Fix · GitHub and Git

Merge conflict: Git cannot combine two versions of a file

Blocks your work

What you may see

My file has strange lines with <<<<<<< and >>>>>>>
Git says automatic merge failed, fix conflicts and commit
The page broke after I pulled someone else's changes

Most likely cause

Two people (or two branches) changed the same lines, and Git needs a human to choose.

Check first (about two minutes)

Run git status: the files under "Unmerged paths" are the ones in conflict.
Search the project for <<<<<<< to find every marker.

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.

THE PROBLEM
Merge conflict: Git cannot combine two versions of a file

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
Two people (or two branches) changed the same lines, and Git needs a human to choose.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Run git status and list every conflicted file.
2. For each file, show me both versions side by side (mine and theirs) and explain in plain words what each one does.
3. Propose the combined result, wait for my yes, then remove all markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>) by editing the file.
4. Run the build or tests, then git add the fixed files and finish with git commit (or git rebase --continue if I was rebasing).
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- Searching the project for <<<<<<< finds nothing, the build passes and git status is clean.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not choose "mine" or "theirs" for a whole file without showing me what is lost.
- 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

Run git status and list every conflicted file.
For each file, show me both versions side by side (mine and theirs) and explain in plain words what each one does.
Propose the combined result, wait for my yes, then remove all markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>) by editing the file.
Run the build or tests, then git add the fixed files and finish with git commit (or git rebase --continue if I was rebasing).

Do not do this

Do not commit files that still contain the marker lines.
Do not abort and start over without saving my version first.
Do not choose "mine" or "theirs" for a whole file without showing me what is lost.

Try another entry