Git Worktree

Git Worktree Skill

Critical Importance

Using git worktrees properly is critical for your development workflow efficiency. Poor worktree management leads to confusion, lost work, merge conflicts, and cluttered repositories. Proper worktree use enables parallel development without context switching costs, but misuse compounds problems across branches. Clean, organized worktrees prevent disasters.

Systematic Approach

Approach worktree management systematically. Worktrees require deliberate creation, clear naming, and timely cleanup. Don't create worktrees impulsively—plan your branching strategy, name worktrees descriptively, and establish cleanup habits. Treat worktrees as temporary workspaces that should be removed after merge, not permanent fixtures.

The Challenge

The maintain pristine worktree hygiene while juggling multiple parallel features, but if you can:

• You'll eliminate merge conflict nightmares
• Your git history will stay clean and readable
• Parallel development will be frictionless
• You'll never wonder "where did I put that branch?"

The challenge is balancing the freedom of parallel development with the discipline of cleanup. Can you leverage worktrees for productivity without drowning in stale branches?

Core Commands

Create a Worktree

# Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add ../project-feature -b feature/user-auth

# Create worktree on existing branch
git worktree add ../project-bugfix hotfix/critical-fix

# Create worktree at specific commit
git worktree add ../project-v1 release/v1.0

List Worktrees

git worktree list
# Output:
# /path/to/repo          abc1234 [main]
# /path/to/project-feature def5678 [feature/user-auth]
# /path/to/project-bugfix  ghi9012 [hotfix/critical-fix]

Remove Worktrees

# Remove worktree (after merging branch)
git worktree remove ../project-feature

# Force remove if worktree has uncommitted changes
git worktree remove --force ../project-feature

# Prune stale worktree references
git worktree prune

Naming Conventions

Use consistent, descriptive names:

# Good: describes the work
git worktree add ../myapp-feature-auth -b feature/auth
git worktree add ../myapp-bugfix-login -b hotfix/login-error
git worktree add ../myapp-experiment-v2 -b experiment/v2-redesign

# Bad: ambiguous names
git worktree add ../temp -b stuff
git worktree add ../test -b wip

Integration with ai-eng-system

Worktrees enable running multiple Claude sessions in parallel:

# Terminal 1: Feature implementation
git worktree add ../project-auth -b feature/auth
cd ../project-auth
claude  # Run /ai-eng/work "implement authentication"

# Terminal 2: Bug fix (parallel)
git worktree add ../project-bugfix -b hotfix/critical-fix
cd ../project-bugfix
claude  # Run /ai-eng/work "fix login timeout"

# Terminal 3: Code review
cd ../project
claude  # Run /ai-eng/review

Best Practices

1. Create one worktree per task — Keep worktrees focused
2. Name descriptively — Include project prefix and purpose
3. Clean up after merge — Remove worktrees when done
4. Prune regularly — Run git worktree prune to clean references
5. Use sibling directories — Keep worktrees next to main repo, not nested
6. Don't share worktrees — Each session gets its own worktree

Common Workflows

Feature Development with Review

# 1. Create feature worktree
git worktree add ../myapp-feature -b feature/new-api
cd ../myapp-feature

# 2. Develop the feature
# ... make changes, commit ...

# 3. Push and create PR
git push -u origin feature/new-api
gh pr create --title "Add new API" --body "..."

# 4. Switch back to main
cd ../myapp

# 5. Clean up after merge
git worktree remove ../myapp-feature
git branch -d feature/new-api

Running Tests in Isolation

# Create worktree for test runs (won't affect main)
git worktree add ../myapp-tests -b test/run
cd ../myapp-tests
[run tests for your project]
cd ../myapp
git worktree remove ../myapp-tests

Troubleshooting

Stale Worktrees

# List all worktrees including stale ones
git worktree list --verbose

# Prune stale references
git worktree prune

# Manually remove if prune doesn't work
rm -rf ../path-to-stale-worktree
git worktree prune

Worktree Won't Remove

# Force remove with uncommitted changes
git worktree remove --force ../project-feature

# If still failing, remove manually
rm -rf ../project-feature
git worktree prune

Worktree Confidence Assessment

After setting up or managing worktrees, rate your confidence from 0.0 to 1.0:

• 0.8-1.0: Worktrees are well-named, properly organized, no stale branches present
• 0.5-0.8: Worktrees functional but some naming inconsistencies or minor cleanup needed
• 0.2-0.5: Multiple stale worktrees, unclear what's active, some confusion about branch state
• 0.0-0.2: Worktree management is chaotic, risk of lost work or conflicts

Identify areas of uncertainty: Are there worktrees you don't recognize? Do you know which branches are still needed? What's the risk of worktree-related issues?

Anti-Rationalization Table