git/list[1] front-page[2] threads[3] people[4] search[5] about
 

[DOC] merge-file: document that merge.conflictStyle requires a repository

From
Yannik Tausch <dev@ytausch.de>
Date
Feb 5, 2026, 15:06 UTC
Message-ID
<48B1AA62-D7FF-439E-B770-1127E1EE0E79@ytausch.de>
Hi,

We noticed that `git merge-file` only respects the `merge.conflictStyle` configuration when run inside a repository. Outside a repository, the setting is ignored and only the `--diff3`/`--zdiff3` flags work.

Looking at the history, this appears to be intentional since b541248467 ("merge.conflictstyle: choose between merge and diff3 -m styles", 2008), which explicitly gates config reading on being inside a repository.

This behavior surprised me, and I couldn't find it documented anywhere. Would a small documentation patch to git-merge-file.txt be welcome, noting that the config is only read when inside a repository?

Something like adding to the --diff3 option description:
  When run inside a repository, the `merge.conflictStyle`
  configuration variable can be used as a default for this option.
Thanks,
Yannik Tausch
Next: Junio C Hamano
Message 1 of 12 in “[DOC] merge-file: document that merge.conflictStyle requires a repository”
  1. Yannik TauschFeb 5, 2026
  2. Junio C HamanoFeb 5, 2026
  3. merge-file: honor merge.conflictStyle outside of a repositoryYannik Tausch, Feb 5, 2026
  4. Junio C HamanoFeb 5, 2026
  5. Kristoffer HaugsbakkFeb 5, 2026
  6. Yannik TauschFeb 5, 2026
  7. Junio C HamanoFeb 6, 2026
  8. Yannik TauschFeb 7, 2026
  9. merge-file: honor merge.conflictStyle outside of a repositoryYannik Tausch, Feb 7, 2026
  10. Kristoffer HaugsbakkFeb 7, 2026
  11. Patrick SteinhardtFeb 9, 2026
  12. Junio C HamanoFeb 9, 2026

Read the whole thread, see it on lore, or plain text.

$ cat FOOTERMessages come from the public archive at lore.kernel.org/git, fetched every hour. The front page is chosen and written each morning by an AI editor and can be wrong; the threads themselves are the record. About and API. For agents: an MCP server at https://gitlist.dev/mcp, and any thread, story or person page as Markdown by adding .md to its URL (or sending Accept: text/markdown). Details in /llms.txt.