Dev tools · September 19, 2023
Graphite – Stacked Diffs on GitHub
TLDR; Graphite enables a git workflow called “stacking” - the fastest way to develop and ship code, which many large tech companies have been using for years. Graphite makes stacking available to anyone with a GitHub account. Hi HN! I’m Tomas, co-founder of graphite.dev, and today we’re launching Graphite after almost two years of development in closed beta. [1] Graphite started as an internal solution to our own problem. When we (engineers from Meta, Google and Airbnb) left our previous roles, we lost access to the internal code review tools we loved. So we built our own.…
In plain words
Graphite is a GitHub-integrated development tool that enables "stacking," a workflow that breaks large pull requests into smaller, dependent ones. Created by engineers from Meta, Google, and Airbnb, it allows developers to stay unblocked and ship code faster by managing multiple related pull requests simultaneously. The tool brings code review practices from large tech companies to GitHub users.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
TLDR; Graphite enables a git workflow called “stacking” - the fastest way to develop and ship code, which many large tech companies have been using for years. Graphite makes stacking available to anyone with a GitHub account. Hi HN! I’m Tomas, co-founder of graphite.dev, and today we’re launching Graphite after almost two years of development in closed beta. [1] Graphite started as an internal solution to our own problem. When we (engineers from Meta, Google and Airbnb) left our previous roles, we lost access to the internal code review tools we loved. So we built our own. https://graphite.dev --- Graphite is how the fastest developers ship code - it’s a developer tool that allows you to create smaller pull requests, stay unblocked, and ship faster with “stacking” (creating a set of dependent pull requests). Stacking [2] allows developers to break up large pull requests (PRs) into smaller ones that can be reviewed & merged independently, while keeping ongoing development unblocked. Engineering best practices at Google advise that a “reasonable” PR be around 100 lines, and recommend splitting PRs in order to achieve this through stacking or other methods. [3] Unlike other tools like Phabricator, Gerrit, or Sapling, Graphite syncs seamlessly with your GitHub repositories, so that you don’t have to manage any extra infrastructure. This also means that even if your teammates don’t use Graphite yet, you still can. Here’s what you can expect when you sign in to Graphite with your GitHub account: (1) First class support for stacking: At its core, Graphite enables “stacking”—a workflow used by engineers at top companies like Meta and Google to create small, dependent sets of pull requests. The Graphite CLI, web app, and VS Code extension all come together to empower engineers to start stacking. (2) Pull request inbox: You can think of this as your home page on Graphite, where you have full visibility into the status of all your PRs and know what still needs to be done across every repo, author, and stage of review. You can also create custom inboxes that filter PRs on reviewers, authors, labels, CI status, and more. (3) Streamlined code review interface: Graphite’s pull request page removes tabs and minimizes distractions, with the aim of putting your code front and center. You can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate between files and comments or to move between PRs in your stack. You can also import custom memes and gifs to add some to your reviews too! (4) AI-powered pull requests: Auto-generate a detailed description for every PR with our OpenAI integration. You can even turn your comments into suggested code changes (coming soon!). (5) Real-time notifications: Connect Graphite to your Slack workspace to stay up-to-date on review requests, comments threads, merge status, and other activity on your PRs. For smaller PRs, you can leave a review (and even merge) directly from Slack. (6) Stack-aware merges: Since Graphite is built to support a stacking workflow, it automates the manual work of rebasing PRs when it’s time to merge. You can merge your stacks with one click from the web app, or in a single command from the CLI. Feel free to take a look at our getting started guide [4] or product tour video [5] for a tutorial on how to get started, and drop your comments to us below! [1] http://graphite.dev/blog/launch [2] http://stacking.dev [3] https://google.github.io/eng-practices/review/developer/small-cls.html [4] https://graphite.dev/docs/getting-started-with-graphite [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBcd9uopLOY
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