GitHub & Repo

Lovable Failed to Restore Version: Merge Conflict Detected

When Lovable shows "Failed to restore version: merge conflict detected" and the restore button greys out, your code is not lost. The conflict means your GitHub repo and Lovable's timeline diverged — both edited the same files since the version you want back. The fix is to recover the exact code from GitHub history, then resolve the conflict so restore works again.

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By Founder Name · Last verified: 2026-06-25

Why does Lovable say 'Failed to restore version: merge conflict detected'?

This error means Lovable's version timeline and your connected GitHub repo have diverged. Lovable restores by writing a commit on top of your repo's current state. If commits were pushed to GitHub directly — or another branch moved — since the version you want, Lovable cannot cleanly rewind. Git refuses the merge, and Lovable surfaces it as a failed restore.

The trigger is almost always a two-sided edit. You (or a teammate, or a CI bot) committed to GitHub outside Lovable, while Lovable's own timeline kept its own line of history. Now the same files have two different parent histories. Restore is essentially a git operation, and git will not silently overwrite divergent work — so the restore aborts rather than clobber one side.

This is the GitHub-sync sibling of a pattern we call **The Stale-Commit Deploy**: the version you see in the Lovable editor is no longer the commit that actually controls your repo. Until the two histories are reconciled, the restore button stays greyed out because Lovable cannot guarantee a clean apply.

Restore-Failed Diagnostic — Merge Conflict Causes
Symptom	Most Likely Cause	Recoverable from GitHub?
'Failed to restore version: merge conflict detected'	GitHub repo and Lovable timeline diverged on the same files	Yes — the target version is a real commit in history
Restore button greyed out / disabled	Lovable detects uncommitted divergence it cannot auto-merge	Yes — recover via git checkout, then reconnect
Version history panel shows 'unavailable'	Sync link to GitHub broke or repo was renamed	Yes — reconnect repo, history reappears
Restore succeeds but reverts again on next prompt	Two branches fighting; Lovable writing to a different branch	Yes — align the tracked branch
Restore points exist but show no preview	Timeline metadata desynced after an external force-push	Usually — commits still exist in the reflog

Is my lost code actually gone, or can I recover it from GitHub?

Your code is almost certainly recoverable. If your Lovable project is connected to GitHub, every version Lovable created is a real commit in your repository's history. A failed restore does not delete anything — it only refuses to apply a change. The exact snapshot you want is sitting in your git log, reachable by commit hash even when Lovable's UI cannot reach it.

GitHub keeps full history independent of Lovable's editor. Even if the timeline panel reads "unavailable," the commits behind those versions still exist. The first move is to stop prompting and confirm the snapshot is there before you try anything that writes new history.

Open your repository on GitHub and click the commits view (or run git clone locally, then git log --oneline).
Find the commit that matches the working version you wanted to restore — Lovable's commit messages reference the prompt or version, and the timestamp helps you match it.
Copy that commit's hash (the 7–40 character SHA). This is your recovery anchor and proves the code is safe.
Note the current HEAD commit too, so you can compare what changed since the good version.

Before touching anything, make a backup branch: git branch backup-before-recovery. This guarantees a return path even if the next steps go sideways. Recovery work should never have a single point of failure.

How do I recover the lost version from GitHub history?

Pull the repo locally and check out the good commit into a clean recovery branch. This gives you a verified copy of the exact code Lovable could not restore — fully under your control, with no credits spent and no risk of compounding the conflict. From there you can inspect what diverged and decide how to bring it back into Lovable cleanly.

If you are not comfortable on the command line, you can do the equivalent in the GitHub web UI: open the good commit, use "Browse files at this point," and download or revert through a pull request. The principle is identical — get the verified snapshot first, reconcile second.

Clone the repo locally: git clone https://github.com/your-org/your-repo.git
Create a recovery branch from the good commit: git checkout -b recovery <good-commit-hash>
Verify it is the version you expected — run the app locally or read the key files that broke.
If correct, you have a clean source of truth. Decide whether to restore-forward (cherry-pick this onto main) or hard-reset main to it.
To make this the new main, on a backup-protected branch: git reset --hard <good-commit-hash>, then review the diff before any push.

Do NOT git push --force to your default branch while Lovable is still connected and confused. A force-push to main can erase the divergent commits Lovable is tracking and make the sync state worse. Reconcile the branch alignment first, or have an engineer do the force-push behind a backup branch.

How do I resolve the merge conflict so restore works again?

Reconcile the two histories so Lovable's timeline and GitHub point at the same commit, then re-enable restore. The clean approach is to settle on a single branch as the source of truth, align Lovable's connection to it, and let the next sync re-establish a linear history. Once the divergence is gone, the greyed-out restore button becomes active again.

If conflicted files show git markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>), open each one, keep the block from your verified recovery version, delete the markers, and save. Run the app once locally to confirm it compiles. Only push after it builds clean — pushing a half-resolved file just recreates the conflict on the next sync.

Decide the source of truth: the GitHub commit you recovered, or Lovable's latest timeline state. Pick one — do not try to keep both.
Bring the other side in line: merge or hard-reset your recovery branch into the branch Lovable tracks (usually main), resolving any conflicted files by keeping the version you verified.
Commit the resolved state with a clear message, e.g. git commit -m "resolve restore divergence, align to recovered version".
Push to GitHub, then in Lovable disconnect and reconnect the GitHub integration so it re-reads the now-linear history.
Open the version history panel — it should repopulate. Confirm the editor preview and the pop-out deployed build both load before you prompt again.

Why is the version history panel showing 'unavailable'?

