Take a look at Settings -> General -> Merge requests. Here you can configure the merge options. If you configure a fast-forward merge, no merge commit is created and you get the rebase option if a merge conflict exists.

See detailed explanation of these options in the documentation.

Answer from danielnelz on Stack Overflow
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GitLab
docs.gitlab.com › topics › git › git_rebase
Rebase and resolve merge conflicts | GitLab Docs
In the GitLab UI, in your merge request, confirm the number of commits to rebase in the Commits tab.
Discussions

automation - Automatically rebase Merge Request branch when target branch has changed - Stack Overflow
The biggest problem here is that when the developer doesn't notice that a Merge Request needs a rebase the actual merge is delayed and thus will most probably delay other Merge Requests as a direct result. Is there a possibility to have Gitlab rebasing all open Merge Request branch automatically ... More on stackoverflow.com
🌐 stackoverflow.com
Can I merge merge requests myself?
You just need to fix the conflict locally and push the fix to the source branch for your MR. You can use the GitLab UI to merge the MR afterwards. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/gitlab
11
1
July 4, 2023
Help needed: merge requests without rebasing?
github and gitlab are both just git. you just have changes that cant be fastforward merged More on reddit.com
🌐 r/gitlab
22
5
December 8, 2025
Merge trains with FF merge and rebasing
For your question, I think you must have a pipeline and pipeline for merge results configured (see https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/pipelines/merge_trains.html#enable-merge-trains ) We had a similar problem and we are using a bit of old gitlab (I think 15) where it's really not supported for fast forward, so what we are doing is using https://gitlab.com/marge-org/marge-bot which implements the same mechanism (rebase in order and merge). More on reddit.com
🌐 r/gitlab
1
6
January 20, 2025
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Drupal
drupal.org › docs › develop › git › using-gitlab-to-contribute-to-drupal › rebase-a-merge-request
Rebase a merge request | Using GitLab to contribute to Drupal | Drupal Wiki guide on Drupal.org
January 13, 2026 - This will take you to the merge request overview page in GitLab. Below the Merge Request Pipeline and Code Quality information you should find branch information including how far behind the source branch is: If the changes in the "x commits behind" do not conflict with anything in the MR then you can rebase via the UI.
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GitLab
docs.gitlab.com › user › project › merge_requests › methods
Merge methods | GitLab Docs
To rebase a merge request’s branch without triggering a CI/CD pipeline, select Rebase without pipeline from the merge request reports section.
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Medium
medium.com › @zakarialahmam28 › merge-request-rebase-28ca1445bf23
Merge request & Rebase. rebasing a merge request | by Zakariae lahmam | Medium
February 9, 2024 - To rebase a merge request, assuming you’re already set up to commit to it as described above: 1-Click the merge request link in the issue fork area. This will take you to the merge request overview page in GitLab.
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Learn with RV
razvanvancea.ro › home › tools › gitlab and its ‘rebase’ button on merge requests
GitLab and its ‘Rebase’ button on Merge Requests - Learn with RV - Tech Blog
October 28, 2024 - 1. Go to the project’s Settings > Merge requests · 2. Change the default merge method with one of the following ... The ‘Rebase’ button in GitLab helps keep branches up-to-date and simplifies the rebasing process.
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GitLab
about.gitlab.com › blog › engineering › take advantage of git rebase
Take advantage of Git rebase
October 6, 2022 - When the commits are ready, you can push the branch and update or create a merge request with this branch. If your branch is based on main, the command to rework your branch is: ... I encourage you to create a Git alias, or a shell alias or ...
Find elsewhere
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PRACE
repository.prace-ri.eu › help
Index · Methods · Merge requests · Project · User · Help · GitLab
Generally available in GitLab 15.3. Feature flag rebase_without_ci_ui removed. To rebase a merge request's branch without triggering a CI/CD pipeline, select Rebase without pipeline from the merge request reports section.
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Medium
medium.com › ovrsea › how-to-automatically-rebase-all-your-merge-requests-on-gitlab-when-pushing-on-master-9b7c5119ac5f
How to automatically rebase all your Merge Requests on GitLab when pushing on master | by Paul W. | OVRSEA | Medium
October 1, 2020 - We use curl for fetching all opened MRs via the GitLab API first, then we parse the returned JSON for iid variable with jq. With each MR’s iid we can send a rebase request through GitLab API.
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University of Toronto
microfluidics.utoronto.ca › help › help
Git rebase · Git · Topics · Help · GitLab
Resolve any merge conflicts. Confirm the source branch exists, and has commits. Confirm the target branch exists. Confirm the diff has been generated. If /rebase is used, /merge is ignored to avoid a race condition where the source branch is merged or deleted before it is rebased.
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PRACE
repository.prace-ri.eu › help
Git rebase · Git · Topics · Help · GitLab
Go to your merge request. Type /rebase in a comment. Select Comment. GitLab schedules a rebase of the branch against the default branch and executes it as soon as possible.
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GitLab
gitlab.com › gitlab.org › merge requests › !141679
Automatically rebase MR when target branch is automatically retargeted (!141679) · Merge requests · GitLab.org / GitLab · GitLab
When we automatically retarget chained merge request's, it can lead to incorrect diffs that take into account the targeted branch, and it self. We can avoid this by rebasing at the same time as retargeting to ensure the merge request has the latest diff.
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GitLab
gitlab.com › gitlab.org › #441446
Automatically rebase dependent merge requests when merge target is rebased (#441446) · Issues · GitLab.org / GitLab · GitLab
February 12, 2024 - Everyone can contribute. Help move this issue forward while earning points, leveling up and collecting rewards.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/gitlab › can i merge merge requests myself?
r/gitlab on Reddit: Can I merge merge requests myself?
July 4, 2023 -

