Merge Concurrent Agent Patches by Base Commit and Hunk Ownership

Short summary

This article proposes a deterministic merge protocol for concurrent AI coding agent patches based on base commit binding, hunk ownership, and required checks rather than completion timing. It classifies conflicts as textual, structural, and behavioral, noting Git handles the first but not the third. The protocol includes a reproducible test harness and emphasizes keeping a human resolution path for semantic conflicts.

• •Merge decisions should be based on base commit and hunk ownership, not agent completion time
• •Conflicts are classified as textual, structural, and behavioral — Git only reliably catches textual ones
• •A reproducible test harness validates deterministic merge outcomes across arrival orders

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