diff --git a/mercurial/simplemerge.py b/mercurial/simplemerge.py
--- a/mercurial/simplemerge.py
+++ b/mercurial/simplemerge.py
@@ -273,18 +273,6 @@
         return sl
 
 
-def _verifytext(text, path, ui, opts):
-    """verifies that text is non-binary (unless opts[text] is passed,
-    then we just warn)"""
-    if stringutil.binary(text):
-        msg = _(b"%s looks like a binary file.") % path
-        if not opts.get('quiet'):
-            ui.warn(_(b'warning: %s\n') % msg)
-        if not opts.get('text'):
-            raise error.Abort(msg)
-    return text
-
-
 def _format_labels(*inputs):
     pad = max(len(input.label) if input.label else 0 for input in inputs)
     labels = []
@@ -483,6 +471,25 @@
     # merge inputs.
     label_detail = attr.ib(default=None)
 
+    def _verifytext(self, ui, opts):
+        """verifies that text is non-binary (unless opts[text] is passed,
+        then we just warn)"""
+        # Merges were always run in the working copy before, which means
+        # they used decoded data, if the user defined any repository
+        # filters.
+        #
+        # Maintain that behavior today for BC, though perhaps in the future
+        # it'd be worth considering whether merging encoded data (what the
+        # repository usually sees) might be more useful.
+        text = self.fctx.decodeddata()
+        if stringutil.binary(text):
+            msg = _(b"%s looks like a binary file.") % self.fctx.path()
+            if not opts.get('quiet'):
+                ui.warn(_(b'warning: %s\n') % msg)
+            if not opts.get('text'):
+                raise error.Abort(msg)
+        return text
+
 
 def simplemerge(ui, local, base, other, **opts):
     """Performs the simplemerge algorithm.
@@ -490,20 +497,10 @@
     The merged result is written into `localctx`.
     """
 
-    def readctx(ctx):
-        # Merges were always run in the working copy before, which means
-        # they used decoded data, if the user defined any repository
-        # filters.
-        #
-        # Maintain that behavior today for BC, though perhaps in the future
-        # it'd be worth considering whether merging encoded data (what the
-        # repository usually sees) might be more useful.
-        return _verifytext(ctx.decodeddata(), ctx.path(), ui, opts)
-
     try:
-        localtext = readctx(local.fctx)
-        basetext = readctx(base.fctx)
-        othertext = readctx(other.fctx)
+        localtext = local._verifytext(ui, opts)
+        basetext = base._verifytext(ui, opts)
+        othertext = other._verifytext(ui, opts)
     except error.Abort:
         return True