Reported on users: http://svn.haxx.se/users/archive-2013-04/0196.shtml http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/subversion-users/201304.mbox/%3C51778828.5000109@iar.se%3E svnadmin create repo --compatible-version 1.6 svn -mm mkdir --parents file://`pwd`/repo/T/A svn -mm mkdir file://`pwd`/repo/T/M svnmucc -mm propset svn:externals '^/T/M B' file://`pwd`/repo/T/A svn -mm cp file://`pwd`/repo/T/A ^/T/C svnmucc -mm mkdir file://`pwd`/repo/T/A/B propset svn:externals '^/T/M B/D' file://`pwd`/repo/T/A Merging the mkdir/external change into C fails: $ svn co http://localhost/repo/T/C wc $ svn merge ^/T/A wc svn: E200007: Can't add '/home/pm/sw/subversion/obj/wc/B' with URL 'http://localhost:8888/obj/repo/T/A/B', but with the data from 'http://localhost:8888/obj/repo/T/M' Updating the mkdir/external change fails with a conflict: $ svn co http://localhost/repo/T/A@4 wc $ svn up wc $ svn up wc --accept postpone Updating 'wc': C wc/B Fetching external item into 'wc/B/D': External at revision 5. At revision 5. Summary of conflicts: Tree conflicts: 1