[mbakke]

git rerere only "automates" conflict solving after you already solved it. As in, it remembers previous merge resolutions, even if you undo the merge/rebase.

It is particularly useful when doing difficult merges regularly. Invariably I'll find a mistake in the merge and start over (before pushing, obviously); the second "git merge" remembers the previous resolutions so I don't have to solve all the same conflicts again.

Similar for difficult rebases that may need multiple attempts.

Git remembers resolutions across branches and commits, so in the rare case where (say) a conflict was solved during a cherry-pick, rerere will automatically apply the same resolution for a merge with the same conflict.

I think the reason it's not on by default is that the UI is confusing: when rerere solves for you, git still says there is a conflict in the file and you have to "git add" them manually. There is no way of seeing the resolutions, or even the original conflicts, and no hint that rerere fixed it for you.

You just get a bunch of files with purported conflicts, yet no ==== markers. Have fun with that one if you forget that rerere was enabled.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

> when rerere solves for you, git still says there is a conflict in the file and you have to "git add" them manually.

been using rerere for years, never seen this behavior.