Stash

Introduction

Sometimes you must switch branches before finishing current edits—hotfix on main while feature code is half-done. Stash saves uncommitted work on a stack, gives you a clean working tree, and lets you reapply later with git stash pop.

Prerequisites

When to Stash

Scenario	Stash?
Urgent fix on `main`, feature WIP uncommitted	Yes
Pull blocked by local modifications	Often yes (or commit WIP)
Long-lived uncommitted work	Prefer feature branch + commits instead

Stash is a temporary shelf—not a substitute for commits.

Basic Stash Workflow

Edit without committing:

bash

echo "half done" >> feature.js
git status

Save and clear working tree:

bash

git stash push -m "WIP feature.js experiment"

Code explanation:

push stores staged + unstaged tracked changes
-m adds readable message—helps when list grows

Switch branch and work:

bash

git switch main
# fix bug, commit ...
git switch feature/login

Restore stash:

bash

git stash pop

Code explanation:

pop applies latest stash and removes it from stack
Conflicts possible if same lines changed—resolve like merge

List and Apply Without Removing

bash

git stash list

Example output:

text

stash@{0}: On feature/login: WIP feature.js experiment
stash@{1}: WIP on main: temp debug

Apply but keep in list:

bash

git stash apply stash@{1}

Drop when done:

bash

git stash drop stash@{1}

Clear all stashes:

bash

git stash clear

Stash Including Untracked Files

New files not yet tracked:

bash

git stash push -u -m "Include new prototype files"

Code explanation:

-u (--include-untracked) adds untracked files to stash

Stash Only Some Paths

bash

git stash push -m "Only CSS tweaks" -- src/styles.css

Other modified files stay in working tree.

Stash vs Commit vs Branch

	stash	WIP commit	feature branch
Visible in log	No	Yes	Yes
Share with team	No	Yes (push)	Yes
Best for	Minutes/hours pause	Savepoint on branch	Real feature work

Tip

Name Your Stashes

Default message WIP on branch is vague—-m "reason" saves confusion after a week.

Stash and Pull

bash

git stash
git pull origin main
git stash pop

Resolve conflicts if pull touched same lines as stash.

Inspect Stash Contents

bash

git stash show -p stash@{0}

Same patch format as git diff.

FAQ

pop lost my stash?

Successful pop removes it—changes should be in working tree. Failed pop keeps stash.

Stash on wrong branch?

Stash is repo-wide; apply on any branch—watch for wrong-context conflicts.

How many stashes?

Unlimited stack—clean old ones with drop or clear.

Stash secrets?

Stash lives in .git—do not stash .env with credentials; add to .gitignore.

stash vs commit --amend?

Different jobs—stash pauses uncommitted work; amend fixes last commit.

IDE stash button?

VS Code / JetBrains wrap same commands—same behavior.