Ok, so you don't need to know git stash (good) but you need to know that autostash exists and how to configure it, so you still don't get away without an extra concept. I suppose the nice part about autostash is that it's easier for someone to just give you a .gitconfig with it, and not have to teach you how to use git stash.
The `.gitconfig` and also be 'given' to you by just being checked into the project. Someone has to know that you can have per-repo configs, but not everyone. ;)