Merge with foresight, not fear

The GitKraken Desktop Merge Tool is a built-in Git conflict editor designed to make version control safer and more visual. Merge conflicts normally occur when two branches in Git modify the same line of code, and Git cannot automatically combine them. Instead of showing raw conflict markers, GitKraken Desktop opens a side-by-side editor with a live merged output, so you can resolve conflicts cleanly.

Steps:

1. Attempt a merge, rebase, or cherry-pick in GitKraken Desktop.
2. Conflicted files appear in the Commit Panel.
3. Click a conflicted file to launch the Merge Tool.
4. Compare “current” vs. “target” changes, select lines or edit directly.
5. Save, mark resolved, and commit.

Example: If two teammates edit settings.json in different branches on GitHub, GitKraken Desktop will flag the conflict. Opening the Merge Tool lets you combine both edits or choose one version before committing.

Conflict Prevention detects merge conflicts before you open a pull request in GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket. By scanning your branch against the target, it identifies overlapping file changes early, saving you wasted review cycles and broken builds.

Steps:

1. Open your repo in GitKraken Desktop.
2. Watch for the conflict alert icon.
3. Click the alert to see affected files, authors, and actions.
4. Choose to share a Cloud Patch, push updates, or proactively rebase.
5. Invite teammates into GitKraken Desktop to avoid future collisions.

Example: While working on auth.ts, GitKraken Desktop alerts you that Joey has already changed the same file in develop. You rebase immediately, preventing a PR conflict later.

Auto-resolve with AI in GitKraken Desktop provides first-pass conflict resolutions with explanations. Instead of guessing, you review a suggested merge result and understand the reasoning before committing changes to your Git repository.

Steps:

1. Open a conflicted file in the Merge Tool.
2. Click Auto-resolve with AI.
3. Review the proposed resolution and the explanation.
4. Accept, tweak lines manually, or reset to manual merge.

Example: Two branches in GitLab add new keys to a JSON config. GitKraken Desktop’s AI merges the keys, flags a deprecated one, and explains why so you can finalize the resolution confidently.

Team View in GitKraken Desktop helps prevent merge conflicts by showing active branches and changed files across your team. This is especially useful in collaborative Git workflows on GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket.

Steps:

1. Select your team from the dropdown in Team View.
2. Review teammates’ checked-out branches and modified files.
3. Look for potential conflict icons on shared files.
4. Coordinate with teammates before creating pull requests.
5. Set your own status (Active/Away) for visibility.

Example: You see two teammates both editing userService.js. You sync with them to decide merge order, avoiding PR conflicts downstream.

Yes. GitKraken Desktop integrates with popular external merge tools like Beyond Compare, Araxis, P4Merge, and Kaleidoscope. This allows you to resolve merge conflicts using your preferred setup while still managing your Git workflow in GitKraken.

Steps:

1. Open Preferences > General in GitKraken Desktop.
2. Select your external merge tool.
3. Ensure its command-line integration is installed.
4. When conflicts occur, open them directly in the external tool.

Example: You configure Araxis as your external merge tool. When a large XML conflict appears in your Bitbucket repo, you launch Araxis directly from GitKraken Desktop to resolve it.