Using GitHub Stacks with Jujutsu

Introduction

Managing branches and pull requests (PR) is a crucial part of collaborative software development. With the introduction of GitHub Stacks, managing stacked PRs becomes more intuitive. If you're using Jujutsu (jj), a Git-compatible version control system, you can leverage this feature in an optimized manner. This article explains how to make the most of GitHub Stacks with Jujutsu.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have the following CLI tools installed:

• git for version management (v2.52.0 or higher)
• jj for advanced version control (v0.43.0 or higher)
• gh for the GitHub command line interface (v2.96.0 or higher)
• gh-stack for managing GitHub stacks (v0.1.0 or higher)

To install the stack extension, use: gh extension install github/gh-stack.

Configuring Jujutsu

Jujutsu offers aliases for managing bookmarks, which is essential for stacked PRs on GitHub. You'll need to create bookmarks for each commit in your stack. Here are some useful commands:

• jj b l to list bookmarks
• jj b s <name> -r <commit> to create or move a bookmark
• jj b a to advance the nearest bookmark to the current commit

Adapting revset aliases allows you to fine-tune jj's behavior, such as customizing bookmark advancement to target non-empty and described commits.

Manual Workflows

Once you've set up jj, you can use a few essential subcommands to manage your remote stacks on GitHub:

Creating a Stack

To create a stack, start by creating a bookmark for each commit. Use revset aliases to efficiently navigate between commits.

Adding a Commit to the Top of the Stack

Add a new commit to the top of your stack to maintain a structured workflow. This makes managing and reviewing changes easier.

Managing Commits

Whether you want to add a commit to the bottom or middle of the stack, or even remove a commit, jj commands allow you to do so efficiently. Make sure to regularly sync with GitHub to avoid conflicts.

Merging Your Stack

Before merging, ensure all commits are ready and tests pass. Use gh stack push to send your changes to GitHub. Merging stacked PRs is simpler and minimizes the risk of conflicts.

Conclusion

By using Jujutsu with GitHub Stacks, you can significantly enhance your development workflow. The advanced features of jj allow for fine-tuned commit and PR management, giving you more control and flexibility.

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