Problem to solve
I want to have the option to change my Merge Strategy from default “fast-forward merge” to “merge commit.” Sometimes you are merging release branches (git merge), sometimes you want fast forward for small changes. There are two tools to support different needs.
I used gitlab in 2018 working simply with a git repository. On that version, there was dropdown box to change the merge strategy before merging the merge request. The dropdown was a dropdown on the Merge button.
Now in 2025, I am using an Enterprise instance where there is gitlab pipeline integration. The option is not available. I consider this an incredibly inconvenience disruption of my workflow. Management wants all merges to go through gitlab to document them. But it is not possible for me to do this reliably. (If I change the strategy before merging, I could mess someone else up.)
I am at a disadvantage, because I am not the Enterprise Admin, so I don’t really have access to set up and settings and the like. My question is, is it possible to switch from the default strategy on a merge request?
Using GitLab Enterprise Edition v17.6.5-ee
Steps to reproduce
I create a merge request. I don’t have a merge strategy option.
Regarding research: I have used AI and google to search. Mostly I come up with old pages showing the old operation mode with the dropdown.
Configuration
I can only see my project settings, where I set the default Merge strategy. So I cannot see advanced configurations; therefore I am asking in earnest if this is possible.
Versions
Using GitLab Enterprise Edition v17.6.5-ee
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