I don't know why I can't find anything on this topic, perhaps the question is just plain stupid.

I have to follow a certain workflow which in this case does not allow me to rebase nor merge one feature branch into another.

If I wasn't using GitLab I would simply create the necessary changes to resolve the conflict myself, merge, then solve the conflict using whatever was necessary to do so, thus creating a merge commit which explains the necessary changes to incorporate feature-a into branch-b.

How can I do this using GitLab though? All merge commits are created by GitLab, never myself. All branches except my own branches are protected. GitLab only tells me to "resolve locally" with a guide that simply seems to imply rebase is going to solve my problems (it won't), providing no further guidance.

Can I just merge locally, then push and GitLab will know my merge commit is in reference to the merge request? Will it allow my push because the merge request has been approved?

If so, do I have to add the references like "See merge request !123 for ..." to the merge commit description myself?

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Gitlab
gitlab-docs-d6a9bb.gitlab.io › use gitlab › manage your code › merge requests › workflows › merge conflicts
Merge conflicts | GitLab
To trigger a rebase from the GitLab UI, use the /rebase quick action, or the rebase option in the merge request widget.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/gitlab › help needed: merge requests without rebasing?
Help needed: merge requests without rebasing? : r/gitlab
December 8, 2025 - There must be checkbox in the repository settings that force rebase before merge. So rebase locally, force push your branch and you're good ... There is no such setting. ... Anyone else seeing ~10x gap between GitLab Duo Agent credit charges and actual Anthropic token cost?
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SingleStore
singlestore.com › blog › engineering › using gitlab code review and ci with the git rebase workflow
Using GitLab Code Review and CI with the Git Rebase Workflow
August 10, 2022 - GitLab can be configured to use the rebase workflow quite easily: Set the "Merge method" to "Fast-forward" merge in the Merge Requests configuration
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GitLab
gitlab.com › gitlab.org › #29406
Show rebase button on MR whenever behind target branch (#29406) · Issues · GitLab.org / GitLab · GitLab
June 11, 2019 - Problem to solve The rebase button only currently shows when fast-forward merges are enabled yet...
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GitLab
gitlab.com › gitlab.org › merge requests › !230928
Enable rebase_on_merge_automatic feature flag by default (!230928) · Merge requests · GitLab.org / GitLab · GitLab
April 10, 2026 - This feature allows GitLab to automatically rebase the source branch onto the target branch at merge time when using Merge commit with semi-linear history or Fast-forward merge methods.