file.cheap vs Git stash and Git worktree

Git stash, Git worktree, and file.cheap all help you set work aside, but they preserve different things. Git tools manage repository state. file.cheap manages arbitrary files and folders produced around an agent workflow.

The practical answer is often to use both: keep source changes in Git and keep screenshots, transcripts, reports, logs, and reproduction evidence in a file.cheap stash.

At a glance

Need	Git stash	Git worktree	file.cheap
Set aside tracked source changes	Best fit	Commit them on a branch	Can snapshot them, but loses Git semantics
Work on two branches at once	No	Best fit	No
Preserve untracked binary evidence	Requires care and flags	Lives in one working tree	Best fit
Save any file or folder outside a repo	No	No	Yes
Record tool, source, tags, and TTL	No	Through separate conventions	Built in
Search file contents across snapshots	No cross-stash index	Normal repository tools	BM25, semantic, or hybrid
Verify restored files against a manifest	Git object integrity	Git object integrity	Per-file hash verification
Connect evidence text to likely source code	No	No	Optional vecgrep workflow
Compress old payloads	Git object database behavior	Shared Git object database	Explicit tar+zstd or gzip

Use Git stash for a short interruption

git stash is excellent when you need to switch context before a working-tree change is ready to commit. It understands tracked changes and Git's index. It is not designed to become a searchable catalog of external evidence, and a stash message does not carry file.cheap's tool provenance, TTL, or manifest.

Use it when the sentence is: "Hold these code edits while I fix something else."

Use Git worktree for parallel branches

git worktree gives another branch its own checkout while sharing the same Git repository. It is the right choice when two agents or two tasks need independent working directories without repeatedly switching branches.

Use it when the sentence is: "Keep both branches checked out and runnable."

Use file.cheap for durable workflow artifacts

file.cheap accepts any file or directory, whether it belongs in Git or not. A stash can contain a vidtrace bundle, generated report, screenshots, logs, or a temporary export while preserving the producing tool and original source.

fcheap save /tmp/login-repro \
  --tag login \
  --tag repro \
  --tool vidtrace \
  --source ~/Downloads/login-bug.mp4 \
  --index

Use it when the sentence is: "Preserve this evidence so an agent or engineer can find, verify, and reopen it later."

A combined workflow

1. Create a Git worktree for the repair branch.
2. Save the completed reproduction bundle with file.cheap.
3. Search or connect that stash to the worktree's code.
4. Commit source changes in Git.
5. Keep the evidence until review is complete, then assign a TTL or drop it.

git worktree add ../storefront-fix -b fix/login-refresh
fcheap connect <stash-id> ../storefront-fix --index
git -C ../storefront-fix status

Do not use a file vault as a substitute for meaningful commits and branches. Do not put large, private investigation artifacts into Git merely because they need a lifecycle. Pick the tool whose data model matches the thing you are preserving.

See save, diff, and connect for the file.cheap side of the combined workflow.