stak

Minimal stacked changes for git. A lightweight alternative to Graphite, ghstack, and git-branchless.

What is it?

Build big features as a chain of small, reviewable branches:

main → auth-types → auth-service → auth-ui

Each branch builds on the previous. Submit all for review at once. When you edit a lower branch, one command updates everything above.

Install

# Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
brew install memorypasta/tap/stak

# npm
npm install -g stak-git

# pip / uv
pip install stak-git

# Direct install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/memorypasta/stak/main/packaging/install.sh | bash

Commands

Command	Description
stak new <name>	Create branch on top of current
stak insert	Insert branch at any position (fzf)
stak split	Split current branch's commits (fzf)
stak up / down	Move up or down the stack
stak goto	Jump to branch (fzf interactive)
stak status	Show the stack
stak sync	Rebase entire stack
stak continue	Continue after resolving conflicts
stak abort	Abort current rebase
stak push	Push branches (fzf multi-select)
stak push -a	Push all branches
stak drop	Remove top branch
stak fold	Fold branch (fzf interactive)
stak fold --down	Fold into child (non-interactive)
stak land	Clean up after PR merge
stak log	View commits (fzf interactive)
stak log -a	Show all branches
stak ls	List all stacks
stak use	Switch to stack (fzf interactive)
stak use <name>	Switch/create stack by name
stak rm-stack	Delete a stack (fzf interactive)
stak setup-interactive	Install fzf

Disable Interactive Mode

export STAK_NO_INTERACTIVE=1
stak push    # pushes all without fzf prompt

Basic Workflow

git checkout main

# Build feature in parts
stak new auth-types
# ... commit ...

stak new auth-service
# ... commit ...

stak new auth-ui
# ... commit ...

# See the stack
stak status
#     main
#     auth-types (2 commits)
#     auth-service (3 commits)
#   → auth-ui (4 commits)

# Push all for review
stak push

Editing a Lower Branch

# Go back to fix something
stak down
stak down
# ... fix and commit ...

# Update everything above
stak sync

# Push updates
stak push

Handling Conflicts

stak sync
# Conflict in auth-service!

# Fix the conflict in your editor
git add .
stak continue    # continues sync

# Or abort and try differently
stak abort

Combining Branches

Fold up (into parent - keep parent's name):

# Combine auth-service into auth-types
stak down              # go to auth-service
stak fold              # fold up into auth-types

#     main
#   → auth-types (combined)
#     auth-ui

Fold down (into child - keep child's name):

# Combine auth-service into auth-ui
stak down              # go to auth-service
stak fold --down       # fold down into auth-ui

#     main
#     auth-types
#   → auth-ui (combined)

After PR Merges

# auth-types PR merged to main
stak land        # removes auth-types, rebases rest onto main

# Stack is now:
#     main
#   → auth-service
#     auth-ui

Multiple Stacks

Work on different features simultaneously:

# Create stacks for different features
stak use auth-feature     # creates & switches
stak new auth-types
stak new auth-service

stak use billing-feature  # creates & switches
stak new billing-api
stak new billing-ui

# Switch between them
stak use auth-feature

# List all stacks
stak ls
#   ● auth-feature (2 branches) ◀ current
#   ○ billing-feature (2 branches)

# Delete when done
stak rm-stack billing-feature

Each stak tracks its own chain of branches independently.

Why stak?

Tool	Complexity	Dependencies	Works with any Git host
stak	Minimal	Just bash + git	✅ Yes
Graphite	Full platform	Requires account	❌ GitHub only
ghstack	Medium	Python	❌ GitHub only
git-branchless	High	Rust binary	✅ Yes

Philosophy

• Minimal: Only commands you need for stacked changes
• Transparent: Just git branches. Use git directly anytime.
• No magic: Stacks stored in .git/stacks/, one branch per line
• Conflict-friendly: Resolve normally, then stak continue

Tips

• Keep stacks shallow (2-3 branches). Deep stacks = more conflicts.
• Commit before running sync, fold, or drop.
• Use stak status often to see where you are.
• You can always use raw git commands - stak just helps manage the chain.
• Run stak setup-interactive to install fzf for interactive navigation.

License

MIT