diff --git a/packages/cli/src/merge/handler.ts b/packages/cli/src/merge/handler.ts
index eed5f527e..4c767df83 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/merge/handler.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/merge/handler.ts
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ const mergeHandler = async (options: MergeOptions, logger: Logger) => {
       command: 'checkout',
       projectPath: commandPath,
       projectName: final.name || '',
+      log: options.log,
     },
     logger
   );
diff --git a/packages/lexicon/core.d.ts b/packages/lexicon/core.d.ts
index 8d0ae075f..267acf6bb 100644
--- a/packages/lexicon/core.d.ts
+++ b/packages/lexicon/core.d.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,9 @@ export type Workflow = {
   globals?: string;
 
   openfn?: OpenFnMetadata;
+
+  // holds history information of a workflow
+  history?: string[]
 };
 
 export type StepId = string;
diff --git a/packages/project/src/Workflow.ts b/packages/project/src/Workflow.ts
index 19a9b7574..721e51e43 100644
--- a/packages/project/src/Workflow.ts
+++ b/packages/project/src/Workflow.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ class Workflow {
 
     this.workflow = clone(workflow);
 
+    // history needs to be on workflow object.
+    this.workflow.history = workflow.history?.length ? workflow.history : [];
+
     const { id, name, openfn, steps, ...options } = workflow;
     if (!(id || name)) {
       throw new Error('A Workflow MUST have a name or id');
@@ -167,6 +170,22 @@ class Workflow {
   getVersionHash() {
     return generateHash(this);
   }
+
+  pushHistory(versionHash: string) {
+    this.workflow.history?.push(versionHash);
+  }
+
+  // return true if the current workflow can be merged into the target workflow without losing any changes
+  canMergeInto(target: Workflow) {
+    const thisHistory = this.workflow.history?.concat(this.getVersionHash());
+    const targetHistory = target.workflow.history?.concat(
+      target.getVersionHash()
+    );
+
+    const targetHead = targetHistory[targetHistory.length - 1];
+    if (thisHistory.indexOf(targetHead) > -1) return true;
+    return false;
+  }
 }
 
 export default Workflow;
diff --git a/packages/project/test/gen/fixtures.ts b/packages/project/test/gen/fixtures.ts
index e75597307..a33dd9725 100644
--- a/packages/project/test/gen/fixtures.ts
+++ b/packages/project/test/gen/fixtures.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 export const ab = {
   id: 'workflow',
   name: 'Workflow',
+  history: [],
   steps: [
     {
       id: 'a',
diff --git a/packages/project/test/gen/generator.test.ts b/packages/project/test/gen/generator.test.ts
index 794a0c59b..0c2ab6863 100644
--- a/packages/project/test/gen/generator.test.ts
+++ b/packages/project/test/gen/generator.test.ts
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ test('it should generate a simple workflow with any letter', (t) => {
   const expected = {
     id: 'workflow',
     name: 'Workflow',
+    history: [],
     steps: [
       {
         id: 'x',
@@ -152,6 +153,7 @@ test('it should generate a simple workflow with words, numbers and underscores',
   const expected = {
     id: 'workflow',
     name: 'Workflow',
+    history: [],
     steps: [
       {
         id: 'node_1',
@@ -184,6 +186,7 @@ test('it should generate two node pairs', (t) => {
   const expected = {
     id: 'workflow',
     name: 'Workflow',
+    history: [],
     steps: [
       {
         id: 'a',
@@ -231,6 +234,7 @@ test('it should generate two node pairs from one parent', (t) => {
   const expected = {
     id: 'workflow',
     name: 'Workflow',
+    history: [],
     steps: [
       {
         id: 'a',
@@ -276,6 +280,7 @@ test('it should generate several node pairs', (t) => {
   const expected = {
     id: 'workflow',
     name: 'Workflow',
+    history: [],
     steps: [
       {
         id: 'a',
@@ -439,6 +444,7 @@ test('it should generate a simple workflow with mapped uuids', (t) => {
   const expected = {
     id: 'workflow',
     name: 'Workflow',
+    history: [],
     steps: [
       {
         id: 'a',
@@ -481,6 +487,7 @@ test('it should generate a project with uuids', (t) => {
   const expected = {
     id: 'workflow',
     name: 'Workflow',
+    history: [],
     steps: [
       {
         id: 'a',
diff --git a/packages/project/test/parse/from-app-state.test.ts b/packages/project/test/parse/from-app-state.test.ts
index 16fda2237..86c3ef6ed 100644
--- a/packages/project/test/parse/from-app-state.test.ts
+++ b/packages/project/test/parse/from-app-state.test.ts
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ test('should create a Project from prov state with a workflow', (t) => {
   t.deepEqual(project.workflows[0].toJSON(), {
     id: 'my-workflow',
     name: 'My Workflow',
+    history: [],
     steps: [
       {
         id: 'trigger',
diff --git a/packages/project/test/workflow.test.ts b/packages/project/test/workflow.test.ts
index 82e7b914a..008db9f94 100644
--- a/packages/project/test/workflow.test.ts
+++ b/packages/project/test/workflow.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto';
 import test from 'ava';
 import Workflow from '../src/Workflow';
+import { generateWorkflow } from '../src';
 
