR, git) {
     if (!configs.dryRun) {
         // 10. push the new branch to origin
         yield async () => {
-            await git.gitCli.push(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote);
+            try {
+                await git.gitCli.push(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote);
+            }
+            catch (err) {
+                if (!(err instanceof git_cli_1.NonFastForwardError)) {
+                    throw err;
+                }
+                logger.info("Non-fast-forward remote branch");
+                // fetch the diverting remote
+                await git.gitCli.fetch(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote);
+                if (await git.gitCli.hasRemoteOriginalWork(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote)) {
+                    logger.info("Remote branch contains original work, aborting");
+                    // throw original error: we cannot push in non-fast-forwarding way
+                    throw err.cause;
+                }
+                if (await git.gitCli.hasLocalOriginalWork(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote)) {
+                    logger.info("Force-pushing rebased branch");
+                    await git.gitCli.push(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote, true);
+                }
+            }
         };
         // 11. create pull request new branch -> target branch (using octokit)
         yield async () => {
-            const prUrl = await git.gitClientApi.createPullRequest(backportPR);
-            logger.info(`Pull request created: ${prUrl}`);
+            try {
+                const prUrl = await git.gitClientApi.createPullRequest(backportPR);
+                logger.info(`Pull request created: ${prUrl}`);
+            }
+            catch (err) {
+                if (!(err instanceof git_client_1.PullRequestExists)) {
+                    throw err;
+                }
+                if (err.url) {
+                    logger.info(`Pull request updated: ${err.url}`);
+                }
+                else {
+                    logger.info("The existing pull request has been updated");
+                }
+            }
         };
     }
     else {
@@ -1970,9 +2133,12 @@ async function backportScript(configs, backportPR, git, failed) {
         async fetch(_cwd, branch, remote = "origin") {
             s += `git fetch ${remote} ${branch}`;
         },
-        async remoteBranchExists(_remote, _branch) {
+        async hasRemoteOriginalWork(_cwd, _branch, _remote = "origin") {
             return false;
         },
+        async hasLocalOriginalWork(_cwd, _branch, _remote = "origin") {
+            return true;
+        },
         async cherryPick(_cwd, sha, strategy = "recursive", strategyOption = "theirs", cherryPickOptions, emptyCommit = "stop") {
             s += `git cherry-pick -m 1 --strategy=${strategy} --strategy-option=${strategyOption} --empty=${emptyCommit} `;
             if (cherryPickOptions !== undefined) {
@@ -22688,7 +22854,58 @@ module.exports = axios;
 
 /***/ }),
 
-/***/ 184:
+/***/ 6999:
+/***/ ((__unused_webpack___webpack_module__, __webpack_exports__, __nccwpck_require__) => {
+
+"use strict";
+__nccwpck_require__.r(__webpack_exports__);
+/* harmony export */ __nccwpck_require__.d(__webpack_exports__, {
+/* harmony export */   "RequestError": () => (/* binding */ RequestError)
+/* harmony export */ });
+class RequestError extends Error {
+  name;
+  /**
+   * http status code
+   */
+  status;
+  /**
+   * Request options that lead to the error.
+   */
+  request;
+  /**
+   * Response object if a response was received
+   */
+  response;
+  constructor(message, statusCode, options) {
+    super(message, { cause: options.cause });
+    this.name = "HttpError";
+    this.status = Number.parseInt(statusCode);
+    if (Number.isNaN(this.status)) {
+      this.status = 0;
+    }
+    /* v8 ignore else -- @preserve -- Bug with vitest coverage where it sees an else branch that doesn't exist */
+    if ("response" in options) {
+      this.response = options.response;
+    }
+    const requestCopy = Object.assign({}, options.request);
+    if (options.request.headers.authorization) {
+      requestCopy.headers = Object.assign({}, options.request.headers, {
+        authorization: options.request.headers.authorization.replace(
+          /(?<! ) .*$/,
+          " [REDACTED]"
+        )
+      });
+    }
+    requestCopy.url = requestCopy.url.replace(/\bclient_secret=\w+/g, "client_secret=[REDACTED]").replace(/\baccess_token=\w+/g, "access_token=[REDACTED]");
+    this.request = requestCopy;
+  }
+}
+
+
+
+/***/ }),
+
+/***/ 1942:
 /***/ ((__unused_webpack___webpack_module__, __webpack_exports__, __nccwpck_require__) => {
 
