diff --git a/miss_islington/delete_branch.py b/miss_islington/delete_branch.py
index b9c7c622..f7087608 100644
--- a/miss_islington/delete_branch.py
+++ b/miss_islington/delete_branch.py
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 import asyncio
 
+import gidgethub
 import gidgethub.routing
+import stamina
 
 router = gidgethub.routing.Router()
 
 
 @router.register("pull_request", action="closed")
+@stamina.retry(on=gidgethub.GitHubException, timeout=120)
 async def delete_branch(event, gh, *args, **kwargs):
     """
     Delete the branch once miss-islington's PR is closed.
diff --git a/miss_islington/tasks.py b/miss_islington/tasks.py
index ffe74e72..f03fc9ed 100644
--- a/miss_islington/tasks.py
+++ b/miss_islington/tasks.py
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@
 cache = cachetools.LRUCache(maxsize=500)
 sentry_sdk.init(os.environ.get("SENTRY_DSN"), integrations=[CeleryIntegration()])
 
-
 CHERRY_PICKER_CONFIG = {
     "team": "python",
     "repo": "cpython",
@@ -125,7 +124,7 @@ async def backport_task_asyncio(
         )
         try:
             cp.backport()
-        except cherry_picker.BranchCheckoutException:
+        except cherry_picker.BranchCheckoutException as bce:
             await util.comment_on_pr(
                 gh,
                 issue_number,
@@ -139,6 +138,8 @@ async def backport_task_asyncio(
                 """,
             )
             await util.assign_pr_to_core_dev(gh, issue_number, merged_by)
+            bce_state = cp.get_state_and_verify()
+            print(bce_state, bce)
             cp.abort_cherry_pick()
         except cherry_picker.CherryPickException as cpe:
             await util.comment_on_pr(
@@ -153,9 +154,25 @@ async def backport_task_asyncio(
                 """,
             )
             await util.assign_pr_to_core_dev(gh, issue_number, merged_by)
-            cpe_exc = cpe
             cpe_state = cp.get_state_and_verify()
-            print(cpe_state)
+            print(cpe_state, cpe)
+            cp.abort_cherry_pick()
+        except cherry_picker.GitHubException as ghe:
+            await util.comment_on_pr(
+                gh,
+                issue_number,
+                f"""\
+                Sorry {util.get_participants(created_by, merged_by)}, I had trouble completing the backport.
+                Please retry by removing and re-adding the "needs backport to {branch}" label.
+                Please backport backport using [cherry_picker](https://pypi.org/project/cherry-picker/) on the command line.
+                ```
+                cherry_picker {commit_hash} {branch}
+                ```
+                """,
+            )
+            await util.assign_pr_to_core_dev(gh, issue_number, merged_by)
+            ghe_state = cp.get_state_and_verify()
+            print(ghe_state, ghe)
             cp.abort_cherry_pick()
 
 
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 4ba241be..c76aed93 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
-cherry_picker==2.4.0
-#git+https://github.com/python/cherry-picker.git@remove-initial-state#egg=cherry_picker
+#cherry_picker==2.4.0
+git+https://github.com/python/cherry-picker.git@network-issues#egg=cherry_picker
 aiohttp==3.11.11
 gidgethub==5.3.0
 cachetools==5.5.0
 redis==5.2.1
 celery==5.4.0
 sentry-sdk==2.19.2
+stamina==24.3.0
 click==8.1.8