# Merge rules

> Set up the requirements to merge branches.

Create merge rules to determine what conditions a merge needs to meet before you can merge successfully. When you merge a branch, the Unity Version Control (UVCS) server checks whether any rules apply to the involved source and destination branches.

A merge rule defines the following values:

[Set up merge rules](./set-merge-rules): Set up the requirements to merge branches.
[Rule types](./rule-types): Learn about merge rule types and their example uses.