 "use strict";
@@ -23238,47 +23455,8 @@ function node_modules_universal_user_agent_getUserAgent() {
 
 // EXTERNAL MODULE: ./node_modules/fast-content-type-parse/index.js
 var fast_content_type_parse = __nccwpck_require__(7263);
-;// CONCATENATED MODULE: ./node_modules/@octokit/request-error/dist-src/index.js
-class RequestError extends Error {
-  name;
-  /**
-   * http status code
-   */
-  status;
-  /**
-   * Request options that lead to the error.
-   */
-  request;
-  /**
-   * Response object if a response was received
-   */
-  response;
-  constructor(message, statusCode, options) {
-    super(message, { cause: options.cause });
-    this.name = "HttpError";
-    this.status = Number.parseInt(statusCode);
-    if (Number.isNaN(this.status)) {
-      this.status = 0;
-    }
-    /* v8 ignore else -- @preserve -- Bug with vitest coverage where it sees an else branch that doesn't exist */
-    if ("response" in options) {
-      this.response = options.response;
-    }
-    const requestCopy = Object.assign({}, options.request);
-    if (options.request.headers.authorization) {
-      requestCopy.headers = Object.assign({}, options.request.headers, {
-        authorization: options.request.headers.authorization.replace(
-          /(?<! ) .*$/,
-          " [REDACTED]"
-        )
-      });
-    }
-    requestCopy.url = requestCopy.url.replace(/\bclient_secret=\w+/g, "client_secret=[REDACTED]").replace(/\baccess_token=\w+/g, "access_token=[REDACTED]");
-    this.request = requestCopy;
-  }
-}
-
-
+// EXTERNAL MODULE: ./node_modules/@octokit/request-error/dist-src/index.js
+var dist_src = __nccwpck_require__(6999);
 ;// CONCATENATED MODULE: ./node_modules/@octokit/request/dist-bundle/index.js
 // pkg/dist-src/index.js
 
@@ -23356,7 +23534,7 @@ async function fetchWrapper(requestOptions) {
         }
       }
     }
-    const requestError = new RequestError(message, 500, {
+    const requestError = new dist_src.RequestError(message, 500, {
       request: requestOptions
     });
     requestError.cause = error;
@@ -23388,21 +23566,21 @@ async function fetchWrapper(requestOptions) {
     if (status < 400) {
       return octokitResponse;
     }
-    throw new RequestError(fetchResponse.statusText, status, {
+    throw new dist_src.RequestError(fetchResponse.statusText, status, {
       response: octokitResponse,
       request: requestOptions
     });
   }
   if (status === 304) {
     octokitResponse.data = await getResponseData(fetchResponse);
-    throw new RequestError("Not modified", status, {
+    throw new dist_src.RequestError("Not modified", status, {
       response: octokitResponse,
       request: requestOptions
     });
   }
   if (status >= 400) {
     octokitResponse.data = await getResponseData(fetchResponse);
-    throw new RequestError(toErrorMessage(octokitResponse.data), status, {
+    throw new dist_src.RequestError(toErrorMessage(octokitResponse.data), status, {
       response: octokitResponse,
       request: requestOptions
     });
diff --git a/src/service/git/git-cli.ts b/src/service/git/git-cli.ts
index 96b4b4f..1ac9cee 100644
--- a/src/service/git/git-cli.ts
+++ b/src/service/git/git-cli.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
 import LoggerService from "@bp/service/logger/logger-service";
 import LoggerServiceFactory from "@bp/service/logger/logger-service-factory";
-import simpleGit, { SimpleGit } from "simple-git";
+import simpleGit, { GitError, SimpleGit } from "simple-git";
 import fs from "fs";
 import { LocalGit } from "@bp/service/configs/configs.types";
 
