"My changes didn’t show up after merging" if that sounds familiar, you're likely facing a common Git-based issue that can be especially frustrating in FlutterFlow. Branching and merging is a powerful part of version control, but it can confuse even experienced users, especially when things don’t behave as expected. This guide is here to help you understand the behind the scenes of FlutterFlow Merging.
Understanding Git-Based Merging in FlutterFlow
Merging branches in FlutterFlow follows the exact same logic as Git. While this brings powerful version control capabilities, it also introduces common merge-related issues that can be confusing if you're unfamiliar with Git mechanics. This article walks through a common merge issue due to stale branches faced by users in FlutterFlow, and a simple way to understand and resolve it.
❓ Why this happens
This typically occurs when a branch is reused after it has already been merged once. In Git (and FlutterFlow), merge behavior depends on the common ancestor commit. Once a branch has been merged, that commit becomes the new baseline.
If you reuse that same branch and make changes, Git may calculate that the change was already merged, because it existed in a previous merge or was part of the common ancestor. So it doesn’t appear as a new diff.
"Merges apply diffs relative to a shared common ancestor, not just a direct comparison between two branches."
▶️ Simple Example
Let's say, you start with a main branch (A):
A:
print("Hello")
print("World")
You create a new feature branch (B) from A.
B:
print("Hello")
print("World")
Both branches are identical.
At this point, both branches share a common ancestor, the following state:
⭐️ Common ancestor:
print("Hello")
print("World")
⏩ Diverging Changes
Now, changes are made in both branches:
On main (A):
A:
print("Hello")
print("FlutterFlow")On feature branch (B):
B:
print("Hello")
print("World")
print("New Feature!")
🔀 Let's Merge
When merging B into A, Git (and FlutterFlow) doesn't just compare A and B directly.
Instead, it:
Finds the common ancestor (the version where both had
HelloandWorld).Compares A to the ancestor → A changed line 2 to
"FlutterFlow"Compares B to the ancestor → B added line 3
Applies both changes to the ancestor:
Merged:
print("Hello")
print("FlutterFlow") # from A
print("New Feature!") # from B
No conflicts! Both changes can coexist.
🚨 Now, what If There's a Conflict?
Let’s say, both A and B modified line 2:
A:
print("Hello")
print("FlutterFlow")
B:
print("Hello")
print("Universe")
Now Git sees:
A changed line 2 to
"FlutterFlow"B changed line 2 to
"Universe"⭐️ But, the common ancestor had
"World"
Result: merge conflict, because both branches edited the same line differently.
🚫 Why This Matters in FlutterFlow
Sometimes users say:
"I changed this in my branch, but after merging, it didn’t show up!"
This usually happens because:
The change existed in the common ancestor already
The branch had already been merged before
Manual changes were made after a merge that Git can't track
Understanding the role of the common ancestor and how diffs are calculated can help avoid invisible bugs, overwritten changes, or confusion during FlutterFlow merges.
✅ Best Practices for Safe Merges in FlutterFlow
Don’t reuse branches after a merge. Create a new branch for each new change.
Delete branches after merging to avoid confusion and stale histories.
Always use test mode to preview merges before confirming.
If changes don’t show up:
Check if the change was part of a previous merge
Ensure you didn’t manually revert merged content
Use the commit view or replicate merge tool to debug.
⭐️ It's important to note that if you realize after the merge that you made a mistake, you should never try merging that branch again. Instead, the correct flow is to create a new branch with a clean history. Then make the necessary changes on top of that branch, and then merge it in. Note: Reverting a commit does not remove commits. It creates a new commit, just like the normal git flow.
Understanding how Git handles diffs and ancestors will help you prevent invisible bugs or lost work during merges within FlutterFlow.