DB Branching

Database Branching for Worktrees

Purpose: Automatically create and manage database branches when working with git worktrees that involve schema changes. Each worktree gets its own isolated database fork, preventing schema modifications from hitting production.

Supported Providers

When to Use

• Creating a worktree that will modify schema files (Prisma, Drizzle, raw SQL migrations)
• Adding new database models, columns, or indexes in a feature branch
• Testing migrations in isolation before applying to production
• Running multiple feature branches that each need different schemas
• Any /dev:worktree create where schema changes are anticipated

When NOT to Use

• Worktrees that only modify application code (no schema changes)
• Quick bug fixes that don't touch the database
• Read-only database work (queries, reports)
• Projects using databases without branching support

Provider Detection

Auto-detect the provider from the project's .env file:

# Detection logic
if grep -q "neon.tech" .env 2>/dev/null; then
  PROVIDER="neon"
elif grep -q "turso.io\|libsql://" .env 2>/dev/null; then
  PROVIDER="turso"
elif grep -q "supabase.co" .env 2>/dev/null; then
  PROVIDER="supabase"
else
  PROVIDER="none"
fi

Schema Tool Detection

Integration with worktree-lifecycle

This skill extends the existing dev:worktree-lifecycle 6-phase approach:

Phase 1 Extension: Pre-flight

After standard git checks pass:

1. Detect provider from .env (see Provider Detection above)
2. Verify provider tools are available:

If provider tools are not available:

[WARN] {Provider} tools not available.
       Worktree will use the production database URL.
       Schema changes will NOT be isolated.

       To enable database branching:
         Neon:     Configure @neondatabase/mcp-server-neon MCP server
         Turso:    brew install tursodatabase/tap/turso
         Supabase: brew install supabase/tap/supabase

Phase 3 Extension: Create Database Branch

Trigger: User confirmed schema changes will be made, OR task description mentions schema/model/migration work.

Insert after git worktree add succeeds, before dependency installation:

Step 1: Ask About Schema Changes

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "Will this branch involve database schema changes (new tables, columns, indexes)?"
  header: "Schema"
  options:
    - label: "Yes - create database branch (Recommended)"
      description: "Isolates schema changes from production via {PROVIDER}"
    - label: "No - use production database"
      description: "Faster setup, but schema changes would hit production"
    - label: "Not sure - create branch anyway"
      description: "Safe default, can delete later if unused"

Step 2: Create Branch (Provider-Specific)

Neon (MCP — preferred)

mcp__Neon__create_branch(
  projectId: "{PROJECT_ID}",
  branchName: "{BRANCH_NAME}"
)
// Returns: { id: "br-xxx-yyy", ... }

mcp__Neon__get_connection_string(
  projectId: "{PROJECT_ID}",
  branchId: "{BRANCH_ID}"
)
// Returns: connection string for the new branch endpoint

Turso (CLI)

turso db create "{DB_NAME}-{BRANCH_SLUG}" --from-db "{DB_NAME}"
# Get the new database URL
turso db show "{DB_NAME}-{BRANCH_SLUG}" --url
# Get auth token
turso db tokens create "{DB_NAME}-{BRANCH_SLUG}"

The connection string is: libsql://{DB_NAME}-{BRANCH_SLUG}-{org}.turso.io with the auth token.

Supabase (CLI)

supabase branches create "{BRANCH_NAME}" --project-ref "{PROJECT_REF}"
# Returns branch ID and connection details

Step 3: Copy and Patch .env

# Copy .env from main worktree to new worktree
cp "${ORIGINAL_CWD}/.env" "${WORKTREE_PATH}/.env"

# Replace the DATABASE_URL with branch connection string
# Only swap URLs matching the detected provider - leave other database URLs unchanged
sed -i '' "s|{ENV_VAR_NAME}=.*|{ENV_VAR_NAME}=\"${BRANCH_CONNECTION_STRING}\"|" \
  "${WORKTREE_PATH}/.env"

# For Turso: also update auth token if separate env var
# sed -i '' "s|{TOKEN_VAR}=.*|{TOKEN_VAR}=\"${BRANCH_AUTH_TOKEN}\"|" "${WORKTREE_PATH}/.env"

Step 4: Store Branch Metadata

Write .db-branch.json in the worktree root:

{
  "provider": "neon",
  "projectId": "{PROJECT_ID}",
  "branchId": "{BRANCH_ID}",
  "branchName": "{BRANCH_NAME}",
  "parentBranch": "{PARENT_BRANCH_NAME}",
  "parentBranchId": "{PARENT_BRANCH_ID}",
  "connectionString": "{BRANCH_CONNECTION_STRING}",
  "envVar": "{ENV_VAR_NAME}",
  "createdAt": "2026-02-16T10:30:00Z",
  "createdBy": "dev:worktree"
}

Important: Add .db-branch.json to .gitignore (contains connection string with credentials).

