Github Stack

GitHub Stack

Before any shell command that may contact GitHub or a package registry, read and follow Network execution.

Role

Use this skill for stack-level work through <plugin-root>/scripts/g stack .... The wrapper delegates stack state, branch ordering, PR linking, rebasing, synchronization, and merge behavior to the official github/gh-stack extension while enforcing non-interactive invocation.

Resolve <plugin-root> as two directories above this SKILL.md. Read ../../references/stack-cli.md before using the command surface, load ../../references/gh-dependency-preflight.md for the scoped gh and gh-stack readiness gate, and load references/workflows.md for the requested lifecycle operation.

Boundaries

• Use $g:send for publishing or updating one PR, including its title, body, closing issue references, draft state, and push ownership.
• Use this skill for an explicit parent/child link, even when the PRs were just published by $g:send. send does not infer or invoke stack link; do not replace this explicit relationship flow with stack submit.
• Use this skill when the user explicitly asks for stack-wide publication, navigation, rebase, sync, restructuring, merge, or recovery.
• Do not silently turn a single-PR request into a stack-wide operation.
• stack submit is an explicit multi-branch publication mode. It does not inherit send's issue-linkage, body, or draft-preservation contract; route those responsibilities separately when required.

Readiness and authorization

1. Resolve the repository and plugin root.
2. Load and pass the shared gh dependency preflight. It owns the host CLI, authenticated-provider, and exact github/gh-stack checks.
3. If the extension is missing, stop and report the prerequisite. Run g --json stack ensure --install only after the user explicitly authorizes installing github/gh-stack.
4. Never fall back silently to an ordinary unstacked PR workflow when stack state is unavailable, ambiguous, or unsupported.
5. Treat push, submit, sync, rebase, merge, and remote unstack as separate mutations. Explain their scope before executing them.

Non-interactive rules

Always supply the positional arguments and flags required by the wrapper:

• init, add, and checkout require an explicit branch, stack, PR, or URL;
• view requires --json;
• submit requires --auto;
• merge requires an explicit target and --yes;
• remote unstack requires an explicit target; use unstack --local for local tracking only.

Never invoke blocked interactive commands such as modify, switch, alias, or feedback. Do not use the raw escape hatch unless the typed surface cannot express an explicitly requested non-interactive operation.

Core operating rules

• Model the stack from trunk upward: foundational changes belong in lower branches and dependent changes in higher branches.
• Keep each branch a cohesive, independently reviewable unit.
• When changing a lower or middle branch, work on that branch, commit there, then run rebase --upstack before returning to the higher branch.
• Use view --json for a locally tracked stack; remote-only links use the relationship readback in references/workflows.md. Verify before and after consequential operations and preserve exact branch/PR state in the handoff.
• For conflicts, resolve and stage files, then use rebase --continue; use rebase --abort to restore the pre-rebase state.
• After a lower PR merges, use sync to fetch, reconcile, rebase, push, and update stack state. Use --prune only when local merged branches should be removed.
• Merge stacks only with stack merge ... --yes; do not substitute gh pr merge.