gitbutlerapp/gitbutler · error

" " has conflicts; content applies to one at a time, use "…

Error message

"{path}" has {total_hunks} conflicts; content applies to one at a time, use "{path}:<N>".

What it means

When applying a content-based resolution (`<path>:<content>`) to a conflicted file that has more than one conflict hunk, the command refuses: whole-file content only applies unambiguously when there is exactly one hunk. It directs the user to target a specific hunk with `<path>:<N>`. Ours/theirs/Ai resolutions are exempt because they can be applied to every hunk.

Solutions

1. Target a single hunk: `but resolve <commit> "<path>:2":<content>`
2. Repeat per hunk, or resolve each hunk with ours/theirs
3. Resolve in edit mode if per-hunk CLI targeting is impractical

Example fix

// before
but resolve <commit-id> "src/main.rs":'resolved full file content'
// error: "src/main.rs" has 3 conflicts; content applies to one at a time, use "src/main.rs":<N>
// after
but resolve <commit-id> "src/main.rs:1":'content for hunk 1'
but resolve <commit-id> "src/main.rs:2":'content for hunk 2'

const file = conflicts.files.find(f => normalizePath(f.path) === lookupPath);
const hunkCount = file ? file.hunks.length : 0;
if (resolution.kind === 'content' && hunkCount > 1)
  throw new Error(`Use "${path}:<N>" per hunk (${hunkCount} hunks)`);

const canApplyWholeContent = (path, conflicts) => {
  const f = conflicts.files.find(f => normalize(f.path) === normalize(path));
  return f != null && f.hunks.length === 1;
};

When it happens

Trigger: `but resolve <commit> <path>:<content>` (or via the API HunkResolution::Content) where conflicts.files lookup shows total_hunks > 1.

Common situations: Pasting resolved file content for a file with several conflict markers; script that assumes a single conflict block per file.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Must be a positive integer", "Invalid value", "Unsupported": the invalid-argument-value error family, when a library rejects the value you pass — this error's family across 35 libraries.

Related errors

• Branch " " has no conflicted commits.
• Cannot push branch ' ': the push would include conflicted…
• Commit is not conflicted.
• Could not find stack containing commit
• No conflicted commits found.

AI-assisted analysis of gitbutlerapp/gitbutler@58e5313667 (2026-09-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/47aeca1e9b45aa28. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/but/src/command/legacy/resolve.rs:963

                .find(|file| but_api::resolve::normalize_path(&file.path) == lookup)
            {
                bail!(
                    "\"{path}\" cannot be resolved this way: {} Resolve this commit in edit mode instead.",
                    manual.reason
                );
            }
            let total_hunks = conflicts
                .files
                .iter()
                .find(|conflicted| but_api::resolve::normalize_path(&conflicted.path) == lookup)
                .map(|conflicted| conflicted.hunks.len())
                .with_context(|| format!("\"{path}\" is not a conflicted file of this commit"))?;
            match &resolution {
                HunkResolution::Ours | HunkResolution::Theirs | HunkResolution::Ai => {
                    (1..=total_hunks).collect()
                }
                HunkResolution::Content(_) if total_hunks == 1 => vec![1],
                HunkResolution::Content(_) => bail!(
                    "\"{path}\" has {total_hunks} conflicts; content applies to one at a time, use \"{path}:<N>\"."
                ),
            }
        }
    };
    let specs = hunks
        .into_iter()
        .map(|hunk| ResolutionSpec {
            path: path.to_owned(),
            hunk,
            resolution: resolution.clone(),
        })
        .collect();

    let result = but_api::resolve::resolve_commit_conflict_hunks(ctx, commit_oid, specs)?;

    if let Some(human_out) = out.for_human() {
        let repo = ctx.repo.get()?;

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