+export class NonFastForwardError extends Error {
+  constructor(public readonly cause: unknown) {
+    super(cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : String(cause), { cause });
+    Object.setPrototypeOf(this, new.target.prototype);
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Command line git commands executor service
  */
@@ -123,14 +130,47 @@ export default class GitCLIService {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Check if a branch exists in a remote repository.
+   * Check if the remote branch contains commits without an equivalent in
+   * the local branch (i.e. someone added some work to the remote branch)
+   * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
+   * @param branch branch name to search
    * @param remote remote name or URL
+   */
+  async hasRemoteOriginalWork(cwd: string, branch: string, remote = "origin"): Promise<boolean> {
+    return this._isUpstreamMissingWork(
+      cwd,
+      `refs/heads/${branch}`,
+      `refs/remotes/${remote}/${branch}`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Check if the local branch contains commits without an equivalent in
+   * the remote branch (i.e. some new work has been added to the local branch)
+   * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
    * @param branch branch name to search
+   * @param remote remote name or URL
+   */
+  async hasLocalOriginalWork(cwd: string, branch: string, remote = "origin"): Promise<boolean> {
+    return this._isUpstreamMissingWork(
+      cwd,
+      `refs/remotes/${remote}/${branch}`,
+      `refs/heads/${branch}`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Check if `upstream` is missing work present in `head`.
+   * @param cwd repository in which the local branch lives
+   * @param upstream refspec to compare
+   * @param head reference refspec
    */
-  async remoteBranchExists(remote: string, branch: string): Promise<boolean> {
-    this.logger.info(`Checking if branch ${branch} exists on ${remote}`);
-    const output = await simpleGit().raw(["ls-remote", "--heads", this.remoteWithAuth(remote), branch]);
-    return output.trim().length > 0;
+  async _isUpstreamMissingWork(cwd: string, upstream: string, head: string): Promise<boolean> {
+    const stdout = await this.git(cwd).raw(["cherry", upstream, head]);
+    // prefix:
+    // - means equivalent present in both refs
+    // + means missing from upstream
+    return stdout.split("\n").some(line => line.startsWith("+"));
   }
 
   /**
@@ -187,7 +227,15 @@ export default class GitCLIService {
     if (force) {
       options.push("--force-with-lease");
     }
-    await this.git(cwd).push(remote, branch, options);
+    try {
+      await this.git(cwd).push(remote, branch, options);
+    } catch (err) {
+      // hacky, but is there a better way to detect a non-fast-forward rejection?
+      if (err instanceof GitError && err.message.includes("[rejected] (non-fast-forward)")) {
+        throw new NonFastForwardError(err);
+      }
+      throw err;
+    }
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/service/git/git-client.ts b/src/service/git/git-client.ts
index 6ee7d52..b01913d 100644
--- a/src/service/git/git-client.ts
+++ b/src/service/git/git-client.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,16 @@
 import { BackportPullRequest, GitClientType, GitPullRequest } from "@bp/service/git/git.types";
 
+export class PullRequestExists extends Error {
+    constructor(public readonly url?: string) {
+        let msg = "Pull request already exists";
+        if (url) {
+            msg += ": " + url;
+        }
+        super(msg);
+        Object.setPrototypeOf(this, new.target.prototype);
+    }
+}
+
 /**
  * Git management service interface, which provides a common API for interacting 
  * with several git management services like GitHub, Gitlab or Bitbucket.
diff --git a/src/service/git/github/github-client.ts b/src/service/git/github/github-client.ts
index 0bfea64..cafd391 100644
--- a/src/service/git/github/github-client.ts
+++ b/src/service/git/github/github-client.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import GitClient from "@bp/service/git/git-client";
+import GitClient, { PullRequestExists } from "@bp/service/git/git-client";
 import { inferSquash } from "@bp/service/git/git-util";
 import { BackportPullRequest, GitClientType, GitPullRequest } from "@bp/service/git/git.types";
 import GitHubMapper from "@bp/service/git/github/github-mapper";
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import OctokitFactory from "@bp/service/git/github/octokit-factory";
 import LoggerService from "@bp/service/logger/logger-service";
 import LoggerServiceFactory from "@bp/service/logger/logger-service-factory";
 import { Octokit } from "@octokit/rest";
+import { RequestError } from "@octokit/request-error";
 import { PullRequest } from "@octokit/webhooks-types";
 
 export default class GitHubClient implements GitClient {
@@ -192,16 +193,36 @@ export default class GitHubClient implements GitClient {
     this.logger.info(`Creating pull request ${backport.head} -> ${backport.base}`);
     this.logger.info(`${JSON.stringify(backport, null, 2)}`);
 
