Simple Git Worktrees

Simple Git Worktrees

Guide Claude in creating and managing git worktrees using a simple sibling directory pattern.

When to Use Worktrees

Use worktrees for:

• Parallel development on multiple branches
• Reviewing PRs while preserving current work
• Running tests on different branches simultaneously
• Isolating experimental changes

The Sibling Directory Pattern

Worktrees are created as sibling directories alongside the main repository following the repo--branch naming convention:

parent/
  ├── my-project/          # Main repository
  ├── my-project--feature/ # Worktree for 'feature' branch
  ├── my-project--bugfix/  # Worktree for 'bugfix' branch
  └── my-project--review/  # Worktree for reviewing PR

Benefits:

• Lives alongside main repo (easy to find and navigate)
• Name encodes branch (self-documenting, no guesswork)
• No special permissions needed (just sibling directories)
• Standard shell tools work (cd, ls, find)
• Pattern validation prevents accidental deletions

Creating Worktrees

Basic Creation

Use worktree-manager.sh for safe, validated creation:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"

# Create worktree for branch
BRANCH="feature-name"
WORKTREE_PATH=$(create_worktree "$BRANCH")

# Switch to worktree
cd "$WORKTREE_PATH"

What happens:

1. Calculates sibling path: ../repo--branch
2. Checks if path already exists (prevents overwrites)
3. Creates worktree with new branch: git worktree add -b "$BRANCH" "$PATH"
4. Returns full path to worktree

Manual creation (without script):

# Get current repo name
REPO_BASE="$(basename "$PWD")"
BRANCH="feature-name"

# Calculate sibling path
WORKTREE_PATH="../${REPO_BASE}--${BRANCH}"

# Create worktree
git worktree add -b "$BRANCH" "$WORKTREE_PATH"

# Switch to it
cd "$WORKTREE_PATH"

Creating from Existing Branch

Create worktree for branch that already exists:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"

REPO_BASE="$(basename "$PWD")"
EXISTING_BRANCH="main"
WORKTREE_PATH="../${REPO_BASE}--review-main"

# Create without -b flag (branch exists)
git worktree add "$WORKTREE_PATH" "$EXISTING_BRANCH"
cd "$WORKTREE_PATH"

Removing Worktrees

CRITICAL: Always check for unpushed commits before removing worktrees.

Safe Removal with Validation

Use remove_worktree() for safety-checked removal:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"

# MUST be inside a worktree directory (not main repo)
cd "../repo--feature"

# Remove with safety checks
remove_worktree

Safety checks performed:

1. Confirms currently in worktree (not main repo)
2. Validates directory matches repo--branch pattern
3. Checks for unpushed commits (prevents data loss)
4. Removes worktree and deletes branch

Manual Removal Process

If removing manually (without script):

# 1. Verify in worktree
if git rev-parse --git-dir | grep -q "worktrees"; then
  echo "In worktree"
else
  echo "ERROR: Not in worktree"
  exit 1
fi

# 2. Get current directory name
WORKTREE_DIR="$(basename "$PWD")"

# 3. Parse pattern
if [[ "$WORKTREE_DIR" == *--* ]]; then
  REPO="${WORKTREE_DIR%%--*}"
  BRANCH="${WORKTREE_DIR#*--}"
else
  echo "ERROR: Invalid pattern (missing --)"
  exit 1
fi

# 4. Check for unpushed commits
if ! git push --dry-run 2>&1 | grep -q "Everything up-to-date"; then
  echo "ERROR: Unpushed commits detected"
  echo "Push first: git push origin $BRANCH"
  exit 1
fi

# 5. Return to main repo
cd "../$REPO"

# 6. Remove worktree and branch
git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_DIR"
git branch -d "$BRANCH"

Safety Features

Unpushed Commit Detection

Before removing any worktree, verify work is pushed:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"

# Check if worktree has unpushed commits
if check_unpushed_commits "$WORKTREE_PATH"; then
  echo "Safe to remove"
else
  echo "Has unpushed commits - push first"
fi

What it checks:

