diff --git a/hgext/remotefilelog/__init__.py b/hgext/remotefilelog/__init__.py
--- a/hgext/remotefilelog/__init__.py
+++ b/hgext/remotefilelog/__init__.py
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
     localrepo,
     match as matchmod,
     merge,
+    mergestate as mergestatemod,
     node as nodemod,
     patch,
     pycompat,
@@ -484,7 +485,7 @@
     if isenabled(repo):
         manifest = mctx.manifest()
         files = []
-        for f, args, msg in actions[b'g']:
+        for f, args, msg in actions[mergestatemod.ACTION_GET]:
             files.append((f, hex(manifest[f])))
         # batch fetch the needed files from the server
         repo.fileservice.prefetch(files)
@@ -499,9 +500,13 @@
         for f, (m, actionargs, msg) in pycompat.iteritems(mresult.actions):
             if sparsematch and not sparsematch(f):
                 continue
-            if m in (b'c', b'dc', b'cm'):
+            if m in (
+                mergestatemod.ACTION_CREATED,
+                mergestatemod.ACTION_DELETED_CHANGED,
+                mergestatemod.ACTION_CREATED_MERGE,
+            ):
                 files.append((f, hex(mctx.filenode(f))))
-            elif m == b'dg':
+            elif m == mergestatemod.ACTION_LOCAL_DIR_RENAME_GET:
                 f2 = actionargs[0]
                 files.append((f2, hex(mctx.filenode(f2))))
         # batch fetch the needed files from the server
diff --git a/mercurial/sparse.py b/mercurial/sparse.py
--- a/mercurial/sparse.py
+++ b/mercurial/sparse.py
@@ -395,17 +395,17 @@
         files.add(file)
         if sparsematch(file):
             prunedactions[file] = action
-        elif type == b'm':
+        elif type == mergestatemod.ACTION_MERGE:
             temporaryfiles.append(file)
             prunedactions[file] = action
         elif branchmerge:
-            if type != b'k':
+            if type != mergestatemod.ACTION_KEEP:
                 temporaryfiles.append(file)
                 prunedactions[file] = action
-        elif type == b'f':
+        elif type == mergestatemod.ACTION_FORGET:
             prunedactions[file] = action
         elif file in wctx:
-            prunedactions[file] = (b'r', args, msg)
+            prunedactions[file] = (mergestatemod.ACTION_REMOVE, args, msg)
 
         if branchmerge and type == mergestatemod.ACTION_MERGE:
             f1, f2, fa, move, anc = args
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@
                 actions.append((file, (fctx.flags(), False), message))
 
         typeactions = mergemod.emptyactions()
-        typeactions[b'g'] = actions
+        typeactions[mergestatemod.ACTION_GET] = actions
         mergemod.applyupdates(
             repo, typeactions, repo[None], repo[b'.'], False, wantfiledata=False
         )
@@ -453,9 +453,13 @@
             new = sparsematch(file)
             if not old and new:
                 flags = mf.flags(file)
-                prunedactions[file] = (b'g', (flags, False), b'')
+                prunedactions[file] = (
+                    mergestatemod.ACTION_GET,
+                    (flags, False),
+                    b'',
+                )
             elif old and not new:
-                prunedactions[file] = (b'r', [], b'')
+                prunedactions[file] = (mergestatemod.ACTION_REMOVE, [], b'')
 
     mresult.setactions(prunedactions)