To prevent Apex classes from being overwritten in separate developer environments, what action should be taken?

The correct approach for preventing Apex classes from being overwritten in separate developer environments is to remove Apex classes from the "Exclude From Auto Resolve" field in the Pipeline record. This field typically includes components that should not trigger an automatic resolution process during deployment. By ensuring that Apex classes are not excluded from auto resolution, any changes made to them can be properly compared and merged, reducing the risk of unintended overwrites.

When Apex classes are designated as excluded, any changes made in different environments could go unacknowledged during the deployment process, leading to inconsistencies and potential data loss. Proper management of these classes allows the deployment processes to intelligently handle conflicts and merges, ensuring that the latest and most appropriate versions of Apex classes are maintained across the environments.

The suggested action ultimately enhances collaborative development by enabling better integration and resolution of conflicts when multiple developers are making simultaneous changes to the same components.