Git Stash

Scope Constraints

• Write operation — saves and restores uncommitted changes to/from the stash stack
• Does not create commits on any branch — stashes are stored separately
• Does not push, fetch, or interact with remotes
• clear subcommand is destructive — permanently deletes all stashes

Input Sanitization

• Stash messages: reject null bytes. All other printable characters allowed.
• Stash references: must match stash@{N} format where N is a non-negative integer. Reject arbitrary strings, shell metacharacters, or null bytes.
• Subcommands: only save, pop, apply, list, show, drop, clear accepted.

/git-stash - Stash Management

Save, restore, list, and manage stashed changes.

Usage

/git-stash                    # Stash all changes (default)
/git-stash save "message"     # Stash with descriptive message
/git-stash pop                # Apply and remove most recent stash
/git-stash apply              # Apply stash but keep it
/git-stash list               # List all stashes
/git-stash show               # Show changes in most recent stash
/git-stash show stash@{2}     # Show changes in specific stash
/git-stash drop               # Delete most recent stash
/git-stash drop stash@{2}     # Delete specific stash
/git-stash clear              # Delete all stashes (use with caution)

Workflow

Stash Changes (Default)

# Check if there are changes to stash
if git diff --quiet && git diff --cached --quiet; then
    echo "No changes to stash."
    exit 0
fi

# Show what will be stashed
git status --short

# Stash with automatic message
git stash push -m "WIP on $(git branch --show-current): $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')"

# Or with custom message
git stash push -m "Custom message here"

Include Untracked Files

# Include untracked files
git stash push -u -m "Including untracked files"

# Include everything (even ignored files)
git stash push -a -m "Including all files"

Pop Stash

# Apply most recent and remove from stash list
git stash pop

# Apply specific stash
git stash pop stash@{2}

Apply Without Removing

# Apply but keep in stash list (useful for applying to multiple branches)
git stash apply

# Apply specific stash
git stash apply stash@{1}

List Stashes

# List all stashes with details
git stash list --format="%gd: %s (%cr)"

Show Stash Contents

# Show diff of most recent stash
git stash show -p

# Show specific stash
git stash show -p stash@{2}

# Show just file names
git stash show --name-only

Drop Stash

# Remove most recent stash
git stash drop

# Remove specific stash
git stash drop stash@{2}

# Clear all stashes
git stash clear

Output Format

After Stashing

Stashed changes on feat/dark-mode

Changes stashed:
  M src/components/Theme.tsx
  M src/hooks/useTheme.ts
  A src/styles/dark.css

Stash saved as: stash@{0}
Message: "WIP on feat/dark-mode: 2025-01-25 10:30"

To restore: /git-stash pop

Stash List

Your stashes:

  stash@{0}: WIP on feat/dark-mode: toggle component (2 hours ago)
  stash@{1}: WIP on main: experimental changes (1 day ago)
  stash@{2}: WIP on feat/auth: login form backup (3 days ago)

Total: 3 stashes

Commands:
  /git-stash pop           # Apply stash@{0}
  /git-stash show stash@{1}  # View stash contents
  /git-stash drop stash@{2}  # Delete specific stash

Pop Result

Applied stash@{0} to feat/dark-mode

Restored changes:
  M src/components/Theme.tsx
  M src/hooks/useTheme.ts
  A src/styles/dark.css

Stash removed from list.

Pop With Conflicts

Conflict while applying stash!

Conflicting files:
  - src/components/Theme.tsx

The stash was NOT dropped.

Options:
  /git-conflicts          # Resolve conflicts
  git stash drop          # Drop stash after resolving
  git checkout --theirs . # Keep current, discard stash
  git checkout --ours .   # Keep stash, discard current

Tips

1. Always use messages: git stash push -m "descriptive message" makes stashes easier to manage
2. Include untracked: Use -u flag to include new files
3. Apply vs Pop: Use apply if you might need the stash again
4. Branch-aware: Stashes work across branches - useful for moving work

Common Patterns

# Quick save before switching branches
/git-stash save "before switching to main"
/git-switch main

# Pull updates then restore
/git-stash
/git-pull
/git-stash pop

# Move changes to a new branch
/git-stash
/git-branch feat/new-feature
/git-switch feat/new-feature
/git-stash pop

Integration

• Use before /git-pull if you have uncommitted changes
• Use before /git-switch to safely change branches
• Use /git-stash pop after operations complete

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