-    const { data } = await this.octokit.pulls.create({
-      owner: backport.owner,
-      repo: backport.repo,
-      head: backport.headRepo ? `${backport.headRepo.owner}:${backport.head}` : backport.head,
-      ...(backport.headRepo ? { head_repo: backport.headRepo.project } : {}),
-      base: backport.base,
-      title: backport.title,
-      body: backport.body,
-      maintainer_can_modify: true,
-    });
+    let data: PullRequest;
+    try {
+      const resp = await this.octokit.pulls.create({
+        owner: backport.owner,
+        repo: backport.repo,
+        head: backport.headRepo ? `${backport.headRepo.owner}:${backport.head}` : backport.head,
+        ...(backport.headRepo ? { head_repo: backport.headRepo.project } : {}),
+        base: backport.base,
+        title: backport.title,
+        body: backport.body,
+        maintainer_can_modify: true,
+      });
+      data = resp.data as PullRequest;
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (err instanceof RequestError) {
+        if (this.compatibleForge && err.status === 409) {
+          // Forgejo returns unstructured message:
+          // pull request already exists for these targets [id: .., issue_id: .., head_repo_id: .., base_repo_id: .., head_branch: bp-..., base_branch: ...]
+          this.logger.warn(err.message);
+          throw new PullRequestExists();
+        }
+        if (!this.compatibleForge && err.status === 422) {
+          // GitHub returns a structured message without the URL
+          // {"resource":"PullRequest","code":"custom","message":"A pull request already exists for lampajr:bp-prod-6353aff."}
+          this.logger.warn(err.message);
+          throw new PullRequestExists();
+        }
+      }
+      throw err;
+    }
 
     if (!data) {
       throw new Error("Pull request creation failed");
@@ -214,7 +235,7 @@ export default class GitHubClient implements GitClient {
         this.octokit.issues.addLabels({
           owner: backport.owner,
           repo: backport.repo,
-          issue_number: (data as PullRequest).number,
+          issue_number: data.number,
           labels: backport.labels,
         }).catch(error => this.logger.error(`Error setting labels: ${error}`))
       );
@@ -225,7 +246,7 @@ export default class GitHubClient implements GitClient {
         this.octokit.pulls.requestReviewers({
           owner: backport.owner,
           repo: backport.repo,
-          pull_number: (data as PullRequest).number,
+          pull_number: data.number,
           reviewers: backport.reviewers,
         }).catch(error => this.logger.error(`Error requesting reviewers: ${error}`))
       );
@@ -236,7 +257,7 @@ export default class GitHubClient implements GitClient {
         this.octokit.issues.addAssignees({
           owner: backport.owner,
           repo: backport.repo,
-          issue_number: (data as PullRequest).number,
+          issue_number: data.number,
           assignees: backport.assignees,
         }).catch(error => this.logger.error(`Error setting assignees: ${error}`))
       );
@@ -248,7 +269,7 @@ export default class GitHubClient implements GitClient {
           this.octokit.issues.createComment({
             owner: backport.owner,
             repo: backport.repo,
-            issue_number: (data as PullRequest).number,
+            issue_number: data.number,
             body: c,
           }).catch(error => this.logger.error(`Error posting comment: ${error}`))
         );
@@ -298,4 +319,4 @@ export default class GitHubClient implements GitClient {
       id: parseInt(prUrl.substring(prUrl.lastIndexOf("/") + 1, prUrl.length)),
     };
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/service/runner/runner.ts b/src/service/runner/runner.ts
index 295e8db..4ef4ea0 100644
--- a/src/service/runner/runner.ts
+++ b/src/service/runner/runner.ts
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ import ArgsParser from "@bp/service/args/args-parser";
 import { Args } from "@bp/service/args/args.types";
 import { Configs } from "@bp/service/configs/configs.types";
 import PullRequestConfigsParser from "@bp/service/configs/pullrequest/pr-configs-parser";
-import GitCLIService from "@bp/service/git/git-cli";
-import GitClient from "@bp/service/git/git-client";
+import GitCLIService, { NonFastForwardError } from "@bp/service/git/git-cli";
+import GitClient, { PullRequestExists } from "@bp/service/git/git-client";
 import GitClientFactory from "@bp/service/git/git-client-factory";
 import { BackportPullRequest, GitClientType } from "@bp/service/git/git.types";
 import LoggerService from "@bp/service/logger/logger-service";
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { injectError, injectTargetBranch } from "./runner-util";
 interface Git {
   gitClientType: GitClientType;
   gitClientApi: Pick<GitClient, ("getLatestPullRequestComments" | "createPullRequest" | "createPullRequestComment")>;
-  gitCli: Pick<GitCLIService, ("clone" | "createLocalBranch" | "fetch" | "remoteBranchExists" | "cherryPick" | "addRemote" | "push" | "pointToSameCommit" )>;
+  gitCli: Pick<GitCLIService, ("clone" | "createLocalBranch" | "fetch" | "hasRemoteOriginalWork" | "hasLocalOriginalWork" | "cherryPick" | "addRemote" | "push" | "pointToSameCommit" )>;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -142,13 +142,6 @@ export default class Runner {
   }
 
