How to fix CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result in Git

What this error means

This error occurs when Git cannot automatically combine changes from two branches because both branches have modified the same lines in a file. Git is unable to determine which changes should take precedence, so it marks the file as conflicted and requires manual intervention. When you see "CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt", Git has identified that the same section of code was changed in both the branch you're on and the branch you're trying to merge. The "Automatic merge failed" message confirms that Git couldn't resolve this on its own. Git uses a three-way merge algorithm that compares the two branch heads with their common ancestor. When changes on both sides affect the same lines, Git cannot determine the correct resolution and instead inserts conflict markers into the file, leaving the final decision to you.

Typical symptoms

• Merge or pull operation stops with 'CONFLICT' messages
• Files contain conflict markers (<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>)
• 'git status' shows 'both modified' or 'Unmerged paths'
• Unable to commit until conflicts are resolved
• Merge is in progress but not complete
• Error during 'git pull' from remote repository
• Rebase operation stops and requires conflict resolution
• Cherry-pick fails with merge conflict

Common causes

1. Two branches modified the same lines of a file differently
2. One branch deleted a file that another branch modified
3. Parallel development on the same feature without regular syncing
4. Rebasing a branch that has diverged significantly from the base
5. Cherry-picking commits that conflict with existing changes
6. Merging a long-lived feature branch with many accumulated changes
7. Auto-formatting or line ending changes across the codebase
8. Refactoring in one branch while another adds new code in the same area

How to fix "CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result"

# Show the current status with conflict information
git status

# You'll see output like:
# On branch main
# You have unmerged paths.
#   (fix conflicts and run "git commit")
#   (use "git merge --abort" to abort the merge)
#
# Unmerged paths:
#   both modified:   file.txt
#   both modified:   src/component.js

# List only conflicted files
git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U

<<<<<<< HEAD
This is the content from your current branch (HEAD)
=======
This is the content from the branch being merged
>>>>>>> feature-branch

git config merge.conflictstyle diff3

<<<<<<< HEAD
Your changes
||||||| merged common ancestor
Original content before both changes
=======
Their changes
>>>>>>> feature-branch

This is the content from your current branch (HEAD)

This is the content from the branch being merged

Combined content from both branches

# Search for any remaining conflict markers
grep -rn "<<<<<<" .
grep -rn "=======" .
grep -rn ">>>>>>" .

# Stage the resolved files
git add file.txt
git add src/component.js

# Or stage all resolved files at once
git add .

# Verify the resolution
git status
# Should show: "All conflicts fixed but you are still merging"

# Complete the merge with a commit
git commit
# Git will open your editor with a default merge commit message
# You can modify it or save as-is

git commit -m "Merge feature-branch into main, resolved conflicts in file.txt"

# Launch the configured merge tool
git mergetool

# Git will open each conflicted file in your merge tool
# Resolve conflicts visually, save, and close

# Set your preferred merge tool
git config --global merge.tool vscode
git config --global mergetool.vscode.cmd 'code --wait $MERGED'

# Other popular options:
git config --global merge.tool meld
git config --global merge.tool kdiff3
git config --global merge.tool vimdiff

git config --global mergetool.keepBackup false

# Or delete manually
find . -name "*.orig" -delete

# Accept all changes from the current branch (ours)
git merge -X ours feature-branch

# Accept all changes from the incoming branch (theirs)
git merge -X theirs feature-branch

# Keep the current branch's version of a file
git checkout --ours file.txt
git add file.txt

# Keep the incoming branch's version of a file
git checkout --theirs file.txt
git add file.txt

# Abort the merge and restore pre-merge state
git merge --abort

# Update your branch first, then try again
git pull origin main
git merge feature-branch

# Or rebase instead of merge
git rebase main

# Undo the merge commit
git reset --hard HEAD~1

Advanced notes

git config --global merge.conflictstyle diff3

# Enable rerere globally
git config --global rerere.enabled true

# Git will now record conflict resolutions
# Future identical conflicts are resolved automatically

# After resolving conflicts during rebase
git add <resolved-files>
git rebase --continue

# Or abort the rebase
git rebase --abort

# Skip the current commit
git rebase --skip

# Do a dry-run merge to see if conflicts would occur
git merge --no-commit --no-ff feature-branch
git diff --cached
git merge --abort

Frequently asked questions

What does "CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt Automatic merge failed;" mean?

This error occurs when Git cannot automatically combine changes from two branches because both branches have modified the same lines in a file. Git is unable to determine which changes should take precedence, so it marks the file as conflicted and requires manual intervention. txt", Git has identified that the same section of code was changed in both the branch you're on and the branch you're trying to merge.

How do I fix "CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt Automatic merge failed;"?

Git merge conflicts occur when competing changes are made to the same lines of a file across different branches. To resolve this, you must manually edit the conflicted files to choose the correct changes, then stage and commit the result.

What causes "CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt Automatic merge failed;"?

Two branches modified the same lines of a file differently One branch deleted a file that another branch modified Parallel development on the same feature without regular syncing

Is the "CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.txt Automatic merge failed;" error serious?

It is a medium-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

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Official resources & further reading

• 📚Git Official Documentation
• 📖
  Git Book - Advanced Merging(Official Docs)
• 📖
  Git Docs - git-merge(Official Docs)
• 📖
  Git Docs - Merge Strategies(Official Docs)
• 📖
  Atlassian - How to Resolve Merge Conflicts in Git(Official Docs)
• 📖
  GitHub Docs - About merge conflicts(Official Docs)
• 💬
  Stack Overflow - How do I resolve merge conflicts in a Git repository?(Stack Overflow)