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Git fatal: refusing to merge unrelated histories
================================================

### [\#Git](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/git)

This error means Git found no common ancestor between the two branches you are merging. It is a safety check, and there is a one-flag override once you are sure the merge is intentional.

 Published by [Mark van Eijk](https://rocketeersapp.com/author/mark-van-eijk) on June 23, 2026 · 1 minute read

1. [About the error](#content-about-the-error)
2. [Why do I see this error](#content-why-do-i-see-this-error)
3. [Solution](#content-solution)
4. [Before you use the flag](#content-before-you-use-the-flag)

[\#](#content-about-the-error "Permalink")About the error
---------------------------------------------------------

 ```
fatal: refusing to merge unrelated histories

```

Introduced in Git 2.9, this is a guard rail. When you merge or pull, Git looks for a shared commit the two histories descend from. If there isn't one, it refuses rather than stitch together two genuinely separate project histories by accident.

[\#](#content-why-do-i-see-this-error "Permalink")Why do I see this error
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

- You created a repository locally (with its own commits) and then tried to pull from a remote that was also initialised separately, two roots, no shared ancestor.
- You're merging a branch that was started from scratch rather than branched off the others.
- The `.git` directory was deleted and recreated, so Git lost the shared history it used to know about.

[\#](#content-solution "Permalink")Solution
-------------------------------------------

If you've confirmed the merge really is intended (you genuinely want to combine these two histories), pass the override flag:

 ```
git pull origin main --allow-unrelated-histories

```

Or, if you're merging a local branch:

 ```
git merge other-branch --allow-unrelated-histories

```

Git will create a merge commit joining the two roots, and from then on they share history, so you only need the flag once.

### [\#](#content-before-you-use-the-flag "Permalink")Before you use the flag

The error is often a sign something is off, so it's worth a sanity check first:

- Are you pushing to the **right remote**? A typo'd remote URL pointing at an unrelated repo triggers this.
- Did you mean to **clone** instead of init + pull? If the remote already has the project, cloning it fresh avoids the whole situation.

 ```
git remote -v   # confirm the remote points where you expect

```

If the remote is wrong, fix it rather than forcing the merge:

 ```
git remote set-url origin git@github.com:you/correct-repo.git

```

For the related "your push was rejected" situation, see [Git updates were rejected (non-fast-forward)](/git-updates-were-rejected-non-fast-forward).

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