conflict

Git · Reference cheat sheet

📋 Overview

Conflicts occur when merge, rebase, cherry-pick, or revert can’t auto-apply changes. Git marks files with conflict markers; you resolve, git add, then continue the operation. Abort to return to the pre-operation state.

🔧 Core concepts

• Markers — <<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>> (ours / theirs depend on command).
• Ours/theirs — merge: ours = current branch; rebase: ours = upstream (inverted mental model).
• Tools — git mergetool, IDE 3-way merge, diff --cc.
• Continue — merge --continue / rebase --continue / cherry-pick --continue.
• Abort — --abort restores pre-op state (if possible).

💡 Examples

git status   # unmerged paths
# edit files — remove markers, keep correct code
git add path/to/file.ts
git merge --continue   # or rebase / cherry-pick

# Take one side for a file
git checkout --ours -- path/to/file.ts
git checkout --theirs -- path/to/file.ts
git add path/to/file.ts

git merge --abort
git rebase --abort

git diff   # unmerged diff
git mergetool

<<<<<<< HEAD
current change
=======
incoming change
>>>>>>> feature

⚠️ Pitfalls

• Leaving conflict markers in committed files breaks builds — search for <<<<<<<.
• Ours/theirs flip meaning during rebase vs merge — verify with status / content.
• Binary conflicts can’t use markers — choose one version explicitly.
• Resolving then forgetting git add blocks --continue.
• Don’t abort if you’ve already fixed a lot without backup — commit WIP or stash carefully.

🔗 Related

• merge.md
• rebase.md
• cherry_pick.md
• revert.md
• status.md
• diff.md