Using a Merge Tool
No real GUI here — but the exact same base/ours/theirs view, using nothing but plain, real git commands.
A real mergetool GUI (vimdiff, VS Code, IntelliJ) shows three panels: the common ancestor (base), your branch's version (ours), and the incoming branch's version (theirs). This offline sandbox has no such GUI available — checked directly, every real mergetool option requires a graphical session this VM does not have.\n\nThe real, useful part of a mergetool is not the GUI chrome — it is that three-way view. git show :1:, :2:, and :3: pull exactly those three real versions straight from git's own index during a conflict, using nothing but plain commands.
A Fresh, Real Conflict
git merge --no-ff feature/weekly-list -m "Merge pull request: weekly shopping list"
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in shopping-list.md
Both branches genuinely added a different item to the same shopping list line.
The Real Three-Way View, No GUI Needed
git show :1:shopping-list.md # base — common ancestor
git show :2:shopping-list.md # ours — master's version
git show :3:shopping-list.md # theirs — feature/weekly-list's version
Exactly the three real panels a mergetool GUI would show — pulled directly from git's own index, no editor or graphical session required.
Resolving With the Full Real Picture
printf 'Shopping List Template\n\nMilk, eggs, bread, butter, cheese.\n' > shopping-list.md
git add shopping-list.md
git commit --no-edit
Seeing all three versions side by side makes combining both real additions (butter AND cheese) an obvious, informed choice rather than a guess.
git show :1:/:2:/:3:<file>
Reads a specific stage of a conflicted file directly from git's index: stage 1 is the common ancestor (base), stage 2 is your branch's version (ours), stage 3 is the incoming branch's version (theirs). Confirmed directly in this lab pulling all three real versions with no GUI tool involved.
Base / ours / theirs
The real three-way terminology any mergetool GUI uses: base is the last common ancestor, ours is your current branch's version, theirs is the version being merged in. Confirmed directly in this lab: the exact same three real pieces of information, retrieved without any graphical tool.
⚡ Trigger a Fresh, Real Conflict
Set up and merge a new pair of overlapping branches.
cd ~/team-recipes && printf 'Shopping List Template\n\nMilk, eggs, bread.\n' > shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git add shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git commit -m 'Add shopping list template'cd ~/team-recipes && git pushcd ~/team-recipes && git switch -c feature/weekly-listcd ~/team-recipes && sed -i 's/Milk, eggs, bread./Milk, eggs, bread, cheese./' shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git add shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git commit -m 'Add cheese to weekly shopping list'cd ~/team-recipes && git push -u origin feature/weekly-listcd ~/team-recipes && git switch mastercd ~/team-recipes && sed -i 's/Milk, eggs, bread./Milk, eggs, bread, butter./' shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git add shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git commit -m 'Add butter to shopping list'cd ~/team-recipes && git pushcd ~/team-recipes && git merge --no-ff feature/weekly-list -m 'Merge pull request: weekly shopping list'student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && printf 'Shopping List Template\n\nMilk, eggs, bread.\n' > shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git add shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git commit -m 'Add shopping list template' [master c26c846] Add shopping list template 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+) create mode 100644 shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git push Enumerating objects: 4, done. Counting objects: 100% (4/4), done. Compressing objects: 100% (2/2), done. Writing objects: 100% (3/3), 327 bytes | 36.00 KiB/s, done. Total 3 (delta 1), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 To ../recipes-origin.git 9be19b0..c26c846 master -> master student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git switch -c feature/weekly-list Switched to a new branch 'feature/weekly-list' student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && sed -i 's/Milk, eggs, bread./Milk, eggs, bread, cheese./' shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git add shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git commit -m 'Add cheese to weekly shopping list' [feature/weekly-list 636fed9] Add cheese to weekly shopping list 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git push -u origin feature/weekly-list Enumerating objects: 5, done. Counting objects: 100% (5/5), done. Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done. Writing objects: 100% (3/3), 327 bytes | 65.00 KiB/s, done. Total 3 (delta 1), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 To ../recipes-origin.git * [new branch] feature/weekly-list -> feature/weekly-list branch 'feature/weekly-list' set up to track 'origin/feature/weekly-list'. student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git switch master Switched to branch 'master' Your branch is up to date with 'origin/master'. student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && sed -i 's/Milk, eggs, bread./Milk, eggs, bread, butter./' shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git add shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git commit -m 'Add butter to shopping list' [master 2d17249] Add butter to shopping list 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git push Enumerating objects: 5, done. Counting objects: 100% (5/5), done. Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done. Writing objects: 100% (3/3), 319 bytes | 63.00 KiB/s, done. Total 3 (delta 1), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 To ../recipes-origin.git c26c846..2d17249 master -> master student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git merge --no-ff feature/weekly-list -m 'Merge pull request: weekly shopping list' Auto-merging shopping-list.md CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in shopping-list.md Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.
🔍 Inspect the Real Three-Way View
Pull base, ours, and theirs directly from git's index — the exact information a mergetool GUI would show.
cd ~/team-recipes && git show :1:shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git show :2:shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git show :3:shopping-list.mdstudent@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git show :1:shopping-list.md Shopping List Template Milk, eggs, bread. student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git show :2:shopping-list.md Shopping List Template Milk, eggs, bread, butter. student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git show :3:shopping-list.md Shopping List Template Milk, eggs, bread, cheese.
✏️ Resolve With the Full Real Picture
Now that both real additions are clear, combine them deliberately.
cd ~/team-recipes && printf 'Shopping List Template\n\nMilk, eggs, bread, butter, cheese.\n' > shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git add shopping-list.mdcd ~/team-recipes && git commit --no-editcd ~/team-recipes && git pushstudent@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && printf 'Shopping List Template\n\nMilk, eggs, bread, butter, cheese.\n' > shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git add shopping-list.md student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git commit --no-edit [master e0c03b8] Merge pull request: weekly shopping list student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git push Enumerating objects: 7, done. Counting objects: 100% (7/7), done. Compressing objects: 100% (3/3), done. Writing objects: 100% (3/3), 386 bytes | 64.00 KiB/s, done. Total 3 (delta 1), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 To ../recipes-origin.git 2d17249..e0c03b8 master -> master
🗑️ Clean Up
The feature is safely merged — remove the branch.
cd ~/team-recipes && git branch -d feature/weekly-listcd ~/team-recipes && git push origin --delete feature/weekly-liststudent@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git branch -d feature/weekly-list Deleted branch feature/weekly-list (was 636fed9). student@lab:~$ cd ~/team-recipes && git push origin --delete feature/weekly-list To ../recipes-origin.git - [deleted] feature/weekly-list
Lab 2.4.3 complete. A fresh, real conflict, resolved with genuine three-way insight and zero GUI tooling:\n\n\n Fresh real conflict triggered : ✅ shopping-list.md\n Base/ours/theirs inspected : ✅ git show :1:/:2:/:3:\n Resolved with full context : ✅ both additions kept\n Cleaned up : ✅ confirmed\n
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