Phase 4 Extension: Apply Schema

After dependency installation, if database branch was created:

Push Schema to Branch

Use the detected schema tool:

Verify Schema Applied

Neon (MCP)

mcp__Neon__run_sql(
  projectId: "{PROJECT_ID}",
  branchId: "{BRANCH_ID}",
  sql: "SELECT count(*) FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_schema = 'public'"
)

Turso (CLI)

turso db shell "{DB_NAME}-{BRANCH_SLUG}" "SELECT count(*) FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table'"

Supabase

# Use the branch connection string directly with psql or via Supabase CLI
supabase db execute --project-ref "{PROJECT_REF}" --branch "{BRANCH_NAME}" \
  "SELECT count(*) FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_schema = 'public'"

Phase 5 Extension: Enhanced Handoff

Update the worktree metadata to include database branch info:

{
  "worktreePath": ".worktrees/feature-auth",
  "branchName": "feature/auth",
  "originalCwd": "/path/to/project",
  "stacks": ["nodejs"],
  "baselineTests": { "passing": 47, "failing": 7 },
  "status": "active",
  "database": {
    "provider": "neon",
    "projectId": "{PROJECT_ID}",
    "branchId": "br-xxx-yyy",
    "branchName": "feature/auth",
    "parentBranchId": "{PARENT_BRANCH_ID}",
    "envVar": "{ENV_VAR_NAME}"
  }
}

Output

Worktree ready:
  Path: .worktrees/feature-auth
  Branch: feature/auth
  Stacks: nodejs
  Dependencies: installed
  Tests: 47 passing, 7 failing (pre-existing)
  DB Provider: Neon (PostgreSQL)
  DB Branch: br-xxx-yyy (from production)
  Database: Isolated (branch-specific connection)
  Status: READY

Safe to run schema commands:
  bun run circl:push       # Push schema changes (isolated)
  bun run circl:generate   # Regenerate Prisma client

Phase 6 Extension: Cleanup

Step 1: Check for Branch Metadata

DB_META="${WORKTREE_PATH}/.db-branch.json"
if [ -f "$DB_META" ]; then
  PROVIDER=$(jq -r .provider "$DB_META")
  BRANCH_ID=$(jq -r .branchId "$DB_META")
  PROJECT_ID=$(jq -r .projectId "$DB_META")
fi

Step 2: Ask About Schema Migration

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "This worktree has a {PROVIDER} database branch. Apply schema changes to production?"
  header: "DB cleanup"
  options:
    - label: "Apply schema to production first, then delete branch (Recommended)"
      description: "Merges code + pushes schema to production"
    - label: "Delete branch (discard schema changes)"
      description: "Only the code gets merged, schema changes are lost"
    - label: "Keep branch for now"
      description: "Worktree is removed but database branch stays (manual cleanup later)"

Step 3: Apply Schema to Production (if chosen)

cd "${ORIGINAL_CWD}"
# Use the project's schema push command against production

Step 4: Delete Database Branch (Provider-Specific)

Neon (MCP)

mcp__Neon__delete_branch(
  projectId: "{PROJECT_ID}",
  branchId: "{BRANCH_ID}"
)

Turso (CLI)

turso db destroy "{DB_NAME}-{BRANCH_SLUG}" --yes

Supabase (CLI)

supabase branches delete "{BRANCH_NAME}" --project-ref "{PROJECT_REF}"

Provider Reference: Neon (Recommended)

Neon is the recommended provider due to:

• Instant copy-on-write branching — milliseconds, not seconds
• Native MCP integration — no CLI shelling, direct tool calls
• Free tier includes 3 branches — sufficient for most development
• Full PostgreSQL — works with every PostgreSQL ORM
• Unique endpoints per branch — clean connection string isolation

