Signed-off-by: Elijah Newren <redacted>
---
 merge-recursive.c                   | 26 +++++++++++++++++++++++---
 t/t6043-merge-rename-directories.sh |  8 ++++----
 2 files changed, 27 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/merge-recursive.c b/merge-recursive.c
index fba1a0d207..62e4266d21 100644
--- a/merge-recursive.c
+++ b/merge-recursive.c

@@ -1320,11 +1320,23 @@ static int handle_file(struct merge_options *o,

        add = filespec_from_entry(&other, dst_entry, stage ^ 1);
        if (add) {
+               int ren_src_was_dirty = was_dirty(o, rename->path);
                char *add_name = unique_path(o, rename->path, other_branch);
                if (update_file(o, 0, &add->oid, add->mode, add_name))
                        return -1;

-               remove_file(o, 0, rename->path, 0);
+               if (ren_src_was_dirty) {
+                       output(o, 1, _("Refusing to lose dirty file at %s"),
+                              rename->path);
+               }
+               /*
+                * Stupid double negatives in remove_file; it somehow manages
+                * to repeatedly mess me up.  So, just for myself:
+                *    1) update_wd iff !ren_src_was_dirty.
+                *    2) no_wd iff !update_wd
+                *    3) so, no_wd == !!ren_src_was_dirty == ren_src_was_dirty
+                */