Git Workspace Init

Git Workspace Init

Initialize an isolated git worktree with a properly named branch following conventional branch naming conventions.

When to Use

• Starting a new feature
• Beginning a bug fix
• Creating a hotfix
• Documentation updates
• Refactoring work
• Any task needing an isolated workspace

Prerequisites

• Git repository with a remote configured
• Write access to push branches

Workflow Overview

1. Get task details → Ask for type and description (or accept from command)
2. Generate branch name → Apply conventional branch naming
3. Create worktree → Set up isolated workspace
4. Push to remote → Track branch on origin
5. Navigate → Switch to new workspace

Step 1: Gather Task Information

Ask the user for or accept from command arguments:

Task Type

Task Description

A brief description that will become the branch name suffix:

• Use lowercase
• Use hyphens for spaces
• Keep it concise but descriptive

Examples:

• "user authentication" → user-authentication
• "fix validation error" → validation-error
• "add dark mode" → dark-mode

Step 2: Generate Branch Name

Format: <type>/<description>

# Examples
feat/user-authentication
fix/null-pointer-exception
hotfix/xss-vulnerability
docs/installation-guide
refactor/extract-user-service

Naming Rules

1. Lowercase only - feat/Add-User → feat/add-user
2. Hyphens for spaces - fix/login error → fix/login-error
3. No special characters - Only a-z, 0-9, -, /
4. Concise - Keep under 50 characters total
5. Descriptive - Should indicate the work being done

Helper Function

import re

def generate_branch_name(task_type: str, description: str) -> str:
    """Generate conventional branch name from type and description."""
    valid_types = ["feat", "fix", "hotfix", "docs", "refactor", "test", "chore", "perf", "ci", "style"]

    if task_type not in valid_types:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid type '{task_type}'. Must be one of: {', '.join(valid_types)}")

    # Normalize description
    normalized = description.lower().strip()
    # Replace spaces and underscores with hyphens
    normalized = re.sub(r'[\s_]+', '-', normalized)
    # Remove invalid characters
    normalized = re.sub(r'[^a-z0-9-]', '', normalized)
    # Remove consecutive hyphens
    normalized = re.sub(r'-+', '-', normalized)
    # Trim hyphens from ends
    normalized = normalized.strip('-')

    return f"{task_type}/{normalized}"

Step 3: Create Git Worktree

Worktrees allow working on multiple branches simultaneously without stashing or switching.

Default Worktree Location

Worktrees are created in a .worktrees directory at the repository root:

my-project/
├── .worktrees/
│   ├── feat-user-auth/      # Worktree for feat/user-auth
│   └── fix-login-error/     # Worktree for fix/login-error
├── src/
└── ...

Create Worktree Commands

# Get repository root
REPO_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)

# Define worktree directory (replace / with - for directory name)
BRANCH_NAME="feat/user-authentication"
WORKTREE_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/.worktrees/${BRANCH_NAME//\//-}"

# Ensure .worktrees directory exists
mkdir -p "$REPO_ROOT/.worktrees"

# Create worktree with new branch from main/master
git worktree add -b "$BRANCH_NAME" "$WORKTREE_DIR" origin/main

Workflow

import subprocess
import os

def create_worktree(branch_name: str, base_branch: str = "main") -> str:
    """Create a new worktree for the given branch."""
    # Get repo root
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"],
        capture_output=True, text=True, check=True
    )
    repo_root = result.stdout.strip()

    # Create worktree directory name (replace / with -)
    worktree_dir_name = branch_name.replace("/", "-")
    worktree_path = os.path.join(repo_root, ".worktrees", worktree_dir_name)

    # Ensure .worktrees directory exists
    os.makedirs(os.path.join(repo_root, ".worktrees"), exist_ok=True)

    # Fetch latest from remote
    subprocess.run(["git", "fetch", "origin"], check=True)

    # Create worktree with new branch
    subprocess.run(
        ["git", "worktree", "add", "-b", branch_name, worktree_path, f"origin/{base_branch}"],
        check=True
    )

    return worktree_path

Step 4: Push Branch to Remote

Set up tracking with the remote repository:

# From within the new worktree
cd "$WORKTREE_DIR"

# Push and set upstream
git push -u origin "$BRANCH_NAME"

Workflow

def push_branch(worktree_path: str, branch_name: str):
    """Push the new branch to remote with tracking."""
    subprocess.run(
        ["git", "-C", worktree_path, "push", "-u", "origin", branch_name],
        check=True
    )

Step 5: Navigate to Workspace

After creation, navigate to the new worktree:

cd "$WORKTREE_DIR"
pwd
git status

Important: Inform the user of the new workspace path so they can navigate there in their terminal.

