Resolve Git Conflicts

Overview

Resolve Git conflicts end-to-end in the CLI. Analyze base/ours/theirs, decide which changes to keep or combine, verify the code works, then stop for human review before any commit or continue.

Quick Start

1. git status -sb
2. git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U
3. For each file, inspect base/ours/theirs: git show :1:PATH, git show :2:PATH, git show :3:PATH
4. Edit files to a clean, marker-free result and run git add PATH
5. Run the repo build/tests if available
6. Stop for review. Do not run git commit, git merge --continue, git rebase --continue, or git cherry-pick --continue

Workflow

1. Understand why the conflict happened. Use git status -sb and git log --oneline --decorate -n 20 to identify the operation and the competing commits.
2. Analyze all versions. Use git show :1:PATH (base), :2: (ours), :3: (theirs). Use git diff --ours PATH and git diff --theirs PATH to see intent.
3. Resolve conflicts with explicit choices. Remove markers, choose ours, theirs, or a combined result based on the decision framework. Prefer minimal, intention-preserving edits. Do not ask the user to edit; apply the changes directly and record the rationale in your response.
4. Verify the code works. Run the project's build/test/lint commands if defined. If none exist, run the smallest available smoke check.
5. Handoff for review. Stop after changes are staged and verified. Do not git commit, git merge --continue, git rebase --continue, or git cherry-pick --continue. Provide a short summary of decisions and files touched for review.

Decision Framework

Do not default to ours or theirs. Decide per file using evidence. Questions to answer before choosing:

• Which version matches the current API and usage sites?
• Which version aligns with the most recent refactor or commit intent?
• Which version is covered by or fixes failing tests?
• Which version removes deprecated code or references?
• Would combining both introduce duplication or inconsistent behavior?

Interpretation notes:

• In a merge, ours is the current branch and theirs is the merged-in branch.
• In a rebase or cherry-pick, ours is the branch you are applying onto and theirs is the commit being applied.
• If still ambiguous, choose the least risky change and state the assumption.

Commands

Goal	Command
List conflicted files	git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U
See conflict markers	`rg -n "<<<<<<<
Show base/ours/theirs	git show :1:PATH, git show :2:PATH, git show :3:PATH
Diff ours vs file	git diff --ours PATH
Diff theirs vs file	git diff --theirs PATH
Accept ours/theirs quickly	git checkout --ours PATH, git checkout --theirs PATH
Stage resolution	git add PATH

If rg is unavailable, use grep -n "<<<<<<<\\|======\\|>>>>>>>" PATH.

Example

Conflict:

function formatUser(user) {
<<<<<<< HEAD
  return `${user.name} <${user.email}>`;
=======
  return `${user.displayName} <${user.email}>`;
>>>>>>> feature/use-display-name
}

Resolved (use new field, keep fallback):

function formatUser(user) {
  const name = user.displayName ?? user.name;
  return `${name} <${user.email}>`;
}

Rationale: the feature branch introduced displayName, but existing callers may still populate name.

Common Mistakes

• Continuing a merge/rebase/cherry-pick before the review handoff.
• Treating ours and theirs as fixed to "my branch" and "their branch" in all operations.
• Leaving conflict markers or partially resolved blocks in files.
• Auto-accepting one side without inspecting base and usage context.