1 files changed, 13 insertions, 2 deletions
diff --git a/makima/src/orchestration/directive.rs b/makima/src/orchestration/directive.rs
index af6b18c..df44ee4 100644
--- a/makima/src/orchestration/directive.rs
+++ b/makima/src/orchestration/directive.rs
@@ -1367,6 +1367,11 @@ git checkout -b "$NEW_BRANCH" origin/{base_branch}
 git push -u origin "$NEW_BRANCH"
 ```
 
+For each step branch merge above, if a merge fails with conflicts:
+1. First try: `git merge --abort` then retry with `git merge <the-failing-branch> -X theirs --no-edit`
+2. If that also fails, manually resolve the conflicts, `git add .`, and `git commit --no-edit`
+3. Continue with remaining merges
+
 3. Generate a descriptive PR title and create a new PR:
 
 Based on the steps completed above, generate a descriptive PR title that summarizes the actual changes (not just the directive name "{title}"). The title should:
@@ -1408,7 +1413,10 @@ git merge origin/{base_branch} --no-edit
 git push origin {directive_branch}
 ```
 
-Already-merged branches will be a no-op. If there are merge conflicts, resolve them sensibly.
+Already-merged branches will be a no-op. If a merge fails with conflicts:
+1. First try: `git merge --abort` then retry with `git merge <the-failing-branch> -X theirs --no-edit`
+2. If that also fails, manually resolve the conflicts, `git add .`, and `git commit --no-edit`
+3. Continue with remaining merges
 "#,
             title = directive.title,
             goal = directive.goal,
@@ -1464,7 +1472,10 @@ makima directive update --pr-url "https://github.com/..."
 ```
 Replace the URL with the actual PR URL from the `gh pr create` output. This step is CRITICAL — the PR will not be tracked by the directive system without it.
 
-If there are merge conflicts, resolve them sensibly before pushing.
+For each step branch merge, if a merge fails with conflicts:
+1. First try: `git merge --abort` then retry with `git merge <the-failing-branch> -X theirs --no-edit`
+2. If that also fails, manually resolve the conflicts, `git add .`, and `git commit --no-edit`
+3. Continue with remaining merges
 "#,
             title = directive.title,
             goal = directive.goal,