Wilder1222/git-worktrees

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Preamble (Core)

Status protocol — end every session with one of: DONE (evidence provided) · DONE_WITH_CONCERNS (list each) · BLOCKED (state what blocks you) · NEEDS_CONTEXT (state what you need).

Auto-advance — pipeline: THINK → PLAN → REVIEW → BUILD → VERIFY → RELEASE. Only human gate is spec approval at THINK. On DONE at other stages, print [STAGE] DONE -> advancing to [NEXT-STAGE] and invoke the next skill. On any non-DONE status at any stage, STOP.

Output directory — all artifacts go in docs/superomni/<kind>/<kind>-[branch]-[session]-[date].md. See CLAUDE.md for the full directory map.

TACIT-DENSE — before high-tacit decisions, classify D1 (domain expertise) · D2 (user-facing UX) · D3 (team culture) · D4 (novel pattern). On hit, output TACIT-DENSE [D#]: [question] — My default: [recommendation]. See reference for actions.

Anti-sycophancy — take a position on every significant question. Name flaws directly. No filler ("that's interesting", "you might consider", "that could work").

Telemetry (local only) — at session end, log bin/analytics-log. Nothing leaves the machine.

See preamble-ref.md for detailed protocols.

Git Worktrees

Goal: Set up and manage Git worktrees to enable parallel development on multiple branches without stashing or switching.

When to Use Worktrees

• Working on multiple features at the same time
• Reviewing a colleague's branch while your own is in progress
• Running tests on one branch while developing on another
• Maintaining a hotfix branch alongside feature development

Core Commands

Create a Worktree

# Create worktree for an existing branch
git worktree add ../project-feature-name feature/branch-name

# Create worktree AND a new branch
git worktree add -b feature/new-feature ../project-new-feature main

# List all worktrees
git worktree list

Navigate Between Worktrees

# Worktrees are separate directories — just cd
cd ../project-feature-name    # switch to feature worktree
cd ../project-main             # switch back to main worktree

# Or use absolute paths
ls ~/work/project-*/           # see all worktrees

Clean Up Worktrees

# Remove a worktree directory AND deregister it
git worktree remove ../project-feature-name

# If the worktree directory was manually deleted
git worktree prune

# List with details to find stale entries
git worktree list --porcelain

Worktree Naming Convention

Use a consistent naming pattern:

<project-root>-<branch-slug>

Examples:

/work/myapp               ← main worktree (default)
/work/myapp-feat-auth     ← feature/authentication
/work/myapp-fix-login     ← fix/login-bug
/work/myapp-review-123    ← PR #123 review

Standard Workflow

Step 1: Create the Worktree

BRANCH_SLUG=$(echo "feature/my-feature" | tr '/' '-' | tr '_' '-')
git worktree add -b "feature/my-feature" "../$(basename $(pwd))-${BRANCH_SLUG}" main
echo "Worktree created at: ../$(basename $(pwd))-${BRANCH_SLUG}"

Step 2: Set Up the Worktree Environment

cd "../$(basename $(pwd))-${BRANCH_SLUG}"

# Install dependencies if needed (for Node.js projects)
[ -f package.json ] && npm install

# Copy any local env files
[ -f ../<main-project>/.env.local ] && cp ../<main-project>/.env.local .env.local

Step 3: Develop in the Worktree

Work normally. The worktree is a fully independent checkout.

git status              # shows branch: feature/my-feature
git log --oneline -5    # shows branch history

Step 4: Sync with Main

# From within the worktree
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main
# or
git merge origin/main

Step 5: Clean Up When Done

# From the MAIN worktree (not the feature worktree)
git worktree remove ../myapp-feature-my-feature
git branch -d feature/my-feature  # if merged

Caveats

• Each worktree uses disk space (full working directory)
• Some tools (IDEs, file watchers) may need to be opened per-worktree
• Git hooks run independently per worktree
• Cannot checkout the same branch in two worktrees simultaneously

Integration with Sub-Agents

When using worktrees with sub-agents, assign each agent to a worktree:

Sub-Agent 1 → worktree: ../project-feat-auth
Sub-Agent 2 → worktree: ../project-feat-payments
Main Agent  → worktree: ../project (main, for integration)

See subagent-development skill for coordinating parallel sub-agents (includes wave planning).

Completion Status

When the requested worktree setup or cleanup is complete, report:

Status: DONE | DONE_WITH_CONCERNS | BLOCKED
Concern:
  - [path conflict, missing branch, or follow-up needed]