Use three-dot git diff to see only one branch's own changes before merging

git diff HEAD origin/other (two-dot) compares tips, so files that changed only on the other branch appear as if they were changed here, including renames like .sv to .v that look like conflicts. git diff A...B (three-dot) diffs from the merge-base, showing only what B changed. Confirm the merge with git merge --no-commit --no-ff and check git diff --cached --stat before committing.