Advanced Git Troubleshooting - Complex Issue Resolution

Complex Merge Conflicts

Resolve challenging merge scenarios that break standard workflows

🔥 Binary File Conflicts

Images, docs, or binaries in conflict

# Choose version explicitly
git checkout --ours path/to/binary-file
git checkout --theirs path/to/binary-file

# Manual selection with attributes
echo "*.pdf merge=ours" >> .gitattributes
git add .gitattributes

⚡ Recursive Merge Hell

Deep conflicts across multiple branches

# Reset and use 3-way merge
git merge --abort
git merge --strategy=recursive --strategy-option=patience

# Alternative: octopus merge for multiple branches
git merge branch1 branch2 branch3

💀 Submodule Conflicts

Submodule pointer conflicts

# Update submodule to latest
git submodule update --remote
git add submodule-name

# Force submodule to specific commit
cd submodule-name
git checkout abc123
cd ..
git add submodule-name

Advanced Conflict Resolution

# Ultimate conflict analyzer
#!/bin/bash
analyze_complex_conflicts() {
    echo "=== CONFLICT ANALYSIS ==="
    
    # Show conflict summary
    git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U | while read file; do
        echo "CONFLICTED: $file"
        
        # Count conflict markers
        conflicts=$(grep -c "<<<<<<< HEAD" "$file" 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
        echo "  Conflicts: $conflicts"
        
        # Show conflict context
        grep -n -A2 -B2 "<<<<<<< HEAD" "$file" 2>/dev/null || true
        echo ""
    done
    
    # Suggest resolution strategy
    echo "=== SUGGESTED STRATEGY ==="
    file_count=$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U | wc -l)
    
    if [[ $file_count -gt 10 ]]; then
        echo "⚠️  MASS CONFLICT: Consider merge --abort and rebase strategy"
    elif [[ $file_count -gt 5 ]]; then
        echo "⚡ MEDIUM CONFLICT: Use merge tool or manual resolution"
    else
        echo "✅ MANAGEABLE: Manual resolution recommended"
    fi
}

# Execute analysis
analyze_complex_conflicts

Performance Debugging

Optimize slow Git operations and large repository performance

Performance Profiling

# Git operation timing
GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE=1 git status
GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE=1 git log --oneline -100

# Repository size analysis
git count-objects -vH
git rev-list --objects --all | \
  git cat-file --batch-check='%(objectname) %(objecttype) %(objectsize)' | \
  awk '{sum+=$3} END {print "Total size:", sum/1024/1024 "MB"}'

# Find large files
git rev-list --objects --all | \
  git cat-file --batch-check='%(objectname) %(objecttype) %(objectsize) %(rest)' | \
  awk '$3 > 1048576 {print $3/1048576 "MB", $4}' | sort -nr

Quick Optimizations

🗜️ Repository Cleanup

# Aggressive optimization
git gc --aggressive --prune=now
git repack -ad
git reflog expire --expire=now --all

📁 Large File Management

# Remove large files from history
git filter-branch --tree-filter 'rm -f large-file.zip' HEAD
git push --force

# Use Git LFS for future large files
git lfs track "*.zip"

Network & Remote Issues

Debug connectivity and synchronization problems

🌐 Connection Timeouts

# Increase timeouts
git config --global http.postBuffer 524288000
git config --global http.timeout 600

# Use SSH instead of HTTPS
git remote set-url origin git@github.com:user/repo.git

🔐 Authentication Failures

# Clear credential cache
git credential-manager-core erase
echo "url=https://github.com" | git credential fill

# Test SSH connection
ssh -T git@github.com

⚡ Sync Conflicts

# Force sync with remote
git fetch --all
git reset --hard origin/main

# Partial clone for large repos
git clone --filter=blob:limit=1m <url>

Workflow Edge Cases

Handle unusual scenarios and workflow breakdowns

🔄 Detached HEAD Recovery

# Create branch from detached HEAD
git branch recovery-branch
git checkout recovery-branch

# Or merge back to main
git checkout main
git merge HEAD@{1}

🗂️ Branch Pointer Corruption

# Recreate branch from reflog
git reflog show branch-name
git branch branch-name-fixed <commit-hash>

# Update branch pointer
git update-ref refs/heads/branch-name <commit-hash>

⚠️ Partial Commits Missing

# Find lost commits
git fsck --lost-found
ls .git/lost-found/commit/

# Recover specific commit
git show <lost-commit-hash>
git branch recovery <lost-commit-hash>

Emergency Troubleshooting Script

#!/bin/bash
# Git Emergency Troubleshooter

emergency_diagnosis() {
    echo "🚨 GIT EMERGENCY DIAGNOSIS"
    echo "========================="
    
    # Basic health
    echo "Repository Status:"
    git status --porcelain | head -10
    
    # Performance check
    echo -e "\nPerformance Metrics:"
    time git log --oneline -1 >/dev/null
    
    # Remote connectivity
    echo -e "\nRemote Status:"
    git remote -v | while read name url type; do
        if [[ "$type" == "(fetch)" ]]; then
            timeout 10s git ls-remote "$name" >/dev/null 2>&1 && \
                echo "✅ $name: OK" || echo "❌ $name: FAILED"
        fi
    done
    
    # Conflict check
    echo -e "\nActive Conflicts:"
    git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U | wc -l | \
        xargs echo "Conflicted files:"
    
    # Repository size
    echo -e "\nRepository Size:"
    du -sh .git/ 2>/dev/null || echo "Unable to determine size"
    
    echo -e "\n🔧 Run 'git gc --aggressive' if performance is slow"
    echo "🌐 Check network if remote operations fail"
    echo "⚡ Use 'git mergetool' for conflict resolution"
}

# Execute diagnosis
emergency_diagnosis

Troubleshooting Mastery

Advanced Git debugging skills acquired - Ready for any complex issue

Conflict Resolution

Binary file conflicts Recursive merge issues Submodule conflicts

Performance Optimization

Large repository cleanup Operation profiling File size management

Network Debugging

Connection timeouts Authentication fixes Sync problem resolution

Edge Case Handling

Detached HEAD recovery Branch pointer repair Lost commit retrieval

🎉 Phase 6 Complete - Emergency Operations Mastery!

6.1: Disaster Recovery

Critical repository recovery

6.2: Advanced Troubleshooting

Complex issue resolution

⚡ Git Expert Status Achieved!

You've mastered every aspect of Git - from basics to emergency operations. You're now equipped to handle any Git challenge with confidence.

Mission Control

Git Master Certified

Troubleshooting Objectives