<!--IssueSummary start--> <details> <summary> Everyone can contribute. [Help move this issue forward](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/contributor-success/community-contributors-workflows/#contributor-links) while earning points, leveling up and collecting rewards. </summary> - [Close this issue](https://contributors.gitlab.com/manage-issue?action=close&projectId=278964&issueIid=25014) </details> <!--IssueSummary end--> ## Problem to solve GitLab resolves merge conflicts by merging the target branch into the source branch before then merging into the target branch. This is often surprising and confusing for users accustomed to the GitHub workflow. The user expects the resolve of resolving conflicts to be a merge commit in the target branch that resolves the conflicts. ## Further details There are multiple ways to resolve merge conflicts using Git: (1) rebase, (2) resolve the conflicts in the source branch before merging into the target branch, and (3) resolving conflicts in the merge commit that merges the changes from the source branch into the target branch. GitLab should support resolving conflicts in the merge commit that merges the changes from the source branch into the target branch directly in the GitLab interface. This could be called **Resolve conflicts in merge commit** To illustrate the difference between these approaches by way of example, changes have been added to `master` that cause our new `feature` branch to have conflicts with `master` preventing it from being merged. ``` X feature / A---B---C master ``` There are a couple of ways address this: 1. rebase `feature` branch on `master` locally, then merge; or ``` Y feature / \ A---B---C---o master ``` 1. **Resolve conflicts** (this could also be done locally too) – merge changes from `master` branch into `feature` branch to resolve the conflicts, then merge `feature` branch into `master` branch; or ``` X---Z feature / / \ A---B---C---o master ``` 1. **Merge locally** – locally merge changes from `feature` branch directly in to `master` and resolve the conflicts in the merge commit ``` X---. feature / \ A---B---C---o master ``` GitLab's **Resolve conflicts** feature uses approach number two, which is merging the changes from the target branch back into the source branch, so that a clean merge can occur. The downside of this is that it creates an additional merge commit. ### Proposal Add support for resolving conflicts using the GitLab interface in the merge commit on the target branch. ### Links / references - https://help.github.com/articles/resolving-a-merge-conflict-on-github/ GitHub resolves conflicts directly in the merge commit on the target branch