git rebase_error ai_generated true

Could not apply <hash>... Resolve all conflicts manually, then run git rebase --continue

ID: git/rebase-interactive-conflict

Also available as: JSON · Markdown
85%Fix Rate
91%Confidence
95Evidence
2017-01-01First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
2 active — — —

Root Cause

Interactive rebase replays commits one by one onto a new base. When a commit conflicts with the new context, git stops and asks you to resolve manually. Unlike a simple merge conflict, you may face multiple rounds of conflicts (one per conflicting commit). The todo file in .git/rebase-merge/ controls which commits are replayed.

generic

Workarounds

  1. 90% success Resolve conflicts commit by commit with git rebase --continue 
    For each conflicting commit: 1) Open conflicted files and resolve the markers (<<<< ==== >>>>). 2) Stage resolved files with 'git add <file>'. 3) Run 'git rebase --continue' to proceed to the next commit. Repeat until all commits are replayed. Use 'git diff' and 'git status' to verify resolution at each step.

    Sources: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-rebase

  2. 95% success Abort and retry with a different rebase strategy 
    Run 'git rebase --abort' to return to the state before rebase started. Then try alternative approaches: 1) Squash locally first with 'git reset --soft' then recommit, 2) Use 'git rebase -i --autosquash' with fixup commits, 3) Rebase fewer commits at a time to isolate conflicts.

    Sources: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-rebase

  3. 80% success Use git rerere to auto-resolve recurring conflicts 
    Enable with 'git config --global rerere.enabled true'. Git records how you resolve conflicts and auto-applies the same resolution if the same conflict appears again. Particularly useful for long-running feature branches that are rebased repeatedly against main.

    Sources: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-rerere

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. Using git merge instead of resolving the rebase conflict 95% fail

    You cannot mix merge and rebase operations. Running 'git merge' while a rebase is in progress creates an inconsistent state. You must either resolve the current conflict and 'git rebase --continue', or abort entirely with 'git rebase --abort'.

  2. Editing .git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo manually after rebase has started 80% fail

    The todo file can only be safely edited during the initial editor prompt of git rebase -i. Once rebase has started replaying commits, modifying the todo file directly leads to unpredictable behavior. If you need to change the plan, abort and restart the interactive rebase.

  3. Running git rebase --skip without understanding what commit is being skipped 75% fail

    --skip permanently drops the current commit from the rebased history. If you skip a commit that contains important changes (not just conflict noise), those changes are lost from the branch. Always check 'git log --oneline REBASE_HEAD' or 'git show REBASE_HEAD' before skipping.

Error Chain

Leads to:
Preceded by:
Frequently confused with: