Traditional approaches to habitat restoration use seeds sourced from the local geographic area, ecoregion, or hardiness zone. However, the rapid pace of climate change is already harming many local populations such that restoring with only locally sourced seeds may lead to poor climate resilience. Diversified seed collection strategies that account for climate change, termed ‘assisted gene flow’, can help support long-term population success. Here, we synthesize seed collection strategies and recommended transfer distances for climate-smart conservation and restoration.