VS Code’s experimental Resolve Merge Conflict with AI action asks GitHub Copilot to propose a resolution for an open conflicted file. It gives the assistant the merge base and both branches’ changes as context, but the result is a suggestion—not an automatic or guaranteed fix. Review the edits, inspect the staged diff, and run relevant tests before continuing the Git operation.
What VS Code’s AI conflict resolver does
When a Git operation leaves conflict markers in a file, choose Resolve Merge Conflict with AI in the editor. VS Code opens Chat and starts an agentic flow. The assistant considers the merge base—the common ancestor of the branches—and the changes from each branch, then proposes an edit intended to preserve the intent of both sides. See Microsoft’s VS Code merge-conflict guide and AI smart actions documentation.
The capability is experimental and requires GitHub Copilot access. Labels and availability may change. The AI proposal still needs a developer to check whether the combined code is correct and behaves as intended.
How to resolve a conflict with AI in VS Code
- Start or continue the Git operation. This may be a merge, rebase, cherry-pick, or stash restoration. Open a conflicted file in VS Code.
- Start the AI flow. Select Resolve Merge Conflict with AI in the editor. VS Code opens Chat and supplies the merge base and changes from both branches as context.
- Review the analysis and edits. Inspect the proposed result in Chat and in the editor. If it misses important context, provide that context or revise the code yourself.
- Save and validate. Save the resolved file, stage the resolution, and inspect the staged diff. Run the relevant tests or checks for the code you changed.
- Continue the operation that stopped. For a merge, finish through Source Control by committing the merge. For a rebase, run
git rebase --continue; for a cherry-pick, rungit cherry-pick --continue. If you restored a stash, inspect the files and commit the changes as appropriate; a stash restoration does not call for a merge commit. - Check the repository state. Run
git statusand confirm Git no longer reports the operation as in progress.
Choose AI, inline actions, or the three-way merge editor
AI is one way to handle a conflict, not the only one. VS Code also provides inline conflict actions and a three-way merge editor. The right choice depends on whether you want to make the decision directly, compare the competing versions visually, or ask Copilot to propose a combined edit.
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| Option | What you work with | Copilot access | Review and completion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inline conflict actions | The conflicted file and its inline conflict controls; see the VS Code source-control overview. | Not required for the manual actions. | Choose and edit the content yourself, then inspect, test, stage, and continue the Git operation. |
| Three-way merge editor | A visual comparison of the versions involved in the merge, available through VS Code source control. | Not required to use the manual editor. | Resolve the comparison yourself, then inspect, test, stage, and continue the Git operation. |
| Resolve Merge Conflict with AI | The merge base and each branch’s changes are provided to the assistant as context. | Required; the action is experimental. | Review or revise the proposed edit, then inspect, test, stage, and continue the Git operation. |
Keep the AI action distinct from Agent Merge
The editor action for an open conflicted file is different from Agent Merge, a separate preview workflow associated with pull requests and agent sessions. VS Code 1.136 describes Agent Merge as helping address review feedback, failed checks, and merge conflicts until a pull request is ready to merge. The chat.agentMerge.resolveConflicts setting is listed as experimental in the VS Code 1.136 release notes and AI settings reference.
Customize conflict resolution with AGENTS.md
VS Code’s September 2025 (version 1.105) release notes say an AGENTS.md file can customize AI merge-conflict resolution. This is a way to supply project-specific guidance, not a replacement for reviewing the resulting code. See the VS Code 1.105 release notes.
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