diff --git a/mercurial/dirstate.py b/mercurial/dirstate.py
--- a/mercurial/dirstate.py
+++ b/mercurial/dirstate.py
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@
         """record that the current state of the file on disk is known to be clean"""
         self._dirty = True
         self._updatedfiles.add(filename)
-        self.normal(filename, parentfiledata=parentfiledata)
+        self._normal(filename, parentfiledata=parentfiledata)
 
     @requires_parents_change
     def update_file_p1(
@@ -702,6 +702,23 @@
         determined the file was clean, to limit the risk of the
         file having been changed by an external process between the
         moment where the file was determined to be clean and now."""
+        if self.pendingparentchange():
+            util.nouideprecwarn(
+                b"do not use `normal` inside of update/merge context."
+                b" Use `update_file` or `update_file_p1`",
+                b'6.0',
+                stacklevel=2,
+            )
+        else:
+            util.nouideprecwarn(
+                b"do not use `normal` outside of update/merge context."
+                b" Use `set_tracked`",
+                b'6.0',
+                stacklevel=2,
+            )
+        self._normal(f, parentfiledata=parentfiledata)
+
+    def _normal(self, f, parentfiledata=None):
         if parentfiledata:
             (mode, size, mtime) = parentfiledata
         else: