GitHub合并方向异常咨询：master向handtracking合并出错

Hey there, let's walk through what went wrong with your merge, explain the confusing bits, and cover how to avoid this next time.

1. 异常原因与操作失误分析 #

Your core issue stems from how you handled conflicts in the GitHub web UI combined with a subtle quirk in PR merge logic:

• When you created the PR from master to handtracking, GitHub detected conflicts. When you chose to resolve them via the web editor, you likely ended up committing those conflict fixes directly to the master branch (instead of a dedicated conflict-resolution branch tied to the PR). This happened because the web editor's context might have defaulted to master when you opened it, or you accidentally selected master as the target for the conflict commit.
• Once you pushed that conflict fix to master, you altered master's commit history. When you went to merge the PR, GitHub's system saw that master now had new commits that handtracking didn't—but also that the original PR's direction was master → handtracking, so it tried to reconcile this messy state by first merging handtracking into master (to "catch up" master with older handtracking commits that weren't in master anymore) before merging the updated master into a new handtracking ref.

2. 解释反向合并（handtracking → master）的来源 #

That unexpected handtracking → master merge wasn't a random glitch—it was GitHub's attempt to fix the inconsistent state you created:

• After you committed conflict fixes directly to master, master had new commits, but handtracking still had unique development commits that weren't present in the updated master.
• When you clicked the PR merge button, GitHub's merge logic tried to resolve the divergence: it first merged handtracking into master to ensure master contained all commits from both branches, then merged that combined master back to handtracking. Even though the PR UI showed master → handtracking, the altered master history broke the expected flow.
• The missing commit records? Those conflict-resolution commits might have been overwritten by the reverse merge, or they're buried in the merge commit's history—try checking master's commit log with "Show merged commits" enabled to find them.

3. 避免此类问题的操作建议（无需命令行） #

You absolutely don't need to use the command line to do this correctly—here's the safe, repeatable workflow using GitHub Desktop:

• Step 1: Prep your branches
  • Make sure all local changes are committed and synced in both master and handtracking.
  • Switch to the master branch in GitHub Desktop, click "Pull origin" to get the latest remote master updates.
• Step 2: Merge master into handtracking locally
  • Switch to the handtracking branch in GitHub Desktop.
  • Go to the Branch menu → select Merge into current branch → choose master from the dropdown.
• Step 3: Resolve conflicts locally (way safer than web UI)
  • If conflicts pop up, GitHub Desktop will prompt you to resolve them using your local code editor. This keeps all conflict fixes in the handtracking branch context, so you can't accidentally commit to master.
  • Once conflicts are fixed, commit the merge to your local handtracking branch.
• Step 4: Sync the updated handtracking branch
  • Click "Push origin" in GitHub Desktop to send the merged handtracking branch to remote.
• Optional: Use a PR for visibility (if needed)
  • If you want a PR to document the merge or get review, create one from master to handtracking after you've merged locally and pushed—there will be no conflicts, so it can merge cleanly with one click.

The key difference from your failed attempt is resolving conflicts locally in the target branch (handtracking) instead of the web UI, which eliminates the risk of accidental commits to master.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Jason C