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/stash Command

Stash away work temporarily to work on something else or switch branches.

Usage

# Stash current work
/stash

# Stash with message
/stash save "Work in progress on authentication"

# Stash with custom name
/stash save auth-feature

# List stashes
/stash list

# Apply stash
/stash apply

Arguments

ArgumentTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
savestringNo-Save stash with message
listflagNo-List all stashes
applystringNo-Apply specific stash
popstringNo-Apply and remove stash
dropstringNo-Remove stash
showstringNo-Show stash contents

Workflow

Stashing Work

# Save current work
git stash push -m "Work on authentication feature"

# Creates stash entry:
stash@{0}: WIP on authentication feature

# Files are cleaned (reverted to HEAD)

Listing Stashes

# List all stashes
git stash list

# Output:
stash@{0}: On main: auth feature
stash@{1}: On feature/users: user profile model
stash@{2}: On main: experimental change

Applying Stash

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

# Apply most recent stash and remove it
git stash pop

# Apply from stash stack
git stash apply
# Stash remains, can be applied again

Viewing Stash

# Show stash contents
git stash show

# Show specific stash
git stash show stash@{1}

# Show stash as diff
git stash show -p stash@{1}

Dropping Stash

# Remove stash
git stash drop stash@{1}

# Drop most recent stash
git stash drop

# Clear all stashes
git stash clear

Use Cases

Switch Branches with WIP

# Scenario: Working on feature, need to check out bug fix

# 1. Stash current work
git stash push -m "WIP: user authentication"

# 2. Switch to bug fix branch
git checkout fix/auth-bug

# 3. Fix bug...

# 4. Return to feature branch
git checkout feature/auth

# 5. Apply stash
git stash pop

# Result: Your WIP is restored exactly as you left it

Trying Experimental Changes

# Scenario: Want to experiment but keep safe point

# 1. Stash current work
git stash push -m "Working version"

# 2. Make experimental changes
# ... experimental code ...

# 3. Test experimental changes
npm run test

# 4. If not working, revert:
git stash pop

# Result: Back to working version, experimental changes discarded

Saving Multiple Stashes

# Scenario: Working on multiple features

# 1. Save work on feature A
git stash push -m "Feature A: user auth"

# 2. Switch to feature B
git checkout feature/profiles

# 3. Work on feature B...

# 4. Save work on feature B
git stash push -m "Feature B: user profiles"

# 5. Apply specific stash later
git checkout feature/auth
git stash apply stash@{0}

Clean Working Directory

# Scenario: Files changed, want clean state quickly

# 1. Stash all changes
git stash push -u -m "Clean up needed"

# 2. Do other work...

# 3. Restore later
git stash pop

Stash Options

Include Untracked Files

# Stash including new files
git stash push -u -m "Include new files"

# Use when you want to save untracked files too

Keep Index Staged

# Keep staged files, only stash unstaged
git stash push -k -m "Staged files remain"

# Use when you have staged changes but want to save unstaged work

Patch Mode (Select Files)

# Interactive: choose which files to stash
git stash push -p -m "Selective stash"

# Use when you only want to stash some files

Best Practices

Stashing

✅ DO:

  • Always add descriptive messages
  • Use stashes for temporary work
  • Keep stash count low (< 5)
  • Drop old stashes regularly
  • Name stashes by feature/context

❌ DON'T:

  • Stash indefinitely (stash pileup)
  • Forget what's in stashes
  • Stash large amounts of code
  • Use vague stash messages
  • Leave stashes in wrong branch

Stash Organization

# Organize stashes by feature:
git stash push -m "auth: login form"
git stash push -m "auth: JWT tokens"
git stash push -m "auth: validation"

# Apply by feature:
git stash apply stash@{0}  # auth: login form
git stash apply stash@{1}  # auth: JWT tokens

Common Patterns

Save Point Before Dangerous Operation

# 1. Create save point
git stash push -m "Before refactor"

# 2. Perform dangerous operation (refactor)
# ... refactoring code ...

# 3. If goes wrong, restore:
git stash pop

Quick Context Switch

# 1. Stash current context
git stash push -m "Context: user authentication"

# 2. Switch to investigate something else
git checkout main

# 3. When done, restore context
git checkout feature/auth
git stash pop

Merge Conflict Resolution

# Scenario: Merge has conflicts, need to test different resolution

# 1. Stash current (conflicted) state
git stash push -m "Merge conflict - attempt 1"

# 2. Try different resolution approach
# ... resolve conflicts differently ...

# 3. If still doesn't work, reset:
git reset --hard HEAD

# 4. Restore stash to try again
git stash pop