1. Branch exists on remote (has been pushed at least once)
2. No commits exist locally that aren't on remote
3. Prevents accidental data loss

Pattern Validation

Validate directory names before operations:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"

# Validate naming pattern
if validate_worktree_pattern "myrepo--feature"; then
  echo "Valid worktree pattern"
else
  echo "Invalid pattern - should be repo--branch"
fi

Valid patterns:

• repo--branch
• my-repo--my-feature
• project123--bugfix-auth

Invalid patterns:

• repo (no -- separator)
• --branch (missing repo name)
• repo-- (missing branch name)

Repository Detection

Determine if currently in main repo or worktree:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"

if is_main_repo; then
  echo "In main repository"
else
  echo "In linked worktree"
fi

Use this to prevent operations in wrong location.

Integration with Plan Execution

When executing implementation plans via /dev-workflow:execute-plan, worktrees provide isolation:

Workflow:

1. User runs /dev-workflow:execute-plan plan-file.md
2. Command detects if in main repo
3. Asks user: "Create isolated worktree session for this work?"
4. If yes:
   • Creates worktree: ../repo--branch
   • Switches to worktree: cd ../repo--branch
   • Continues execution in worktree (current session)
5. Work proceeds isolated from main repo
6. After completion, option to merge or create PR

No Terminal spawning: Everything happens in current session.

Common Workflows

Reviewing a Pull Request

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"

# Fetch PR branch
git fetch origin pull/123/head:pr-123

# Create worktree for review
WORKTREE_PATH=$(create_worktree "pr-123")
cd "$WORKTREE_PATH"

# Review code, run tests, etc.

# When done
remove_worktree

Parallel Development

# Main repo: working on feature-a
cd ~/projects/myapp

# Need to fix urgent bug without losing feature-a work
cd ..
WORKTREE_PATH=$(create_worktree "hotfix-login")
cd "myapp--hotfix-login"

# Fix bug, commit, push
git add .
git commit -m "fix: login validation"
git push origin hotfix-login

# Return to main work
cd ../myapp

Cleaning Up Old Worktrees

List all worktrees:

git worktree list

For each old worktree:

cd ../repo--old-branch
source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"
remove_worktree  # Includes safety checks

Troubleshooting

"Path exists" Error

Problem: Trying to create worktree but path already exists

Solution: Remove or rename existing directory first

# Check what's there
ls -la ../repo--branch

# If it's an old worktree
cd ../repo--branch
remove_worktree

# If it's not a worktree, manually remove
rm -rf ../repo--branch

"Not in worktree" Error

Problem: Trying to remove from main repo

Solution: Only run remove_worktree() from inside a worktree directory

# Check current location
pwd
basename "$(pwd)"  # Should match repo--branch pattern

# Navigate to worktree first
cd ../repo--branch
remove_worktree

"Invalid pattern" Error

Problem: Directory doesn't match repo--branch naming

Solution: Only remove worktrees created with standard pattern

This error prevents accidental deletion of unrelated directories.

"Unpushed commits" Error

Problem: Worktree has commits not pushed to remote

Solution: Push commits before removing

# Push commits
git push origin branch-name

# Then remove
remove_worktree

Quick Reference

Create worktree:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"
WORKTREE_PATH=$(create_worktree "branch-name")
cd "$WORKTREE_PATH"

Remove worktree:

cd ../repo--branch
source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"
remove_worktree

List worktrees:

git worktree list

Check for unpushed commits:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"
check_unpushed_commits "$WORKTREE_PATH"

Validate pattern:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"
validate_worktree_pattern "$(basename "$PWD")"

Detect if in worktree:

source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-manager.sh"
is_main_repo && echo "main" || echo "worktree"

Best Practices

1. Always source worktree-manager.sh - Use helper functions for safety
2. Check for unpushed commits - Never lose work by removing too early
3. Follow naming pattern - Keep repo--branch convention for clarity
4. Clean up regularly - Remove merged worktrees to avoid clutter
5. One worktree per branch - Don't create multiple worktrees for same branch
6. Stay in current session - No need for new terminals or windows
7. Push before removing - Safety check prevents data loss