   async executeBackport(configs: Configs, backportPR: BackportPullRequest, git: Git): Promise<void> {
-    const remote = backportPR.headRepo?.cloneUrl ?? backportPR.cloneUrl;
-    const branchExists = await git.gitCli.remoteBranchExists(remote, backportPR.head);
-    if (branchExists) {
-      this.logger.warn(`Backport branch ${backportPR.head} already exists on ${remote}, skipping`);
-      return;
-    }
-
     const notifyError = !configs.dryRun && configs.errorNotification.enabled && configs.errorNotification.message.length > 0;
 
     if (notifyError && await this.failureAlreadyReported(configs, backportPR, git)) {
@@ -274,13 +267,46 @@ function* backportSteps(logger: Pick<LoggerService, "debug" | "info" | "warn">,
   if (!configs.dryRun) {
     // 10. push the new branch to origin
     yield async () => {
+      try {
         await git.gitCli.push(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote);
+      } catch (err) {
+        if (!(err instanceof NonFastForwardError)) {
+          throw err;
+        }
+        logger.info("Non-fast-forward remote branch");
+        // fetch the diverting remote
+        await git.gitCli.fetch(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote);
+        if (
+          await git.gitCli.hasRemoteOriginalWork(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote)
+        ) {
+          logger.info("Remote branch contains original work, aborting");
+          // throw original error: we cannot push in non-fast-forwarding way
+          throw err.cause;
+        }
+        if (
+          await git.gitCli.hasLocalOriginalWork(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote)
+        ) {
+          logger.info("Force-pushing rebased branch");
+          await git.gitCli.push(configs.folder, backportPR.head, target_remote, true);
+        }
+      }
     };
 
     // 11. create pull request new branch -> target branch (using octokit)
     yield async () => {
-      const prUrl = await git.gitClientApi.createPullRequest(backportPR);
-      logger.info(`Pull request created: ${prUrl}`);
+      try{
+        const prUrl = await git.gitClientApi.createPullRequest(backportPR);
+        logger.info(`Pull request created: ${prUrl}`);
+      } catch (err) {
+        if (!(err instanceof PullRequestExists)) {
+          throw err;
+        }
+        if (err.url){
+          logger.info(`Pull request updated: ${err.url}`);
+        } else {
+          logger.info("The existing pull request has been updated");
+        }
+      }
     };
   } else {
     yield async () => {
@@ -309,9 +335,12 @@ async function backportScript(configs: Configs, backportPR: BackportPullRequest,
     async fetch(_cwd: string, branch: string, remote = "origin"): Promise<void> {
       s += `git fetch ${remote} ${branch}`;
     },
-    async remoteBranchExists(_remote: string, _branch: string): Promise<boolean> {
+    async hasRemoteOriginalWork(_cwd: string, _branch: string, _remote = "origin"): Promise<boolean> {
       return false;
     },
+    async hasLocalOriginalWork(_cwd: string, _branch: string, _remote = "origin"): Promise<boolean> {
+      return true;
+    },
     async cherryPick(_cwd: string, sha: string, strategy = "recursive", strategyOption = "theirs", cherryPickOptions: string | undefined, emptyCommit = "stop"): Promise<void> {
       s += `git cherry-pick -m 1 --strategy=${strategy} --strategy-option=${strategyOption} --empty=${emptyCommit} `;
       if (cherryPickOptions !== undefined) {
diff --git a/test/service/git/git-cli.test.ts b/test/service/git/git-cli.test.ts
index a41b7fb..631c97b 100644
--- a/test/service/git/git-cli.test.ts
+++ b/test/service/git/git-cli.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import GitCLIService from "@bp/service/git/git-cli";
+import GitCLIService, { NonFastForwardError } from "@bp/service/git/git-cli";
 import { FileState, GitActionTypes, MockGithub } from "@kie/mock-github";
 import { spawnSync } from "child_process";
 import { assert } from "console";
@@ -125,6 +125,17 @@ describe("git cli service", () => {
     expect(unchanged).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  test("push diverting local branch throws a dedicated error", async () => {
+    spawnSync("git", ["switch", "sbranch"], { cwd });
+    spawnSync("git", ["commit","--amend", "-m", "bla"], { cwd });
+    expect(git.push(cwd, "sbranch", "origin", false)).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(NonFastForwardError);
+    const remoteOriginal = await git.hasRemoteOriginalWork(cwd, "sbranch", "origin");
+    expect(remoteOriginal).toBe(false);
+    const localOriginal = await git.hasLocalOriginalWork(cwd, "sbranch", "origin");
+    expect(localOriginal).toBe(false);
+    // force push now succeeds
+    await git.push(cwd, "sbranch", "origin", true);
+  });
 
