git runtime_error ai_generated true

warning: Cannot merge binary files: image.png (HEAD vs. origin/main)

ID: git/conflict-in-binary-file

Also available as: JSON · Markdown · 中文
80%Fix Rate
84%Confidence
1Evidence
2023-04-05First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
git 2.26.0 active — — —
git 2.33.0 active — — —
git 2.38.0 active — — —

Root Cause

Git cannot automatically merge binary files (e.g., images, PDFs) because they have no text-based diff, leading to a conflict that requires manual resolution.

generic

中文

Git 无法自动合并二进制文件（例如图像、PDF），因为它们没有基于文本的差异，导致冲突需要手动解决。

Official Documentation

https://git-scm.com/docs/git-merge#_handling_binary_files

Workarounds

  1. 85% success Choose one version explicitly: git checkout --ours image.png (keep HEAD version) or git checkout --theirs image.png (keep incoming version), then git add image.png 
    Choose one version explicitly: git checkout --ours image.png (keep HEAD version) or git checkout --theirs image.png (keep incoming version), then git add image.png
  2. 75% success If both versions are needed, manually copy the correct version from a backup or regenerate the file, then git add image.png 
    If both versions are needed, manually copy the correct version from a backup or regenerate the file, then git add image.png
  3. 70% success Use a dedicated binary merge tool like 'git lfs' or 'git-annex' for large binary files to avoid conflicts in the future. 
    Use a dedicated binary merge tool like 'git lfs' or 'git-annex' for large binary files to avoid conflicts in the future.

中文步骤

  1. Choose one version explicitly: git checkout --ours image.png (keep HEAD version) or git checkout --theirs image.png (keep incoming version), then git add image.png
  2. If both versions are needed, manually copy the correct version from a backup or regenerate the file, then git add image.png
  3. Use a dedicated binary merge tool like 'git lfs' or 'git-annex' for large binary files to avoid conflicts in the future.

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. 95% fail

    Binary files contain non-text data; editing them as text corrupts the file.

  2. 80% fail

    Most merge tools cannot display a meaningful diff for binaries; the tool may fail or show nothing useful.

  3. 100% fail

    Git still marks the file as conflicted; the merge cannot complete until the conflict is resolved.