Fix divergent branches when Git pull needs a strategy

Modern Git versions may stop git pull when local and upstream branches have diverged and no reconciliation strategy is configured. The message asks you to choose; it does not mean the repository is damaged.

Inspect before pulling again

git status --short --branch
git fetch origin
git log --oneline --graph --decorate --all -20

Commit or stash local changes before integration. The graph shows which commits exist only locally and only on the remote-tracking branch.

Choose for this pull

Merge preserves the branch structure and creates a merge commit when needed:

git pull --no-rebase

Rebase replays unpublished local commits on top of the upstream branch:

git pull --rebase

Fast-forward-only refuses any divergent integration, which is useful when you want an explicit decision:

git pull --ff-only

Save the policy at the right scope

After your team chooses a workflow, set it for the current repository:

git config pull.rebase true

Use false for merge, or configure pull.ff only for fast-forward-only. Add --global only when the same preference should apply to every repository you use; repository-level configuration is less surprising for project-specific rules.

Rebase rewrites the identities of the rebased local commits. Avoid rebasing commits others already build on. For the tradeoffs, read Git merge vs. rebase.