Git Worktrees

Git Worktrees

Work on multiple branches simultaneously. Each worktree = isolated workspace.

Workflow

FETCH   -> git fetch origin (ensure latest remote state)
LOCATE  -> Find .worktrees/ or worktrees/
VERIFY  -> Ensure directory is gitignored
CREATE  -> git worktree add .worktrees/name origin/main -b branch/name
SETUP   -> Install dependencies
BASELINE -> Verify tests pass
WORK    -> Implement in isolation
CLEANUP -> git worktree remove when done

Create Worktree

# ALWAYS fetch first to get latest remote state
git fetch origin

# Check existing directories
ls -d .worktrees worktrees 2>/dev/null

# Verify gitignored
git check-ignore -q .worktrees || echo ".worktrees/" >> .gitignore

# Create from origin/main (NOT local main) to ensure latest code
git worktree add .worktrees/feature-auth origin/main -b feature/auth
cd .worktrees/feature-auth

# Setup
[ -f package.json ] && npm install

# Baseline
npm test  # Must pass before changes

Why origin/main? Local main may be behind remote. Always base new work on the latest remote state to avoid merge conflicts and building on stale code.

Cleanup

cd /path/to/main/repo
git worktree remove .worktrees/feature-auth
git branch -d feature/auth  # If merged

Commands

git worktree list                          # List all
git worktree add .worktrees/fix bugfix/123 # Existing branch
git worktree remove .worktrees/feature     # Remove
git worktree prune                         # Clean stale

Decision Criteria

Red Flags

• Skipping git fetch origin before creating worktree
• Creating from local main instead of origin/main
• Creating without verifying gitignored
• Proceeding with failing baseline
• Leaving stale worktrees

Pairs with: pr-workflow, commit-discipline, tdd