Diagnosing GitKraken Merge Conflict Editor Failures When the Resolve Button Is Disabled

Condition

GitKraken displays a red conflict badge on a repository, but the Resolve Conflicts button in the toolbar is greyed out or clicking it does not open the internal conflict editor.

Cause / Diagnostic Table

Possible Cause	What to Look For
Git executable path points to an outdated or missing Git binary	Preferences > Git shows a custom path; running git --version on that path returns an error or a version < 2.20
Merge tool configured to an unavailable external tool	Git configuration shows merge.tool set to a name that is not found in $PATH or is a non‑existent script
Repository lock or insufficient file‑system permissions	Presence of .git/index.lock or inability to read/write conflicted files

Ordered Checks

1. Verify GitKraken’s Git executable setting.
2. Check the configured merge tool.
3. Ensure the repository is not locked and you have read/write access.

Fixes Tied to Findings

1. Reset Git executable: Open Preferences → Git → Git Executable, select Use system Git or browse to a Git binary that returns git --version ≥ 2.20. Restart GitKraken.
2. Clear custom merge tool: In the same Git preferences pane, locate Merge Tool setting and set it to Default or empty. Equivalent command line (run outside GitKraken): git config --global merge.tool "". Restart the application.
3. Remove locks and fix permissions: Close any other Git processes, delete .git/index.lock if it exists, and ensure your user can read/write the .git directory and conflicted files. On macOS/Linux: chmod -R u+rw .git; on Windows, adjust security properties.

Escalation Criteria

• The Resolve Conflicts button remains disabled after completing all three checks and fixes.
• GitKraken logs (Help → Show Logs) show repeated errors such as “Failed to launch merge tool” or “Git executable not found”.
• The repository is large (>2 GB) or contains many submodules, which may exacerbate performance‑related UI freezes.

If any of the above apply, collect the logs from Help > Show Logs, note the OS version, GitKraken version, and repository size, and open a support ticket with GitKraken.

Verification

1. Open a repository that you know has a conflict (e.g., create a test conflict by editing the same line in two branches and merging).
2. Confirm the red conflict badge appears and the Resolve Conflicts button is enabled.
3. Click the button; the internal conflict editor should open with both sides editable.
4. After resolving and committing, verify that no .git/index.lock or .git/MERGE_HEAD files remain.

Limitations

• This guide does not address failures caused by corrupted repository objects; in such cases run git fsck outside GitKraken.
• If you rely on a specific external merge tool for workflow reasons, clearing merge.tool may require re‑configuring it after testing.
• The steps assume GitKraken is able to launch its UI; if the application crashes on start, reinstall or clear the app cache first.