Notes

git_stash

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Git Stash

Purpose

git stash temporarily shelves (stashes) uncommitted changes so you can switch context — e.g., check out a different branch to fix a bug — without committing half-finished work.

Architecture

The stash is a stack of WIP (work-in-progress) entries stored in the ref refs/stash. Each entry records:

  • A commit for the index state
  • A commit for the working tree state
  • An optional commit for untracked files (with --include-untracked)

Popping restores the saved state and removes the entry from the stack; applying restores without removing.

Implementation Notes

Save and restore:

git stash                               # stash tracked modified files
git stash -u                            # also stash untracked files
git stash -m "message"                  # stash with descriptive name
 
git stash pop                           # apply most recent stash and remove it
git stash apply                         # apply most recent stash, keep it in stack
git stash apply stash@{2}               # apply a specific stash entry

Inspect the stash stack:

git stash list                          # list all stash entries
git stash show                          # show summary of most recent stash
git stash show -p                       # show diff of most recent stash

Clean up:

git stash drop                          # remove most recent stash entry
git stash drop stash@{2}               # remove specific entry
git stash clear                         # remove all stash entries

Create a branch from a stash (useful if context diverged):

git stash branch <branch-name>          # create branch at stash point, apply stash, pop

Trade-offs

  • Stashes are local — they are not pushed to remotes.
  • Stash conflicts are possible when pop/apply is called on a working tree that has diverged from when the stash was created. Resolve them like merge conflicts.
  • For longer-lived WIP, consider committing with git commit --no-verify -m "WIP: ..." and amending later — commits are more durable and visible than stash entries.
  • git stash clear is irreversible (stash entries are eventually garbage-collected).

References

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