Complete Example

import subprocess
import os
import re

def generate_branch_name(task_type: str, description: str) -> str:
    """Generate conventional branch name."""
    valid_types = ["feat", "fix", "hotfix", "docs", "refactor", "test", "chore", "perf", "ci", "style"]

    if task_type not in valid_types:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid type. Must be one of: {', '.join(valid_types)}")

    normalized = description.lower().strip()
    normalized = re.sub(r'[\s_]+', '-', normalized)
    normalized = re.sub(r'[^a-z0-9-]', '', normalized)
    normalized = re.sub(r'-+', '-', normalized)
    normalized = normalized.strip('-')

    return f"{task_type}/{normalized}"


def init_workspace(task_type: str, description: str, base_branch: str = "main") -> dict:
    """
    Initialize a new git worktree with conventional branch naming.

    Args:
        task_type: Type of work (feat, fix, hotfix, docs, refactor, test, chore, perf, ci, style)
        description: Brief description of the task
        base_branch: Branch to base the new branch on (default: main)

    Returns:
        dict with branch_name, worktree_path, and success status
    """
    # Generate branch name
    branch_name = generate_branch_name(task_type, description)
    print(f"Branch name: {branch_name}")

    # Get repo root
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"],
        capture_output=True, text=True, check=True
    )
    repo_root = result.stdout.strip()

    # Create worktree path
    worktree_dir_name = branch_name.replace("/", "-")
    worktree_path = os.path.join(repo_root, ".worktrees", worktree_dir_name)

    # Ensure .worktrees exists
    os.makedirs(os.path.join(repo_root, ".worktrees"), exist_ok=True)

    # Fetch latest
    print("Fetching latest from origin...")
    subprocess.run(["git", "fetch", "origin"], check=True)

    # Create worktree with new branch
    print(f"Creating worktree at: {worktree_path}")
    subprocess.run(
        ["git", "worktree", "add", "-b", branch_name, worktree_path, f"origin/{base_branch}"],
        check=True
    )

    # Push branch to remote
    print(f"Pushing {branch_name} to origin...")
    subprocess.run(
        ["git", "-C", worktree_path, "push", "-u", "origin", branch_name],
        check=True
    )

    # Verify
    print(f"\nWorkspace initialized!")
    print(f"  Branch: {branch_name}")
    print(f"  Path: {worktree_path}")
    print(f"\nTo start working:")
    print(f"  cd {worktree_path}")

    return {
        "branch_name": branch_name,
        "worktree_path": worktree_path,
        "success": True
    }


# Example usage:
# init_workspace("feat", "user authentication")
# init_workspace("fix", "login validation error")
# init_workspace("docs", "API reference update")

Quick Reference

Branch Type Cheat Sheet

Worktree Commands

# List all worktrees
git worktree list

# Remove a worktree (when done)
git worktree remove <path>

# Prune stale worktrees
git worktree prune

Cleanup After Merge

After your PR is merged:

# Remove the worktree
git worktree remove .worktrees/feat-user-authentication

# Delete the local branch (if not auto-deleted)
git branch -d feat/user-authentication

# Prune remote tracking branches
git fetch --prune

Error Handling

Branch Already Exists

fatal: A branch named 'feat/user-auth' already exists.

Solution: Choose a more specific name or check if work is already in progress.

Worktree Path Already Exists

fatal: '<path>' already exists

Solution: The worktree already exists. Use git worktree list to find it.

No Remote Configured

fatal: No configured push destination.

Solution: Add a remote first: git remote add origin <url>