Fix · GitHub and Git

My fork is behind the original repository

Not checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

GitHub says this branch is commits behind
I want the latest changes from the original project

Most likely cause

Your copy was made at one point in time; the original kept moving.

Check first (about two minutes)

On the fork page on GitHub, read the line "N commits behind".

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows Git and GitHub very well and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
My fork is behind the original repository

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
Your copy was made at one point in time; the original kept moving.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Check git remote -v for an upstream address; if missing, add it: git remote add upstream <original address>.
2. Save my own work first (commit or stash).
3. Run git fetch upstream and git merge upstream/main on my main branch, then solve conflicts with me.
4. Push to my fork with a normal git push.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- The fork page no longer says commits behind.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not force push to my fork unless I ask.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Check git remote -v for an upstream address; if missing, add it: git remote add upstream <original address>.
Save my own work first (commit or stash).
Run git fetch upstream and git merge upstream/main on my main branch, then solve conflicts with me.
Push to my fork with a normal git push.

Do not do this

Do not delete and re-fork if you have changes you want to keep.
Do not force push to my fork unless I ask.

Try another entry