Working in Git Worktrees

Purpose

Git worktrees create isolated working directories on separate branches. Enables parallel work without conflicts.

Why you're in a worktree:

• Parallel work with other agents
• Test/lint isolation
• Independent branch work

Check if in Worktree

git rev-parse --git-dir
# .git → main repo
# ../path/.git/worktrees/name → worktree

git branch  # Shows your feature branch

Working Normally

Everything works normally!

• Commit, push, pull as usual
• Run tests in isolation
• Create PRs
• All git operations work

What's different:

• Separate working directory
• Changes don't affect parallel work
• Tests/lint see only your changes

Workflow

# Delegated to worktree
cd ../worktree-42

# Verify
git branch  # feature-branch-42
git status  # Clean

# Work normally
# Edit files
git add .
git commit -m "feat: implement"
just check-all
git push -u origin HEAD

# Create PR
gh pr create --draft

Comparison

Aspect	Main Repo	Worktree
Location	Original path	Separate directory
Tests	May conflict	Fully isolated
Files	Shared	Independent
Git history	Shared	Shared

After Complete

Don't manually delete!

Orchestrator handles cleanup after merge. Just return to main:

cd ../main-repo
git checkout main
git pull

Commands

# Create (usually orchestrator does this)
git worktree add ../worktree-42 -b feature-42

# List
git worktree list

# Remove (orchestrator does this)
git worktree remove ../worktree-42

Troubleshooting

"Branch already checked out" - Switch branch in other worktree first Changes not showing - Check pwd and git branch Tests failing - Verify with git pull