   test("git clone on already created repo", async () => {
     await git.clone("remote", cwd, "tbranch");
diff --git a/test/service/runner/cli-codeberg-runner.test.ts b/test/service/runner/cli-codeberg-runner.test.ts
index 35a1e50..5b59320 100644
--- a/test/service/runner/cli-codeberg-runner.test.ts
+++ b/test/service/runner/cli-codeberg-runner.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import ArgsParser from "@bp/service/args/args-parser";
 import Runner from "@bp/service/runner/runner";
-import GitCLIService from "@bp/service/git/git-cli";
+import GitCLIService, { NonFastForwardError } from "@bp/service/git/git-cli";
 import GitHubClient from "@bp/service/git/github/github-client";
 import CLIArgsParser from "@bp/service/args/cli/cli-args-parser";
 import { addProcessArgs, createTestFile, removeTestFile, resetEnvTokens, resetProcessArgs } from "../../support/utils";
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { mockCodebergClient } from "../../support/mock/git-client-mock-support";
 import GitClientFactory from "@bp/service/git/git-client-factory";
 import { BackportPullRequest, GitClientType } from "@bp/service/git/git.types";
 import { AuthTokenId } from "@bp/service/configs/configs.types";
+import { PullRequestExists } from "@bp/service/git/git-client";
 
 const GITHUB_MERGED_PR_W_OVERRIDES_CONFIG_FILE_CONTENT_PATHNAME = "./cli-codeberg-runner-pr-merged-with-overrides.json";
 const GITHUB_MERGED_PR_W_OVERRIDES_CONFIG_FILE_CONTENT = {
@@ -1459,4 +1460,56 @@ The backport to ${"`v3`"} will not be retried until this comment is deleted.
 
     cherryPickSpy.mockReset();
   });
+
+  test("with existing branch and pull request", async () => {
+    const cherryPickSpy = jest.spyOn(GitCLIService.prototype, "push").mockImplementation(async (_cwd: string, _branch: string, _remote = "origin", force = false) => {
+      if (!force) {
+        throw new NonFastForwardError("existing branch");
+      }
+    });
+    const localWorkSpy = jest.spyOn(GitCLIService.prototype, "hasLocalOriginalWork").mockImplementation(async (_cwd: string, _branch: string, _remote = "origin") => {
+      return true;
+    });
+    const createPullRequestSpy = jest.spyOn(GitHubClient.prototype, "createPullRequest").mockImplementation(async (_backport: BackportPullRequest) => {
+      throw new PullRequestExists();
+    });
+
+    addProcessArgs([
+      "-tb",
+      "v1",
+      "-pr",
+      "https://codeberg.org/owner/reponame/pulls/2368",
+      "-f",
+      "/tmp/folder",
+      "--bp-branch-name",
+      "custom-failure-head",
+    ]);
+
+    await runner.execute();
+
+    const cwd = "/tmp/folder";
+
+    expect(GitClientFactory.getOrCreate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(GitClientFactory.getOrCreate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(GitClientType.CODEBERG, undefined, "https://codeberg.org/api/v1");
+
+    expect(GitCLIService.prototype.clone).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(GitCLIService.prototype.clone).toHaveBeenCalledWith("https://codeberg.org/owner/reponame.git", cwd, "v1");
+
+    expect(GitCLIService.prototype.createLocalBranch).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(GitCLIService.prototype.createLocalBranch).toHaveBeenCalledWith(cwd, "custom-failure-head");
+
+    expect(GitCLIService.prototype.fetch).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(GitCLIService.prototype.fetch).toHaveBeenCalledWith(cwd, "pull/2368/head:pr/2368");
+
+    expect(GitCLIService.prototype.cherryPick).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    expect(GitCLIService.prototype.push).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+
+    expect(GitHubClient.prototype.createPullRequest).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(GitHubClient.prototype.createPullRequestComment).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(0);
+
+    cherryPickSpy.mockReset();
+    localWorkSpy.mockReset();
+    createPullRequestSpy.mockReset();
+  });
 });