Add a message to git stash

Problem:

You want to stash a number of patches and add a message to describe what each includes.

Context:

Using git stash without arguments stacks your code changes on the top of a the stash stack, and adds a default message: “WIP on branchname …”. If you stash multiple patches, you may find it difficult to recall what each stash includes:

$ git stash list

stash@{0}: WIP on 1234_add_new_feature: 1a2b3c4 #1234 - updates new feature template
stash@{1}: WIP on 1234_add_new_feature: 1a2b3c4 #1234 - updates new feature template

Solution:

You can add a message to the the stash by using the save argument:

$ git stash save "refactors how the UI elements are rendered"
$ git stash list

stash@{0}: On 1234_add_new_feature: refactors how the UI elements are rendered
stash@{1}: WIP on 1234_add_new_feature: 1a2b3c4 #1234 - updates new feature template
stash@{2}: WIP on 1234_add_new_feature: 1a2b3c4 #1234 - updates new feature template

This workflow is especially useful when you’re stashing commits while spiking.

Written on March 10, 2016 by cameronwoloshyn