An "unavailable" history panel almost always means Lovable lost its handle on the connected repo — the GitHub link broke, the repo was renamed, or permissions changed. The history is not deleted; Lovable just cannot read it. Restoring the connection brings the timeline back. This is a connection problem, not a data-loss problem, and it is usually fixable in minutes.

A repo rename is the most common silent trigger: Lovable stores the old repo path, GitHub serves the new one, and the sync quietly breaks. Renaming a GitHub repo without updating Lovable's connection points the integration at a URL that no longer resolves, so the timeline reads empty.

Reconnecting the integration re-reads the commit history and the version list returns. If a rename caused it, you may need to disconnect, re-select the correctly named repo, and reconnect. None of this destroys the commits underneath.

How do I stop this from happening again?

Pick one source of truth and one workflow. Restore conflicts come from editing the same project on two fronts — Lovable's prompts on one side, direct GitHub commits on the other — without keeping them in sync. The fix is discipline: either drive all changes through Lovable, or treat GitHub as the source of truth and pull Lovable's changes through controlled merges.

Choose a primary editor: if you build mostly in Lovable, avoid direct commits to the tracked branch from outside.
If you commit from GitHub or a teammate does, do it on a feature branch and merge via pull request — never straight to the branch Lovable tracks.
Before any big Lovable session, confirm Lovable and GitHub are on the same commit (the sync indicator should read connected and current).
Keep a periodic backup branch so you always have a clean restore point that is independent of Lovable's timeline.

Each failed restore you retry from the editor can spend a credit and add another divergent commit, deepening the conflict — the same trap as the Bug Doom Loop. If restore has failed twice, stop clicking and recover from GitHub instead.

When should I get an engineer to recover this for me?

If the restore keeps failing after a reconnect, if history shows divergent branches you cannot safely merge, or if a force-push has already been run, the git state is tangled enough that one wrong command can lose work. A senior engineer can untangle the divergence, recover the exact lost version from the reflog, and hand back a clean linear history with a written account of what happened.

Escalate when: the same conflict reappears after every reconnect; you see two branches with unrelated histories; a teammate force-pushed and commits seem to have vanished; or the app must stay live while you recover. These are structural sync problems, not prompt problems — more Lovable prompting only adds commits and deepens the divergence.

We back up before touching anything, recover the verified version from GitHub history, reconcile the branches, and reconnect Lovable so restore works again. You keep full ownership of your code and repo throughout, and you get a short write-up of the root cause so it does not recur.

Frequently asked questions

What does 'Failed to restore version: merge conflict detected' actually mean in Lovable?

It means Lovable's version timeline and your connected GitHub repo have diverged — both have commits the other does not, touching the same files. Lovable restores by writing a commit onto your repo, and git refuses to apply it cleanly when histories conflict. Your code is not lost; the conflict just blocks the automatic restore until the two histories are reconciled.

Is my lost code gone forever after a failed restore?

Almost never. If your project is connected to GitHub, every Lovable version is a real commit in your repository. A failed restore refuses to apply a change — it deletes nothing. The snapshot you wanted is in your git history, reachable by its commit hash even when the Lovable timeline panel cannot show it. Recover it from GitHub before doing anything else.

Why is the restore button greyed out in Lovable?

The restore button greys out when Lovable detects a divergence it cannot auto-merge — typically commits pushed to GitHub outside Lovable, or a moved branch. It disables restore rather than risk overwriting one side of the history. Recovering the target commit from GitHub and aligning the branches removes the divergence, and the button becomes active again.

How do I recover a lost Lovable version directly from GitHub?

Clone the repo locally, run git log to find the commit matching your good version, and check it out into a recovery branch: git checkout -b recovery <commit-hash>. That gives you the exact code Lovable could not restore, with no credits spent. From there you can reset your main branch to it or cherry-pick it forward, then reconnect Lovable to the aligned history.

Will I lose my GitHub commit history if I reset or reconnect?

Not if you back up first. Make a backup branch (git branch backup-before-recovery) before any reset, and avoid force-pushing to your default branch while Lovable is still confused. With a backup in place, even a hard reset is reversible. If you bring in an engineer, we back up before every change and you keep full ownership of the repo.

Why does my version history say 'unavailable'?

That usually means Lovable lost its connection to the repo — the GitHub link broke, the repo was renamed, or permissions changed. The commits still exist; Lovable just cannot read them. Reconnecting the GitHub integration re-reads the history and the timeline reappears. A repo rename is the most common silent cause, since Lovable keeps pointing at the old repo path.

Can I just keep clicking restore until it works?

No — that often makes it worse. Each retried restore can spend a credit and add another divergent commit, deepening the very conflict you are trying to clear. This is the same trap as the Bug Doom Loop. If restore has failed twice, stop clicking, recover the version from GitHub history, reconcile the branches, then reconnect Lovable.

What caused the merge conflict if I only ever edited in Lovable?

Something edited GitHub outside the editor — a teammate's commit, a CI bot, a Dependabot update, or a force-push on another branch. Even a single automated commit to the tracked branch creates a second line of history that conflicts with Lovable's timeline. Check your repo's commit log for any author other than the Lovable integration to find the divergence point.

Is it safe to force-push to fix the divergence myself?

Only with a backup branch and only if you understand what it removes. A force-push to your default branch can erase the divergent commits Lovable is tracking and make sync state worse if done blind. Always run git branch backup-first beforehand, review the diff, and reconcile branch alignment before pushing. If you are unsure, have an engineer do it behind a backup.

How fast can someone recover my lost version and fix the restore conflict?

For a broken restore with code at risk we offer an emergency review within 24–48 hours, and often diagnose the divergence the same day. We recover the exact version from GitHub history, reconcile the branches, reconnect Lovable, and hand back a clean linear timeline with restore working — plus a short root-cause note so it does not happen again. Book a call and tell us what failed.

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