Git Stash

Also Known As

TL;DR

Explanation

git stash push saves tracked changes (and optionally untracked with -u) to a stack. git stash pop restores the most recent stash and removes it. git stash apply restores without removing. git stash list shows all stashes with indices. git stash show -p stash@{n} shows the diff. Stashes are named with -m for clarity. A common mistake: stashing without a message makes stash@{3} meaningless two weeks later. Stash is useful for quick context switches but should not replace proper branching for long-lived work.

Diagram

flowchart LR
    DIRTY[Working directory<br/>uncommitted changes] -->|git stash push -u -m name| STACK[(Stash stack)]
    STACK -->|git stash pop| RESTORED[Changes restored<br/>stash removed]
    STACK -->|git stash apply| APPLIED[Changes applied<br/>stash kept]
    subgraph Commands
        LIST[git stash list<br/>see all stashes]
        SHOW[git stash show -p stash@0<br/>see diff]
        DROP[git stash drop stash@0<br/>delete one]
        CLEAR[git stash clear<br/>delete all]
    end
    subgraph When_to_Use
        SWITCH[Need to switch branch quickly]
        PULL[Need to pull before committing]
        EXPERIMENT[Trying a different approach]
    end
style STACK fill:#6e40c9,color:#fff
style RESTORED fill:#238636,color:#fff

Common Misconception

Why It Matters

Common Mistakes

• Stashing without a message — stash@{2} is meaningless; use git stash push -m 'WIP: payment refactor'.
• git stash pop when a merge conflict occurs — pop removes the stash even if the apply fails; use git stash apply then manually drop.
• Accumulating many stashes — more than 2-3 stashes signals a branching problem, not a stash use case.
• Not stashing untracked files — git stash push -u includes new untracked files that plain stash misses.

Code Examples

# Multiple unnamed stashes — impossible to identify:
git stash   # stash@{0}
git stash   # stash@{1} — what was this?
git stash   # stash@{2} — no idea
git stash list
# stash@{0}: WIP on main: abc1234 fix typo
# stash@{1}: WIP on main: abc1234 fix typo
# stash@{2}: WIP on main: abc1234 fix typo

# Named stashes + include untracked:
git stash push -u -m 'WIP: payment webhook handler'
git stash list
# stash@{0}: On feature/payments: WIP: payment webhook handler

# Apply without removing (safer for conflicts):
git stash apply stash@{0}
# Resolve any conflicts, then:
git stash drop stash@{0}

References

• ↗ https://git-scm.com/docs/git-stash

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