Resolving Merge Conflicts Visually in GitKraken Client

The problem: conflict markers in a file you just want fixed

You run a pull or merge in GitKraken Client and the app stops. Instead of a clean history, you see conflicted files listed in the interface, and opening one reveals the familiar <<<<<<<, =======, and >>>>>>> markers. You could drop to the terminal, edit each marker by hand, run git add, and commit, but that is error-prone and slows down the team.

The useful takeaway: GitKraken Client includes a built-in merge conflict editor that shows the conflicting versions side by side, lets you accept changes or edit the merged result, and stages the file for commit from the GUI. It still creates a standard Git commit, so the result works with any remote, protected-branch rule, or CI pipeline. Confirm your GitKraken Client version and license tier include the editor before relying on it.

How GitKraken surfaces merge conflicts

When a pull, merge, or rebase hits conflicting changes to the same lines, GitKraken opens a Conflicts view. Each conflicted file appears with a status and an action option, such as opening the file in the conflict editor. The editor typically shows your current branch's version and the incoming version together, with controls to accept one side, the other, or a combination, plus a text area to edit the final merged content.

Terms: current branch is the branch you are on when the merge starts. Incoming changes come from the branch you are merging in. Staging marks a resolved file so Git includes it in the next commit.

Worked example: resolve a line-level conflict

This example assumes two local branches have edited the same lines in src/config.js. Run commands in GitKraken's embedded terminal or your system terminal; you need write access to the local repository, not administrative privileges.

1. Create the conflict on purpose in a test repository. On main, change a setting and commit. On feature-branch, change the same setting differently and commit.
2. In GitKraken, merge feature-branch into main. When GitKraken reports a conflict, open the Conflicts view and select src/config.js.
3. In the conflict editor, review the current and incoming versions. Choose the changes to keep, or type the final result directly in the merged output pane.
4. Stage the resolved file from the editor, then commit. GitKraken creates a merge commit and the graph updates.

# Run in GitKraken's embedded terminal or system terminal
git checkout main
git merge feature-branch
# If GitKraken reports a conflict, use the Conflicts view to open src/config.js
# Resolve visually, stage, and commit in GitKraken, then verify:
git status
git log --oneline -n 3

Expected checks after committing: git status reports a clean working tree, and git log shows the merge commit at the top of main. The merge commit should appear in GitKraken's commit graph.

Risk: if you resolve on a long-lived shared branch such as main, the resolution becomes part of that branch immediately. Prefer a feature branch so the conflict resolution can be reviewed before it reaches shared history.

Rollback options if the merge goes wrong

Because starting a merge changes your working tree, you can abort before committing:

git merge --abort

If you already committed a bad resolution, you can reset the branch, but this rewrites local history and should not be used on pushed or shared branches:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

Limitations and what to verify

• Menu labels, conflict-view behavior, and feature availability vary by GitKraken Client version and license tier. Check Help > About for your version and confirm your plan includes the merge conflict editor.
• Visual resolution can hide complex rename, encoding, or semantic conflicts. Inspect the final merged file and run tests before pushing.
• GitKraken is a local Git client. It does not replace pull-request review, protected branches, or CI status checks on the remote.

Practical verification: repeat the example in a throwaway repository, then compare the GUI result with a command-line merge using git diff or git mergetool on the same branches to confirm the intended content was kept.

Closing

GitKraken's conflict editor removes much of the manual editing around conflict markers, but it is a convenience, not a governance substitute. Resolve on a feature branch, inspect the merged file, run your tests, and let your remote's review and CI gates do the final check.