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macosgit-mergegit-commitgit

Please enter a commit message to explain why this merge is necessary, especially if it merges an updated upstream into a topic branch

I am using Git. I did a pull from a remote repo and got an error message:

Please enter a commit message to explain why this merge is necessary,
especially if it merges an updated upstream into a topic branch.

I try to type a message and press Enter but nothing happens.

How do I tell Git/Terminal I am done typing in my message?

I am using Terminal on OS X.

Solution

  • The commit message is from Git, but it is actually the editor that keeps you from quitting. This is because Git uses your default editor, which for a variety of reasons is usually set to vi (it might be something else on your OS, like pico).

    To write a commit message and get out of VI, follow these steps:

    1. press i (i for insert)
    2. write your merge message
    3. press esc (escape)
    4. write :wq (write & quit)
    5. then press enter

    You can also configure Git to use another editor to avoid having to use VI (or its close cousin VIM).