Never lose uncommitted changes when switching Git branches again.

Auto Stash adds a ⎇ Switch Branch button to your VS Code status bar. When you switch branches, it automatically stashes your current changes, switches the branch, and restores any previously stashed changes for that branch.

How It Works

Click ⎇ Switch Branch in the bottom status bar
Pick a branch from the list
Your current changes are stashed automatically (labeled by branch name)
The selected branch is checked out
Any previously stashed changes for that branch are restored automatically

Features

✅ Auto stash on branch switch
✅ Auto restore stash on arrival
✅ Stashes untracked files too
✅ Never touches your manual stashes
✅ Prevents duplicate stashes per branch
✅ Race condition protection — button locks while switching
✅ Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux
✅ No configuration needed

Why Not Just Use Git Hooks?

Git does not have a pre-checkout hook, meaning there is no native way to run a script before a branch switch happens. Auto Stash solves this by replacing the switch action entirely with its own status bar button that stashes your changes before switching.

Requirements

Git installed and available in PATH
A workspace with a Git repository

Commands

Command	Description
`Auto Stash: Switch Branch`	Open branch picker with auto stash

Notes

Stashes are labeled autostash::<branch-name> so they're easy to identify
One stash per branch is kept at all times — switching twice replaces the previous stash
Manual stashes are never modified or deleted