Is This Really Required? Meet gh stack
🦄 I'm writing this post much earlier than I usually would for all of my work friends. I've been using gh stack since the preview was made available in the GitHub UI a few weeks ago. It's a game changer when it comes to working across multiple branches — or it will be just as soon as they get the rest of the kinks worked out. Hopefully this helps explain exactly what the extension does and when…
This report discusses a new GitHub extension called gh stack, which the author has been using since its preview was made available in the GitHub UI. The extension aims to improve the process of working across multiple branches, making it easier to handle large pull requests and reducing the difficulty of reading large diffs.
The author explains that large pull requests are hard to review and can create bottlenecks, especially when AI generates a high volume of code in a short time. Gh stack addresses this issue by allowing users to stack branches, so the diffs stay contained and still get released in a single merge. The concept is not new, but the author finds it easy to work with, making it suitable for repositories that the lead reads as well as those that are not often accessed.
The extension works by treating each pull request as a pancake, with the main or trunk branch as the plate. Each pancake in the stack targets the layer below it, and GitHub handles the syrup between every layer. To build a stack, the user needs the GitHub extension installed and authenticated, push access to the origin, and a clean tree on the trunk branch. The extension then allows users to add layers, commit changes, and submit pull requests.
The author also explains how to navigate the stack, change layers, and merge changes from different layers. The merge process involves merging everything from the current layer down to the trunk, using the merge option selected. The author also mentions an agent skill installed from GitHub's quickstart page that automates the entire workflow, allowing users to describe the layers and read the responses, rather than running stack commands manually.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
