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Merge Conflict Resolution

A git pull stops with a conflict and the repository is stuck mid-merge. Interviewers use this because the wrong instinct (delete the file, force something, or git checkout .) destroys work, while the right path is a short, ordered set of read-only checks followed by one deliberate resolution.

Symptom

"I ran git pull and it stopped with a conflict. Now git says the branches diverged and I cannot push. Get it merged cleanly without losing my change or my teammate's."

Clarifying Questions

  • What did git pull print? The CONFLICT line names the file; the fetch line shows how far the remote moved.
  • Is the branch shared? A shared branch rules out rewriting history to fix this; the merge must be resolved and committed.
  • Do you want a merge or a linear history? That decides between finishing the merge and aborting to git pull --rebase.
  • Which change is correct, yours, theirs, or both? The resolution depends on intent, not on which side is newer.
  • Has anything else been committed on top? If the merge is already half-resolved, git status says so.

Diagnostic Path

1. Confirm the Conflict and What Stopped

git pull --no-rebase origin main

Output:

From github.com:acme/shop
 * branch            main       -> FETCH_HEAD
   262ac45..bbdaae5  main       -> origin/main
Auto-merging settings.conf
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in settings.conf
Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.

git status

Output:

On branch main
Your branch and 'origin/main' have diverged,
and have 1 and 1 different commits each, respectively.
# ... (trimmed)
Unmerged paths:
  (use "git add <file>..." to mark resolution)
    both modified:   settings.conf

no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

both modified confirms a content conflict: the local branch and origin/main each changed settings.conf. The merge is paused, not failed, so the fix is to resolve and commit.

2. See Which Commits Diverged

git log --oneline --graph --all -4

Output:

* bcc3344 Set timeout to 45
| * bbdaae5 Raise timeout to 60
|/
* 262ac45 Add settings

Both branches built one commit on the shared base 262ac45, editing the same setting to different values. Neither is an ancestor of the other, which is why Git needs a merge and hit a conflict.

3. Read Both Sides

git diff

Output:

diff --cc settings.conf
index 9248c45,121f443..0000000
--- a/settings.conf
+++ b/settings.conf
@@@ -1,2 -1,2 +1,6 @@@
++<<<<<<< HEAD
 +timeout = 45
++=======
+ timeout = 60
++>>>>>>> bbdaae56ace11023badca408998d852500e15bf4
  retries = 3

The section above ======= is the local change (HEAD), below it is the incoming commit. Deciding the value is a judgement call: here the team agrees the higher timeout wins.

Root Causes

Branch Evidence Fix
Both sides edited the same line both modified in status; markers in the file Edit to the intended value, git add, commit the merge
A pull merged when a rebase was wanted A merge commit appears in git log --graph git merge --abort, then git pull --rebase
Only one side was kept by mistake The resolved file matches one branch verbatim Re-open and combine both intents, then re-stage
Marker committed by accident git diff --check reports a leftover marker Amend the resolution and remove the marker

Fix

printf 'timeout = 60\nretries = 3\n' > settings.conf
git add settings.conf
git diff --check
git commit --no-edit

Output:

[main 21e92a3] Merge branch 'main' of github.com:acme/shop

git diff --check prints nothing, confirming no conflict markers remain. The merge commit records both parents, so history keeps the local and the incoming commits. A git push then updates the remote.

Prevention

  • Pull often, so branches diverge by little and conflicts stay small.
  • Prefer git pull --rebase (or set pull.rebase=true) for a linear history on personal branches, and git pull --ff-only to be told to reconcile explicitly rather than silently merging.
  • Split large files that many people edit, and agree who owns shared config lines.
  • Enable rerere so a recurring conflict is resolved once and replayed.
  • Run git diff --check before committing a resolution, to catch a leftover marker.
  • Conflict Resolution: markers, index stages and --ours/--theirs
  • Merging: why a three-way merge is needed here
  • Rebasing: the linear-history alternative to this merge
  • Branches: the diverged pointers behind the conflict

Captured on macOS 26 with git 2.50.1 (throwaway local repositories), 2026-09.