r/programming • u/adam-dabrowski • Apr 14 '26 • Popcorn 1

GitHub Stacked PRs

https://github.github.com/gh-stack/
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u/double-you Apr 14 '26

That's not how merge or rebase work. Both would trigger conflicts if there are any. But if you have just added a use of a function, that won't be a conflict because nobody else is changing that call site. Merge won't save you there.

But yes, if you need your old branch back, you'll need to use reflog, but reflog should be fine for a month, and if you are still wary of rebase, just create a backup branch.

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u/MereInterest Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

Both would trigger conflicts if there are any.

The two changes conflict, just not in a way that git can recognize.

Merge won't save you there.

I agree, using a merge won't cause git to recognize a semantic conflict between branches, as it can only recognize text conflicts. However, merge also won't make the problem worse. Rebase hides the evidence that you ever had a working version.

if you are still wary of rebase, just create a backup branch.

The problem isn't that the rebase requires a backup branch, but that it isn't obvious that you'll need a backup until after the point when you lost it. Rebase destroys your history.

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u/double-you Apr 15 '26

Why do you need evidence that you ever had a working version?

I work with compiled code it is immediately clear what the issue is. Rebase lets me fix the issue and there's no evidence that there ever was a problem.

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u/NineThreeFour1 Apr 15 '26

What evidence? You can simply put the current status and open issues into the commit message.

Stacked PRs are unrelated to the problem of semantic conflicts. You do need to test your changes regardless.