Fast-forward merge ensures clean linear history without merge commits:

git checkout develop
git pull
git checkout main
git pull
git merge --ff-only develop
git push
git checkout develop

Why --ff-only?

• Prevents accidental merge commits
• Maintains linear history
• Fails if branches diverged (forces you to rebase first)
• Cleaner git log

If merge fails:

git checkout develop
git rebase main
# resolve conflicts if any
git checkout main
git merge --ff-only develop