Git Worktree

Git Worktree Manager

Manage Git worktrees for isolated parallel development — review PRs in isolation, work on features in parallel, or get a clean workspace.

When to Use

• Code review: Isolate review work from in-progress feature work
• Parallel features: Work on multiple features simultaneously
• Clean workspace: Get a fresh copy without stashing
• Cleanup: After completing work in a worktree

Commands

Create a worktree

# Create from default branch
git worktree add .worktrees/<branch-name> -b <branch-name> main

# Create from specific branch
git worktree add .worktrees/<branch-name> -b <branch-name> <from-branch>

After creating:

1. Copy .env* files from the main repo to the worktree
2. Ensure .worktrees is in .gitignore
3. Report the path for the user to cd into

List worktrees

git worktree list

Show which worktree is current (marked with active indicator).

Switch to a worktree

cd .worktrees/<name>

If the name isn't provided, list available worktrees and ask the user to pick one using #askQuestions.

Clean up worktrees

# List inactive worktrees
git worktree list

# Remove a specific worktree
git worktree remove .worktrees/<name>

# Prune stale worktree references
git worktree prune

Always confirm before removing. Never remove the current worktree.

Workflow Integration

With /review

1. Check current branch
2. If already on the target branch → stay, no worktree needed
3. If on a different branch → offer worktree using #askQuestions:
   • Yes → create worktree, cd into it
   • No → proceed with PR diff on current branch

With /work

Always offer the choice using #askQuestions:

1. New branch (live work on current worktree)
2. Worktree (parallel work in isolation)

Setup Details

Directory structure

.worktrees/
├── feature-login/          # Worktree 1
├── feature-notifications/  # Worktree 2
└── ...

.env file handling

After creating a worktree, copy environment files:

# Copy all .env variants
for f in .env .env.local .env.test .env.development .env.production; do
  [ -f "$f" ] && cp "$f" ".worktrees/<name>/$f"
done

.gitignore management

Ensure .worktrees is gitignored:

grep -q '.worktrees' .gitignore 2>/dev/null || echo '.worktrees' >> .gitignore

Key Principles

• Worktrees are lightweight — shared git objects, no repo duplication
• Always confirm destructive actions — don't remove without asking
• Copy .env files — worktrees need environment config to function
• Keep .worktrees gitignored — these are local development artifacts
• Prefer worktrees over stash — cleaner workflow, no accidental conflicts