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A soft lock is Diversion’s signal that someone else is currently editing a file. It is an indicator, not a barrier: nobody has to take authorship of a file before working on it, and nobody can stop you from working on one. Soft locks are on by default for every repository on every plan, and there is nothing to configure. If you need edits to actually be blocked, see Hard Locks.
Coming from Perforce, where an exclusive checkout holds a file until it is released? See Coming from Perforce for how the two models compare.

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Where you see a soft lock

The indicator flags files that have been changed somewhere else in the repository — uncommitted edits in another workspace, or commits on another branch. In the desktop and web app, a badge appears next to the file in the tree view. Soft lock indicator next to a file in the tree view Click the badge to see what changed, who changed it, and where. Panel showing a file was changed in another ref, by whom, when, and on which branch In Unreal Engine, the plugin surfaces soft locks at the two moments that matter. Opening an asset someone else is editing shows a confirmation prompt. Saving one asks what to do in the save dialog: lock the file first (on plans with hard locks), save anyway, or skip the save. Both prompts are controlled by one setting and can be turned off.
A soft-locked Blueprint asset with a padlock badge in the Content DrawerUnreal Engine asset tooltip showing a potential conflict and who else edited the file, when, and on which branch
Unreal Engine dialog warning that an asset is auto soft-locked, with an option to open it for edit anyway Unreal save dialog listing a file that is being edited elsewhere If the badge shows up on a large number of files at once, the usual cause is a single workspace holding a lot of uncommitted changes — see Merge conflict warning.

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What happens when two people edit the same file

Because a soft lock does not block anyone, two people can edit the same file at once and Diversion reconciles the difference afterwards. This is the sequence when both are on the same branch:
1

User A starts editing

User A modifies Level.umap. Nothing is reserved, and the file stays writable for everyone.
2

User B sees the soft lock

A warning icon appears on that file for everyone else on the branch, and clicking it shows that User A is editing.
3

User B edits the file anyway

Nothing blocks them. There is no checkout to wait on, and nobody to chase for a release.
4

User B commits first

User B’s version becomes the latest on the branch.
5

User A resolves the conflict

A conflict arises with User A’s uncommitted changes, and User A resolves it — see Conflicts.
If the two users are on separate branches, nothing happens until someone merges. The difference surfaces then, as a merge conflict resolved in the merge conflict window. Neither version is lost in either case. User A’s uncommitted work is never overwritten, and User B’s commit stays in the branch history. The trade Diversion makes is that you settle the difference after the fact instead of being blocked up front.

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Soft locks and binary files

Text files can be merged line by line, so a conflict on one is usually a small cleanup. Binary assets such as .umap, .uasset, and .fbx cannot be merged — one version has to win, and the other person’s work has to be redone. The exception is Blueprints, which can be merged with the Unreal plugin. This makes the soft lock indicator most valuable on exactly those files. Treat it as a prompt to talk to your teammate before starting, rather than something to resolve afterwards. If that is not reliable enough for your team, Hard Locks block the second commit outright and can lock matching files automatically by extension. Hard locks are available on Studio and Enterprise plans.