How do I resolve a merge conflict or find a bad commit?
Understand the concept
A merge conflict means Git cannot automatically decide how competing changes should combine. Resolving it requires understanding the intended behavior, not just removing conflict markers. Bisect solves a different problem: it narrows the commit range that introduced a reproducible regression through repeated good/bad checks.
Important ideas
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Read both changes and preserve the intended combined behavior.
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Run relevant checks after resolving conflicts; do not choose a side blindly.
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Use
git bisectwith known good and bad commits to narrow down a regression. -
A useful bisect check must be repeatable; flaky tests can identify the wrong commit.
Can you explain it without the notes?
How do I resolve a merge conflict or find a bad commit?
Use your own words. Explain an example and one limitation before checking the explanation.
Check your explanation
A merge conflict means Git cannot automatically decide how competing changes should combine. Resolving it requires understanding the intended behavior, not just removing conflict markers. Bisect solves a different problem: it narrows the commit range that introduced a reproducible regression through repeated good/bad checks.
Turn this concept into a clear answer.
- Re-run the affected behavior after conflict resolution because syntactically valid combined code can still be logically wrong.
Adapted from 09_TESTING_GIT_DOCKER_CLOUD.md · “How do I resolve a merge conflict or find a bad commit?”. Examples are study fragments; framework behavior can depend on your version.