 const simpleWorkflow = {
   id: 'my-workflow',
+  history: [],
   name: 'My Workflow',
   steps: [
     {
@@ -49,6 +51,11 @@ const simpleWorkflow = {
   },
 };
 
+// should workflow.toJSON actually do this?
+function realJson(v: any) {
+  return JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(v));
+}
+
 test('create a Workflow from json', (t) => {
   const w = new Workflow(simpleWorkflow);
 
@@ -205,3 +212,98 @@ test('map uuids to ids', (t) => {
   t.deepEqual(w.index.id[uuid_ac], 'a-c');
   t.deepEqual(w.index.id[uuid_bc], 'b-c');
 });
+
+test('canMergeInto: should merge same content source & target', (t) => {
+  const main = generateWorkflow('trigger-x');
+  const sbox = generateWorkflow('trigger-x');
+
+  t.true(sbox.canMergeInto(main));
+});
+
+test("canMergeInto: shouldn't merge different content source & target", (t) => {
+  const main = generateWorkflow('trigger-x');
+  const sbox = generateWorkflow('trigger-y');
+
+  t.false(sbox.canMergeInto(main));
+});
+
+test('canMergeInto: source is target + changes', (t) => {
+  // initial main code
+  const main = generateWorkflow('trigger-x');
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+  // main code updated
+  main.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y').steps;
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+
+  // clone main for sbox
+  const sbox = new Workflow(realJson(main.toJSON()));
+  // do code changes to sbox
+  sbox.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y y-z').steps;
+  t.true(sbox.canMergeInto(main));
+});
+
+test("canMergeInto: source isn't from target", (t) => {
+  // initial main code
+  const main = generateWorkflow('trigger-x');
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+  // main code updated
+  main.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y').steps;
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+
+  // clone main for sbox
+  const sbox = generateWorkflow('trigger-y');
+  sbox.pushHistory(sbox.getVersionHash());
+  t.false(sbox.canMergeInto(main));
+});
+
+test("canMergeInto: source isn't from target but ended with same code", (t) => {
+  // initial main code
+  const main = generateWorkflow('trigger-x');
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+  // main code updated
+  main.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y').steps;
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+
+  const sbox = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y');
+  t.true(sbox.canMergeInto(main));
+});
+
+test('canMergeInto: source is from target but target has changes', (t) => {
+  // initial main code
+  const main = generateWorkflow('trigger-x');
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+  // main code updated
+  main.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y').steps;
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+
+  // clone main for sbox
+  const sbox = new Workflow(realJson(main.toJSON()));
+
+  // changes to main after cloning
+  main.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y x-z').steps;
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+
+  // merging sbox to main
+  t.false(sbox.canMergeInto(main));
+});
+
+test('canMergeInto: source is from target but target & source have changes', (t) => {
+  // initial main code
+  const main = generateWorkflow('trigger-x');
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+  // main code updated
+  main.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y').steps;
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+
+  // clone main for sbox
+  const sbox = new Workflow(realJson(main.toJSON()));
+  // changes to sbox
+  sbox.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y y-g').steps;
+
+  // changes to main after cloning
+  main.workflow.steps = generateWorkflow('trigger-x x-y x-z').steps;
+  main.pushHistory(main.getVersionHash());
+
+  // merging sbox to main
+  t.false(sbox.canMergeInto(main));
+});