Microsoft-Rewards-Bot/docs/git-conflict-resolution.md

Git Conflict Resolution Guide

Problem: "Pulling is not possible because you have unmerged files"

This error occurs when Git has conflicting changes between your local repository and the remote repository.

Quick Fix (Recommended)

Option 1: Keep Remote Changes (Safest for updates)

# Abort any ongoing operations
git merge --abort
git rebase --abort

# Reset to remote version (discards local changes)
git fetch --all
git reset --hard origin/main

# Reinstall and rebuild
npm ci
npm run build

Option 2: Keep Local Changes

# Save your changes
git stash push -m "My local changes"

# Get remote changes
git fetch --all
git reset --hard origin/main

# Reapply your changes (may cause conflicts again)
git stash pop

Automatic Conflict Prevention

The update script (setup/update/update.mjs) now automatically:

1. Detects conflicts before attempting updates
2. Aborts failed merge/rebase operations
3. Preserves your stashed changes
4. Reports exactly what went wrong

Update Script Features

• ✅ Pre-flight conflict detection
• ✅ Automatic abort of failed operations
• ✅ Smart backup of config.jsonc and accounts.json
• ✅ User-configurable auto-update preferences
• ✅ Detailed error reporting with recovery instructions

Config Options

In config.jsonc, set these to control what gets auto-updated:

{
  "update": {
    "autoUpdateConfig": false,    // Keep your local config.jsonc
    "autoUpdateAccounts": false,  // Keep your local accounts.json
    "git": true,                  // Enable Git updates
    "docker": false               // Enable Docker updates
  }
}

Manual Conflict Resolution

If you need to manually resolve conflicts:

1. Check Status

git status

2. View Conflicted Files

git ls-files -u

3. For Each Conflicted File

Option A: Keep Remote Version

git checkout --theirs <file>
git add <file>

Option B: Keep Local Version

git checkout --ours <file>
git add <file>

Option C: Manual Edit

• Open the file
• Look for <<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>> markers
• Edit to keep what you want
• Remove the markers
• Save the file

git add <file>

4. Complete the Merge

git commit -m "Resolved conflicts"

Prevention Tips

1. Don't edit code files directly - they're meant to be updated from Git
2. Only customize config.jsonc and accounts.json
3. Use the auto-update feature with proper config flags
4. Commit your config changes if you want version control
5. Use branches for custom modifications

Troubleshooting

"detached HEAD state"

git checkout main
git pull

"Your branch has diverged"

git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/main

"Permission denied" or file locks

On Windows:

# Close all Node/VS Code instances
taskkill /F /IM node.exe
git clean -fd
git reset --hard origin/main

On Linux/macOS:

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER .git
git clean -fd
git reset --hard origin/main

Emergency Recovery

If everything is broken:

# Backup your config and accounts
cp src/config.jsonc ~/backup-config.jsonc
cp src/accounts.json ~/backup-accounts.json

# Nuclear option: fresh clone
cd ..
rm -rf Microsoft-Rewards-Bot
git clone https://github.com/Obsidian-wtf/Microsoft-Rewards-Bot.git
cd Microsoft-Rewards-Bot

# Restore your files
cp ~/backup-config.jsonc src/config.jsonc
cp ~/backup-accounts.json src/accounts.json

# Reinstall
npm ci
npm run build

Support

If conflicts persist:

1. Check GitHub Issues
2. Create a new issue with the output of git status
3. Include your update configuration settings
4. Mention your OS and Git version

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Remember: The safest approach is to let Git updates manage code files, and only customize config and accounts files.