+# check git version to see if we can use autostash.
+# this appears to be an ubuntu issue, where xenial did not provide it even though the
+# feature appeared in git 2.6 and xenial claims it has git version 2.7.4. eventually,
+# this version test can go away.
+gitvertest="$(git version | sed -e 's/git version [0-9]\.//' | sed -e 's/\.[0-9][0-9]*$//' )"
+if (( $gitvertest >= 11 )); then
+ # auto-stash is not available until 2.6 for git, but ubuntu is misreporting or using a
+ # differing version number somehow. we are sure autostash was missing on ubuntu xenial
+ # with git 2.7.4 and it's definitely present in zesty with git at 2.11.
+ PULL_ADDITION='--rebase --autostash'
+fi
+
+##############
+