Available Neon MCP Tools

Neon-Specific Configuration in CLAUDE.md

## Neon Database

- Project ID: `{project-id}`
- Main Branch: `production`
- Main Branch ID: `{branch-id}`
- Database: `neondb`
- Env Variable: `{ENV_VAR_NAME}`
- Schema: `prisma/{name}/schema.prisma`
- Push Command: `bun run {name}:push`

Provider Reference: Turso

Prerequisites

brew install tursodatabase/tap/turso
turso auth login

Key Differences from Neon

• Uses libSQL (SQLite fork), not PostgreSQL
• Connection strings use libsql:// protocol
• Separate auth token per database (stored in different env var)
• ORM support limited to Drizzle and raw libSQL clients
• No MCP server — uses CLI via Bash tool

Turso-Specific .db-branch.json

{
  "provider": "turso",
  "dbName": "{DB_NAME}-{BRANCH_SLUG}",
  "branchName": "{BRANCH_NAME}",
  "parentDb": "{DB_NAME}",
  "connectionString": "libsql://{DB_NAME}-{BRANCH_SLUG}-{org}.turso.io",
  "authToken": "{TOKEN}",
  "envVar": "{ENV_VAR_NAME}",
  "tokenVar": "{TOKEN_VAR_NAME}",
  "createdAt": "2026-02-16T10:30:00Z",
  "createdBy": "dev:worktree"
}

Provider Reference: Supabase

Prerequisites

brew install supabase/tap/supabase
supabase login

Key Differences from Neon

• Branch creation takes seconds (not instant)
• Tightly coupled with GitHub PR workflow (preview branches)
• Includes additional services per branch (Auth, Storage, Edge Functions)
• Uses supabase CLI for branch management
• No MCP server — uses CLI via Bash tool

Supabase-Specific .db-branch.json

{
  "provider": "supabase",
  "projectRef": "{PROJECT_REF}",
  "branchName": "{BRANCH_NAME}",
  "branchId": "{BRANCH_ID}",
  "connectionString": "postgresql://postgres:{password}@db.{branch-ref}.supabase.co:5432/postgres",
  "envVar": "{ENV_VAR_NAME}",
  "createdAt": "2026-02-16T10:30:00Z",
  "createdBy": "dev:worktree"
}

Configuration Discovery

Detecting Provider

Scan in this priority order:

1. .db-branch.json in any existing worktree — provider already known
2. CLAUDE.md — look for Neon project ID, Turso DB name, or Supabase project ref
3. .env file — match URL patterns against provider table
4. Ask user — if multiple providers detected or none matched

Multiple Database URLs

If a project has multiple *_DATABASE_URL values:

Only swap URLs matching a supported provider. All other database URLs stay the same.

Edge Cases

Provider Tools Not Available

[WARN] {Provider} tools not available.
       Worktree will use the production database URL.
       Schema changes will NOT be isolated.

Branch Creation Fails

[ERROR] Failed to create {Provider} database branch: {error}

Options:
  1. Continue without database branch (use production DB)
  2. Retry branch creation
  3. Abort worktree creation

Orphaned Database Branches

When list or status detects worktrees were removed manually:

[WARN] Orphaned database branches detected:

Provider   Branch/DB                       Git Branch              Status
Neon       br-dark-sky-a8xyz123            feature/old-thing       Worktree removed
Turso      mydb-fix-auth                   fix/auth-bug            Worktree removed

Clean up with: /dev:worktree cleanup-orphans

Multiple Providers in One Project

If a project uses both Neon (PostgreSQL) and Turso (SQLite), create branches for both:

{
  "provider": "multi",
  "branches": [
    { "provider": "neon", "branchId": "br-xxx", "envVar": "PG_DATABASE_URL" },
    { "provider": "turso", "dbName": "mydb-feature", "envVar": "TURSO_DATABASE_URL" }
  ]
}

Decision Matrix

List Command Extension

When /dev:worktree list runs, show database branch status:

Active Worktrees:

Path                              Branch                    DB Branch (Provider)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
/project                          main                      production (Neon)
.worktrees/add-audit-log          feature/add-audit-log     br-dark-sky-a8xyz123 (Neon)
.worktrees/edge-cache             feature/edge-cache        mydb-edge-cache (Turso)
.worktrees/fix-sync-bug           fix/sync-bug              (none)

Integration with Other Skills

• worktree-lifecycle: Primary integration — extends all 6 phases
• database-patterns: Schema design patterns used in branched development
• context-detection: Detects database provider from env vars and config files
• verification-before-completion: Verify schema applied to production before cleanup