diff --git a/subcmds/cherry_pick.py b/subcmds/cherry_pick.py
index 3d2193339..4e7b978c8 100644
--- a/subcmds/cherry_pick.py
+++ b/subcmds/cherry_pick.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 import re
 import sys
+from typing import Tuple
 
 from command import Command
 from error import GitError
@@ -43,36 +44,8 @@ change id will be added.
 
     def Execute(self, opt, args):
         reference = args[0]
-
-        p = GitCommand(
-            None,
-            ["rev-parse", "--verify", reference],
-            capture_stdout=True,
-            capture_stderr=True,
-            verify_command=True,
-        )
-        try:
-            p.Wait()
-        except GitError:
-            logger.error(p.stderr)
-            raise
-
-        sha1 = p.stdout.strip()
-
-        p = GitCommand(
-            None,
-            ["cat-file", "commit", sha1],
-            capture_stdout=True,
-            verify_command=True,
-        )
-
-        try:
-            p.Wait()
-        except GitError:
-            logger.error("error: Failed to retrieve old commit message")
-            raise
-
-        old_msg = self._StripHeader(p.stdout)
+        sha1, commit = self._ResolveReference(reference)
+        old_msg = self._StripHeader(commit)
 
         p = GitCommand(
             None,
@@ -117,6 +90,48 @@ change id will be added.
             logger.error("error: Failed to update commit message")
             raise
 
+    def _ResolveReference(self, reference: str) -> Tuple[str, str]:
+        """Resolve a commit and read it through one cat-file batch request."""
+        expression = f"{reference}^{{commit}}"
+        p = GitCommand(
+            None,
+            ["cat-file", "--batch"],
+            input=expression + "\n",
+            capture_stdout=True,
+            capture_stderr=True,
+            verify_command=True,
+        )
+        try:
+            p.Wait()
+            header, separator, output = p.stdout.partition("\n")
+            if not separator:
+                raise ValueError("missing cat-file header")
+            if header.endswith(" missing") or header.endswith(" ambiguous"):
+                raise GitError(f"commit {reference} not found")
+
+            parts = header.split(" ", 2)
+            if len(parts) != 3 or parts[1] != "commit":
+                raise ValueError(
+                    f"unexpected object type {parts[1]!r}"
+                    if len(parts) >= 2
+                    else "invalid header"
+                )
+            sha1, _object_type, _size = parts
+
+            if not output.endswith("\n"):
+                raise ValueError("truncated cat-file object")
+
+            commit = output[:-1]
+        except (GitError, ValueError) as e:
+            logger.error(
+                "error: Failed to resolve or read commit %s", reference
+            )
+            if isinstance(e, GitError):
+                raise
+            raise GitError(str(e)) from e
+
+        return sha1, commit
+
     def _IsChangeId(self, line):
         return CHANGE_ID_RE.match(line)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_subcmds_cherry_pick.py b/tests/test_subcmds_cherry_pick.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b52efc86b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_subcmds_cherry_pick.py
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2026 The Android Open Source Project
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+"""Unittests for subcmds/cherry_pick.py."""
+
+from unittest import mock
+
+import pytest
+
+from error import GitError
+from git_command import GitCommand
+from subcmds import cherry_pick
+
+
+def test_resolve_reference_uses_one_typed_batch_request(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    oid = "1" * 40
+    commit = "tree " + "2" * 40 + "\n\nSubject 🚀\n\nBody\n"
+    output = oid + " commit " + str(len(commit.encode("utf-8"))) + "\n"
+    output += commit + "\n"
+    command = mock.create_autospec(GitCommand, instance=True)
+    command.stdout = output
+    command.stderr = ""
+    command.Wait.return_value = 0
+    run_git = mock.create_autospec(GitCommand, return_value=command)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(cherry_pick, "GitCommand", run_git)
+
+    resolved, contents = cherry_pick.CherryPick()._ResolveReference("topic")
+
+    assert resolved == oid
+    assert contents == commit
+    run_git.assert_called_once_with(
+        None,
+        ["cat-file", "--batch"],
+        input="topic^{commit}\n",
+        capture_stdout=True,
+        capture_stderr=True,
+        verify_command=True,
+    )
+
+
+def test_resolve_reference_rejects_missing_object(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    command = mock.create_autospec(GitCommand, instance=True)
+    command.stdout = "topic^{commit} missing\n"
+    command.stderr = ""
+    command.Wait.return_value = 0
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        cherry_pick,
+        "GitCommand",
+        mock.create_autospec(GitCommand, return_value=command),
+    )
+
+    with pytest.raises(GitError, match="commit topic not found"):
+        cherry_pick.CherryPick()._ResolveReference("topic")
+
+
+def test_resolve_reference_rejects_ambiguous_object(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    command = mock.create_autospec(GitCommand, instance=True)
+    command.stdout = "topic^{commit} ambiguous\n"
+    command.stderr = ""
+    command.Wait.return_value = 0
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        cherry_pick,
+        "GitCommand",
+        mock.create_autospec(GitCommand, return_value=command),
+    )
+
+    with pytest.raises(GitError, match="commit topic not found"):
+        cherry_pick.CherryPick()._ResolveReference("topic")