# snapdir stage

Save a snapshot of a directory into the local cache.

Staging walks the directory, writes its objects into the content-addressed cache,
and records the resulting manifest so it can be verified, checked out, or pushed
to a store later. See [Stores and cache](../concepts/stores-and-cache.md).

## Usage

```text
snapdir stage [OPTIONS] [DIR]
```

### Arguments

| Argument | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `[DIR]` | Directory to stage. |

### Options

`stage` accepts the [global options](overview.md#global-options), including
`--cache-dir`, `--checksum`, `--exclude`, `--paths`, and `--linked`.

## Examples

Stage the current directory into the default cache:

```console
snapdir stage .
```

Stage into a specific cache directory, using symlinks instead of copies:

```console
snapdir stage --cache-dir /var/snapdir/cache --linked ./project
```

## See also

- [`snapdir verify`](snapdir-verify.md) — check a staged snapshot
- [`snapdir push`](snapdir-push.md) — upload a staged snapshot to a store
- [`snapdir checkout`](snapdir-checkout.md) — materialize a staged snapshot
- [Snapshotting guide](../guide/snapshotting.md)