Conflict Resolution

What happens when a file you're moving already exists in the destination folder? forg provides three powerful ways to handle these collisions.

You can specify the conflict resolution mode using the --on-conflict (or -c) flag.

1. Skip (Default)

The safest option. If a file with the same name exists in the destination, forg will skip the move and report it in the execution summary.

forg Downloads --on-conflict skip

2. Replace

Use this if you want to overwrite the existing file. However, forg still prioritizes safety by creating a .bak backup of the original file in the destination before replacing it.

One-Generation Backup

The replace mode implements a destructive-backup strategy. If a .bak file already exists for the target filename, it is deleted before the current destination file is rotated into the backup slot. Only the most recent version is preserved as a backup.

forg Downloads --on-conflict replace

Example: If image.png exists in ~/Pictures, forg will:

Rename the existing ~/Pictures/image.png to ~/Pictures/image.png.bak.
Move the new image.png from Downloads to ~/Pictures.

3. Versioned

This is perfect for keeping multiple versions of the same file. forg will automatically increment a version number in the filename.

forg Downloads --on-conflict versioned

Logic:

If report.pdf exists, the new file becomes report_v1.pdf.
If report_v1.pdf also exists, it becomes report_v2.pdf.
And so on.

Dry Run Support

All conflict resolution modes are fully supported in --dry-run. You will see exactly how a file would be renamed or if it would be skipped before any changes are made.