How to fix merge tool 'meld' is not available in Git

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Git cannot find or launch the configured merge tool when attempting to resolve conflicts. This occurs when the tool is not installed, not in PATH, or not properly configured in .gitconfig.

What this error means

This error appears when you run `git mergetool` to resolve merge conflicts, but Git cannot find the configured merge resolution tool. Git supports various visual merge tools like vimdiff, meld, kdiff3, Beyond Compare, and others to help developers resolve conflicts interactively. When a merge tool is specified in your Git configuration but is unavailable on your system, Git displays this error instead of launching the tool. Git will first check the `merge.tool` configuration variable in your .gitconfig file. If the tool is configured but Git cannot execute it (either because it is not installed, not in your system PATH, or the path is incorrectly specified), this error occurs. The same issue can happen if you explicitly specify a tool with `git mergetool --tool=<name>` but that tool is not available. Starting with Git 2.10+, the exit status handling improved to better identify when a merge tool is missing versus when a merge operation simply found differences between files.

How to fix "merge tool 'meld' is not available"

1Check which merge tools are available on your system

First, see what Git recognizes as available:

bash

git mergetool --tool-help

This will show two lists: tools that are currently available, and tools that are valid but not currently available. This helps you identify if your configured tool is detected.

2Check your current merge tool configuration

View what merge tool Git is configured to use:

bash

git config --global merge.tool

If this returns nothing, Git will try to auto-detect an available tool. If it returns a tool name, verify that tool is installed.

3Install your preferred merge tool

Install one of the supported merge tools based on your platform:

Ubuntu/Debian:

bash

sudo apt install meld
# or
sudo apt install kdiff3

macOS:

bash

brew install meld
# or
brew install kdiff3

Windows:
Download and install from official websites:
- Meld: https://meldmerge.org/
- KDiff3: https://kdiff3.sourceforge.net/
- Beyond Compare: https://www.scootersoftware.com/

For Windows, remember the installation path for the next step.

4Configure Git to use the installed merge tool

Set your merge tool in Git configuration:

bash

git config --global merge.tool meld

For vimdiff (usually pre-installed on Linux/macOS):

bash

git config --global merge.tool vimdiff

For kdiff3:

bash

git config --global merge.tool kdiff3

5Specify the tool path if it is not in PATH (Windows/custom installations)

If the tool is installed but not in your system PATH, specify its full path:

Windows example for KDiff3:

bash

git config --global mergetool.kdiff3.path "C:/Program Files/KDiff3/kdiff3.exe"

Windows example for Meld:

bash

git config --global mergetool.meld.path "C:/Program Files (x86)/Meld/Meld.exe"

macOS/Linux example:

bash

git config --global mergetool.meld.path /usr/local/bin/meld

Note: Use forward slashes even on Windows in Git config.

6Verify the tool launches correctly

Test that the tool can be executed directly:

bash

meld --version
# or
kdiff3 --version

If this fails, the tool is not in your PATH. Either add it to PATH or use the explicit path configuration from step 5.

7Try running git mergetool again

Now attempt to resolve your merge conflicts:

bash

git mergetool

The configured tool should launch with your conflicting files loaded for visual resolution.

How to fix merge tool 'meld' is not available in Git

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How to fix "merge tool 'meld' is not available"

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