Advanced Stash Operations for Context Switching

Beginner8 min

Master git stash to save, organize, and restore uncommitted work when switching between tasks or branches.

Prerequisites

-Git installed
-Uncommitted changes to practice with

Steps

Stash current changes with a descriptive message

Save all tracked modifications and staged changes to the stash with a message for easy identification later.

$ git stash push -m "WIP: user profile validation logic"

Always add a message with -m. The default 'WIP on branch' message is not helpful when you have multiple stashes.

Stash including untracked files

The -u flag includes untracked files in the stash. Without it, only modified tracked files are stashed.

$ git stash push -u -m "WIP: new config files"

Use -a instead of -u to also include ignored files, though this is rarely needed.

List all stashes

View all stashed entries with their index, branch, and message. Stashes are numbered starting at 0 for the most recent.

$ git stash list

Inspect a stash without applying it

View the full diff of a specific stash entry. The -p flag shows the patch; without it you only see a file summary.

$ git stash show -p stash@{0}

Apply a specific stash and keep it in the list

Apply the changes from stash@{2} to your working tree. The stash entry remains in the list for future use.

$ git stash apply stash@{2}

Use 'git stash pop' instead of 'apply' to apply and immediately remove the stash entry.

Drop a stash or clear all stashes

Remove a specific stash entry with drop, or remove all entries with clear.

$ git stash drop stash@{1} # Or remove all stashes: git stash clear

Dropped stashes cannot be easily recovered. The reflog may help for a short time, but do not rely on it.

Full Script

full-script.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# git-stash-helper.sh — Interactive stash management
set -euo pipefail

ACTION="${1:-list}"

case "$ACTION" in
  save)
    MSG="${2:-WIP: $(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H:%M)}"
    echo "Stashing changes with message: $MSG"
    git stash push -u -m "$MSG"
    echo "Done."
    ;;
  list)
    echo "=== Stash entries ==="
    STASHES=$(git stash list)
    if [ -z "$STASHES" ]; then
      echo "No stashes found."
    else
      echo "$STASHES"
      echo ""
      echo "Use '$0 show <index>' to inspect a stash."
    fi
    ;;
  show)
    INDEX="${2:-0}"
    echo "=== stash@{$INDEX} ==="
    git stash show -p "stash@{$INDEX}"
    ;;
  apply)
    INDEX="${2:-0}"
    echo "Applying stash@{$INDEX}..."
    git stash apply "stash@{$INDEX}"
    echo "Applied. Stash entry preserved."
    ;;
  pop)
    INDEX="${2:-0}"
    echo "Popping stash@{$INDEX}..."
    git stash pop "stash@{$INDEX}"
    echo "Applied and removed from stash list."
    ;;
  drop)
    INDEX="${2:?Usage: $0 drop <index>}"
    echo "Dropping stash@{$INDEX}..."
    git stash drop "stash@{$INDEX}"
    echo "Dropped."
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Usage: $0 {save|list|show|apply|pop|drop} [args]"
    ;;
esac

FAQ

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#!/usr/bin/env bash # git-stash-helper.sh — Interactive stash management set -euo pipefail ACTION="${1:-list}" case "$ACTION" in save) MSG="${2:-WIP: $(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H:%M)}" echo "Stashing changes with message: $MSG" git stash push -u -m "$MSG" echo "Done." ;; list) echo "=== Stash entries ===" STASHES=$(git stash list) if [ -z "$STASHES" ]; then echo "No stashes found." else echo "$STASHES" echo "" echo "Use '$0 show <index>' to inspect a stash." fi ;; show) INDEX="${2:-0}" echo "=== stash@{$INDEX} ===" git stash show -p "stash@{$INDEX}" ;; apply) INDEX="${2:-0}" echo "Applying stash@{$INDEX}..." git stash apply "stash@{$INDEX}" echo "Applied. Stash entry preserved." ;; pop) INDEX="${2:-0}" echo "Popping stash@{$INDEX}..." git stash pop "stash@{$INDEX}" echo "Applied and removed from stash list." ;; drop) INDEX="${2:?Usage: $0 drop <index>}" echo "Dropping stash@{$INDEX}..." git stash drop "stash@{$INDEX}" echo "Dropped." ;; *) echo "Usage: $0 {save|list|show|apply|pop|drop} [args]" ;; esac