How do I resolve a merge conflict or find a bad commit?

Definition:

A merge conflict means Git cannot automatically decide how competing changes should combine. Resolving it requires understanding the intended behavior, not just removing conflict markers. Bisect solves a different problem: it narrows the commit range that introduced a reproducible regression through repeated good/bad checks.

Key points:

• Read both changes and preserve the intended combined behavior.

• Run relevant checks after resolving conflicts; do not choose a side blindly.

• Use git bisect with known good and bad commits to narrow down a regression.

• A useful bisect check must be repeatable; flaky tests can identify the wrong commit.

Interview point:

• Re-run the affected behavior after conflict resolution because syntactically valid combined code can still be logically wrong.