diff --git a/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/content.test.ts b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/content.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..db446097
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/content.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { describe, it } from "node:test";
+import { mergeContent, fromStoredSnapshot, toStoredSnapshot } from "./content";
+
+const extensions = ["md"];
+const snapshot = async (text: string) =>
+    toStoredSnapshot({ content: new TextEncoder().encode(text) });
+
+describe("content reconciliation without file timestamps", () => {
+    it("round-trips content and editor selections without timestamps", async () => {
+        const original = {
+            content: new Uint8Array([0, 255, 13, 10]),
+            cursors: []
+        };
+        assert.deepEqual(
+            fromStoredSnapshot(await toStoredSnapshot(original)),
+            original
+        );
+    });
+
+    it("keeps local binary edits when the server content is unchanged", async () => {
+        const base = await snapshot("\0base");
+        const local = await snapshot("\0local");
+        const merged = await mergeContent(
+            "file.bin",
+            base,
+            local,
+            base,
+            extensions
+        );
+        assert.equal(merged.contentBase64, local.contentBase64);
+    });
+
+    it("incorporates server binary edits when local content is unchanged", async () => {
+        const base = await snapshot("\0base");
+        const remote = await snapshot("\0remote");
+        const merged = await mergeContent(
+            "file.bin",
+            base,
+            base,
+            remote,
+            extensions
+        );
+        assert.equal(merged.contentBase64, remote.contentBase64);
+    });
+
+    it("keeps the server on concurrent binary or unmergeable text edits", async () => {
+        for (const [path, prefix] of [
+            ["file.bin", "\0"],
+            ["file.md", "\0"],
+            ["file.json", ""]
+        ]) {
+            const base = await snapshot(`${prefix}base`);
+            const local = await snapshot(`${prefix}local`);
+            const remote = await snapshot(`${prefix}remote`);
+            const merged = await mergeContent(
+                path,
+                base,
+                local,
+                remote,
+                extensions
+            );
+            assert.equal(merged.contentBase64, remote.contentBase64, path);
+        }
+    });
+
+    it("keeps the server for differing binary content without a common base", async () => {
+        const local = await snapshot("\0local");
+        const remote = await snapshot("\0remote");
+        const merged = await mergeContent(
+            "file.bin",
+            undefined,
+            local,
+            remote,
+            extensions
+        );
+        assert.equal(merged.contentBase64, remote.contentBase64);
+    });
+
+    it("still merges independent text edits from both sides", async () => {
+        const merged = await mergeContent(
+            "note.md",
+            await snapshot("First paragraph.\n\nLast paragraph.\n"),
+            await snapshot("Updated first paragraph.\n\nLast paragraph.\n"),
+            await snapshot("First paragraph.\n\nUpdated last paragraph.\n"),
+            extensions
+        );
+        assert.equal(
+            new TextDecoder().decode(fromStoredSnapshot(merged).content),
+            "Updated first paragraph.\n\nUpdated last paragraph.\n"
+        );
+    });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/content.ts b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/content.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a70896bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/content.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import { base64ToBytes, bytesToBase64 } from "byte-base64";
+import { reconcile } from "reconcile-text";
+import type { FileSnapshot } from "../file-operations/filesystem-operations";
+import type { StoredSnapshot } from "../persistence/database";
+import { hash } from "../utils/hash";
+import { isBinary } from "../utils/is-binary";
+import { isFileTypeMergable } from "../utils/is-file-type-mergable";
+
+export async function toStoredSnapshot(
+    snapshot: FileSnapshot
+): Promise<StoredSnapshot> {
+    return {
+        contentBase64: bytesToBase64(snapshot.content),
+        cursors: snapshot.cursors,
+        hash: await hash(snapshot.content)
+    };
+}
+
+export function fromStoredSnapshot(snapshot: StoredSnapshot): FileSnapshot {
+    return {
+        content: base64ToBytes(snapshot.contentBase64),
+        cursors: snapshot.cursors
+    };
+}
+
+export async function mergeContent(
+    path: string,
+    base: StoredSnapshot | undefined,
+    local: StoredSnapshot,
+    remote: StoredSnapshot,
+    extensions: string[]
+): Promise<StoredSnapshot> {
+    if (local.contentBase64 === remote.contentBase64)
+        return {
+            ...remote,
+            cursors: local.cursors
+        };
+
+    if (!local.cursors && local.contentBase64 === base?.contentBase64)
+        return remote;
+
+    if (remote.contentBase64 === base?.contentBase64) return local;
+
+    const inputs = [
+        base?.contentBase64 ?? "",
+        local.contentBase64,
+        remote.contentBase64
+    ].map(base64ToBytes);
+
+    // Concurrent unmergeable edits keep the server's content. The filesystem
+    // journal retains displaced local bytes for recovery.
+    if (!isFileTypeMergable(path, extensions) || inputs.some(isBinary))
+        return remote;
+
+    const [parentText, localText, remoteText] = inputs.map((bytes) =>
+        new TextDecoder("utf-8", { fatal: true, ignoreBOM: true }).decode(bytes)
+    );
+
+    const merged = reconcile(
+        parentText,
+        { text: localText, cursors: local.cursors },
+        remoteText
+    );
+
+    return toStoredSnapshot({
+        content: new TextEncoder().encode(merged.text),
+        cursors: local.cursors ? merged.cursors : undefined
+    });
+}