# Wan Huiyan Agent Traffic Control Main Bash Cwd Persists Nested Worktree > Main-agent Bash cwd persistence → nested worktrees at wrong path - Skill: `tomevault-io/wan-huiyan-agent-traffic-control-main-bash-cwd-persists-nest` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/wan-huiyan-agent-traffic-control-main-bash-cwd-persists-nest` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/wan-huiyan-agent-traffic-control-main-bash-cwd-persists-nest/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/wan-huiyan-agent-traffic-control-main-bash-cwd-persists-nest --- # Main-agent Bash cwd persistence → nested worktrees at wrong path ## Problem You're orchestrating multiple parallel-dispatch subagents, each in its own git worktree. From the main agent's Bash tool you do: ```bash git worktree add .claude/worktrees/track-A origin/main -b feat/track-A # ... dispatch Track A subagent ... # ... investigate codebase ... cd /path/to/repo/.claude/worktrees/track-A && grep -rn "foo" src/ # persists cwd! # ... time passes, you dispatch Track B ... git worktree add .claude/worktrees/track-B origin/main -b feat/track-B ``` You expect `track-B` at `/.claude/worktrees/track-B`. Instead `git worktree list` reports it at `/.claude/worktrees/track-A/.claude/worktrees/track-B` — nested inside the Track A worktree. Branches, commits, and pushes still work (git resolves them via `.git/worktrees/` metadata regardless of disk location), but: - Dispatched subagents pointed at the intended path will report "worktree path mismatch." - Cleanup (`git worktree remove .claude/worktrees/track-B`) from the project root won't find it. - Per-worktree caches, venvs, and uploads end up under the wrong parent directory. ## Context / Trigger conditions - Main agent runs more than one `git worktree add` in the same session. - Between worktree-add calls, the main agent ran a Bash command that included a `cd` to a path other than the project root. - The later `git worktree add` uses a **relative** path (e.g., `.claude/worktrees/`). - Symptom: `git worktree list` shows nested paths, OR a subagent given the intended path can't find its worktree, OR `pwd` inside a subagent reports a longer-than-expected path. The Bash tool's own description says it: *"The working directory persists between commands, but shell state does not."* This is the opposite of subagent Bash, which resets cwd per call (see `subagent-bash-cd-wrong-worktree`). ## Solution Three reliable mitigations, in order of preference: 1. **Always pass an absolute path to `git worktree add`** from the main agent. ```bash git worktree add /Users/huiyanwan/Documents/AMC-handover/.claude/worktrees/track-B origin/main -b feat/track-B ``` This is the cleanest fix and is robust against any cwd drift. 2. **Reset cwd to project root** in the same chained call before any `git worktree add` with a relative path: ```bash cd /Users/huiyanwan/Documents/AMC-handover && git worktree add .claude/worktrees/track-B origin/main -b feat/track-B ``` 3. **Create ALL worktrees up-front in a single batch** at the start of the session, before any other Bash commands that might `cd`. When dispatching parallel subagent prompts, also bake an absolute-path verification step into each prompt: ``` First action: verify worktree path matches expectation. cd /Users/huiyanwan/Documents/AMC-handover/.claude/worktrees/ pwd # MUST end in ; STOP and report if it doesn't git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD # MUST be feat/ ``` ## Verification After creating a worktree, immediately: ```bash git worktree list | grep ``` The reported path must NOT be nested under another worktree. If it is, before any subagent dispatch: ```bash # Move it to the correct location (requires admin; or just remove + re-add) git worktree remove git worktree add /abs/path/to/.claude/worktrees/ origin/main -b feat/ ``` ## Example **What went wrong (Session 15, AMC-handover):** ```bash # Main agent at /Users/huiyanwan/Documents/AMC-handover (project root) git worktree add .claude/worktrees/s15-lows-bundle origin/main -b feat/s15-lows-bundle # → created at .../AMC-handover/.claude/worktrees/s15-lows-bundle ✅ # Later, investigation: cd /Users/huiyanwan/Documents/AMC-handover/.claude/worktrees/s15-lows-bundle && grep "_JINJA_ENV" src/ # → main shell cwd is now inside s15-lows-bundle worktree # Even later, second worktree: git worktree add .claude/worktrees/s15-csv-upload origin/main -b feat/s15-csv-upload # → created at .../s15-lows-bundle/.claude/worktrees/s15-csv-upload ❌ ``` **Fix applied in that session:** none mid-session (PRs all pushed correctly via branch refs). The lesson is to use absolute paths next time. ## Notes - Branch and push behavior are NOT affected because git tracks worktrees by `.git/worktrees/` metadata, not by filesystem path. So this bug is silent — you only notice when a subagent reports a path mismatch or when you try to `git worktree remove` from the project root. - This is a property of the Claude Code Bash tool specifically. Other tools (e.g., Edit, Write, Read) don't have a persistent cwd — they take absolute paths or resolve against the project root. - The subagent variant (`subagent-bash-cd-wrong-worktree`) describes the opposite failure mode: subagent shells reset cwd per call, so a `cd` followed by `git commit` in a *separate* Bash call commits to the parent repo's HEAD. Both are real, and the fix is the same: use absolute paths and verify with `pwd` before any state-changing command. ## References - Claude Code Bash tool docstring: "The working directory persists between commands, but shell state does not." - Related skill: [subagent-bash-cd-wrong-worktree](../subagent-bash-cd-wrong-worktree/SKILL.md) — the inverse failure mode in subagent shells. - Related skill: [using-git-worktrees](../using-git-worktrees/) — general worktree workflow. --- > Source: [wan-huiyan/agent-traffic-control](https://github.com/wan-huiyan/agent-traffic-control) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).