diff --git a/merge-ort.c b/merge-ort.c
index 0342f10483..c319797021 100644
--- a/merge-ort.c
+++ b/merge-ort.c
@@ -3841,9 +3841,22 @@ static void process_entry(struct merge_options *opt,
 		if (opt->renormalize &&
 		    blob_unchanged(opt, &ci->stages[0], &ci->stages[side],
 				   path)) {
-			ci->merged.is_null = 1;
-			ci->merged.clean = 1;
-			assert(!ci->df_conflict && !ci->path_conflict);
+			if (!ci->path_conflict) {
+				/*
+				 * Blob unchanged after renormalization, so
+				 * there's no modify/delete conflict after all;
+				 * we can just remove the file.
+				 */
+				ci->merged.is_null = 1;
+				ci->merged.clean = 1;
+				 /*
+				  * file goes away => even if there was a
+				  * directory/file conflict there isn't one now.
+				  */
+				ci->df_conflict = 0;
+			} else {
+				/* rename/delete, so conflict remains */
+			}
 		} else if (ci->path_conflict &&
 			   oideq(&ci->stages[0].oid, &ci->stages[side].oid)) {
 			/*
diff --git a/t/t6418-merge-text-auto.sh b/t/t6418-merge-text-auto.sh
index 1e0296dd17..41288a60ce 100755
--- a/t/t6418-merge-text-auto.sh
+++ b/t/t6418-merge-text-auto.sh
@@ -204,4 +204,30 @@ test_expect_success 'Test delete/normalize conflict' '
 	test_path_is_missing file
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'rename/delete vs. renormalization' '
+	git init subrepo &&
+	(
+		cd subrepo &&
+		echo foo >oldfile &&
+		git add oldfile &&
+		git commit -m original &&
+
+		git branch rename &&
+		git branch nuke &&
+
+		git checkout rename &&
+		git mv oldfile newfile &&
+		git commit -m renamed &&
+
+		git checkout nuke &&
+		git rm oldfile &&
+		git commit -m deleted &&
+
+		git checkout rename^0 &&
+		test_must_fail git -c merge.renormalize=true merge nuke >out &&
+
+		grep "rename/delete" out
+	)
+'
+
 test_done