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Git merge from the command line combines histories according to repository state and options. It can complete automatically or require conflict resolution. For freelance client work, the goal is not merely to remove conflict markers; it is to produce a reviewed result that preserves the intended behavior of both changes.
Prepare a clear merge starting point
Check git status, confirm the target branch and fetch relevant remote changes. Save unrelated work before merging. Read the incoming commits and follow the team’s merge policy. A clean working tree and known starting commit make it easier to understand or stop a merge without mixing unrelated edits into the result.
Resolve meaning, not just markers
Run the agreed merge command on the correct target branch. If conflicts appear, inspect the affected files and understand both sides. Do not choose ours or theirs blindly. Remove markers only after reconstructing the intended content, then review the complete file for duplicated logic, omitted checks and inconsistent interfaces.
Test and document the resulting change
Stage resolved paths, inspect the diff and run relevant tests before completing the merge. Use git status to follow Git’s current instructions. If you need to stop, consult git merge --abort documentation and understand its limits, particularly with pre-existing uncommitted changes. Never promise that abort can recover every kind of discarded work.
A practical checklist
- Confirm the target and incoming branches.
- Start from a understood, clean working state.
- Review conflicts with the owners of relevant behavior.
- Run tests for the combined result.
- Record the merge and any manual resolution decisions.
Worked example
Illustrative example: one branch changes a form label while another changes validation behavior in the same component. The developer preserves the new accessible label and the new validation, then tests both valid and invalid submissions. Selecting one entire file version would have resolved the textual conflict while losing a requirement.
Common questions
Is every merge a merge commit? No; fast-forward behavior and options matter. Does a conflict mean somebody made an error? Not necessarily. Can a conflict-free merge still break the application? Yes, semantic incompatibilities may not create textual conflicts.
What to do next
Treat merging as integration work. Keep the test evidence with the review request, especially when manual conflict resolution changes the final behavior.