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Overview

The gitsw command provides a comprehensive set of options for branch management, organized into three main categories: switching operations, information display, and behavior flags.

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Basic Usage

gitsw [OPTIONS] [BRANCH]

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Arguments

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BRANCH
string
Target branch to switch to. If omitted, gitsw launches an interactive branch picker with fuzzy search.Examples:
gitsw main              # Switch to main branch
gitsw feature-auth      # Switch to feature-auth branch
gitsw                   # Interactive picker

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Switching Options

Options that control branch switching behavior:
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-c, --create
boolean
Create the target branch if it doesn’t exist. Without this flag, switching to a non-existent branch will fail.Examples:
gitsw -c new-feature    # Create and switch to new-feature
gitsw --create fix/bug  # Create and switch to fix/bug
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-p, --pull
boolean
Pull the latest changes from the remote repository after switching branches. Useful for keeping branches up to date.Examples:
gitsw main -p           # Switch to main and pull latest
gitsw -p feature        # Switch to feature and pull
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-t, --track
string
required
Track and switch to a remote branch. Automatically fetches from the remote, creates a local tracking branch if needed, and switches to it.Format: REMOTE/BRANCHExamples:
gitsw -t origin/feature-api        # Track origin/feature-api
gitsw --track upstream/main        # Track upstream/main

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Information Display Options

Options for viewing branch and repository status:
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-s, --status
boolean
Show current status including active branch, uncommitted changes, stash state, package manager, and remote tracking information.Example output:
$ gitsw -s
Branch: feature-auth
Changes: 3 modified, 1 untracked
Stash: present
Package manager: npm
Tracking: origin/feature-auth
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-r, --recent
boolean
Show the 10 most recently visited branches, sorted by last access time. Includes stash indicators and timestamps.Example output:
$ gitsw -r
Recent branches:

* [1] feature-auth [stash] (just now)
  [2] main (2 hours ago)
  [3] develop (yesterday)
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-l, --list
boolean
List all branches that have gitsw-managed stashes. Shows stash status (present/missing) and last visited time.Example output:
$ gitsw -l
Branches with stashed changes:

* feature-auth (stash present, last visited 5 min ago)
  develop (stash present, last visited yesterday)

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Branch Management Options

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-d, --delete
string
required
Delete a local branch and clean up any associated stashes. Cannot delete the currently active branch. Prompts for confirmation if the branch has a stash.Examples:
gitsw -d old-feature           # Delete old-feature branch
gitsw --delete experimental    # Delete experimental branch

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Behavior Flags

Flags that modify default gitsw behavior:
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--no-stash
boolean
Skip automatic stash behavior when switching branches. By default, gitsw prompts to stash uncommitted changes. This flag disables that behavior.Warning: May cause branch switch to fail if there are conflicts with uncommitted changes.Example:
gitsw main --no-stash    # Switch without stashing
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--no-install
boolean
Skip automatic package installation prompts. By default, gitsw detects lock file changes and prompts to run the package manager’s install command.Example:
gitsw feature --no-install    # Switch without install prompt

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Version and Help

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-h, --help
boolean
Print help information showing all available options and usage examples.
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-V, --version
boolean
Print the current version of gitsw.

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Combining Options

Many options can be combined for powerful workflows: 
# Create a new branch, switch to it, and pull latest changes
gitsw -c -p feature-new

# Track a remote branch and pull immediately
gitsw -t origin/release -p

# Switch to main, pull, and skip install prompt
gitsw main -p --no-install

# Create a branch without auto-stash behavior
gitsw -c experimental --no-stash

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