Git Worktree Manager

This skill provides a unified interface for managing Git worktrees across your development workflow. Whether you're reviewing PRs in isolation or working on features in parallel, this skill handles all the complexity.

What This Skill Does

• Create worktrees from main branch with clear branch names
• List worktrees with current status
• Switch between worktrees for parallel work
• Clean up completed worktrees automatically
• Interactive confirmations at each step
• Automatic .gitignore management for worktree directory
• Automatic .env file copying from main repo to new worktrees
• Write guard enforcement via PreToolUse hook (.claude/hooks/worktree-write-guard.sh) -- blocks Write/Edit to main checkout when worktrees exist

CRITICAL: Always Use the Manager Script

NEVER call git worktree add directly. Always use the worktree-manager.sh script.

The script handles critical setup that raw git commands don't:

1. Copies .env, .env.local, .env.test, etc. from main repo
2. Ensures .worktrees is in .gitignore
3. Creates consistent directory structure
4. Detects bare repos (core.bare = true) and derives GIT_ROOT via --absolute-git-dir instead of --show-toplevel
5. Sources the shared plugins/soleur/scripts/resolve-git-root.sh helper -- all scripts that need GIT_ROOT should source this helper instead of inlining their own detection logic

After creating a worktree, run npm install if the project has a package.json — worktrees do not share node_modules/ with the main working tree, and build commands (npx @11ty/eleventy, etc.) will silently hang instead of erroring.

# ✅ CORRECT - Always use the script
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh create feature-name

# ❌ WRONG - Never do this directly
git worktree add .worktrees/feature-name -b feature-name main

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill in these scenarios:

1. Code Review (soleur:review): If NOT already on the target branch (PR branch or requested branch), offer worktree for isolated review
2. Feature Work (soleur:work): Always ask if user wants parallel worktree or live branch work
3. Parallel Development: When working on multiple features simultaneously
4. Cleanup: After completing work in a worktree

How to Use

In Claude Code Workflows

The skill is automatically called from the soleur:review and soleur:work skills:

# For review: offers worktree if not on PR branch
# For work: always asks - new branch or worktree?

Manual Usage

You can also invoke the skill directly from bash:

# Create a new worktree (copies .env files automatically)
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh create feature-login

# List all worktrees
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh list

# Switch to a worktree
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh switch feature-login

# Copy .env files to an existing worktree (if they weren't copied)
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh copy-env feature-login

# Clean up completed worktrees
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh cleanup

Commands

create <branch-name> [from-branch]

Creates a new worktree with the given branch name.

Options:

• branch-name (required): The name for the new branch and worktree
• from-branch (optional): Base branch to create from (defaults to main)

Example:

bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh create feature-login

What happens:

1. Checks if worktree already exists
2. Updates the base branch from remote
3. Creates new worktree and branch
4. Copies all .env files from main repo (.env, .env.local, .env.test, etc.)
5. Shows path for cd-ing to the worktree

list or ls

Lists all available worktrees with their branches and current status.

Example:

bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh list

Output shows:

• Worktree name
• Branch name
• Which is current (marked with ✓)
• Main repo status

switch <name> or go <name>

Switches to an existing worktree and cd's into it.

Example:

bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh switch feature-login

Optional:

• If name not provided, lists available worktrees and prompts for selection

cleanup or clean

Interactively cleans up inactive worktrees with confirmation.

Example:

bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh cleanup

What happens:

1. Lists all inactive worktrees
2. Asks for confirmation
3. Removes selected worktrees
4. Cleans up empty directories

sync-bare-files or sync

Syncs stale on-disk files from git HEAD in a bare repo. Only needed when the repo uses core.bare=true — on-disk files at the bare root become stale after merges since git never updates them. Auto-called after cleanup-merged cleans branches in bare repo context.

Example:

bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh sync-bare-files

What it syncs:

• AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md (session-start instructions)
• plugins/soleur/AGENTS.md, plugins/soleur/CLAUDE.md
• plugins/soleur/hooks/* (plugin hooks: stop-hook, welcome-hook, hooks.json)
• .claude/settings.json (permission rules)
• .claude/hooks/*.sh (PreToolUse hooks)
• plugins/soleur/scripts/resolve-git-root.sh
• The worktree-manager.sh script itself

Important: Any file that Claude Code executes at runtime from the bare repo root (via ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} or direct path) must be added to the sync list in worktree-manager.sh. Stale on-disk files cause silent regressions.

Workflow Examples

Code Review with Worktree

# Claude Code recognizes you're not on the PR branch
# Offers: "Use worktree for isolated review? (y/n)"

# You respond: yes
# Script runs (copies .env files automatically):
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh create pr-123-feature-name

# You're now in isolated worktree for review with all env vars
cd .worktrees/pr-123-feature-name

# After review, return to main:
cd ../..
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh cleanup

Parallel Feature Development

# For first feature (copies .env files):
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh create feature-login

# Later, start second feature (also copies .env files):
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh create feature-notifications

# List what you have:
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh list

# Switch between them as needed:
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh switch feature-login

# Return to main and cleanup when done:
cd .
bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh cleanup

Key Design Principles

KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

• One manager script handles all worktree operations
• Simple commands with sensible defaults
• Interactive prompts prevent accidental operations
• Clear naming using branch names directly

Opinionated Defaults

• Worktrees always created from main (unless specified)
• Worktrees stored in .worktrees/ directory
• Branch name becomes worktree name
• .gitignore automatically managed

Safety First

• Confirms before creating worktrees
• Confirms before cleanup to prevent accidental removal
• Won't remove current worktree
• Clear error messages for issues

Integration with Workflows

soleur:review

Instead of always creating a worktree:

1. Check current branch
2. If ALREADY on target branch (PR branch or requested branch) → stay there, no worktree needed
3. If DIFFERENT branch than the review target → offer worktree:
   "Use worktree for isolated review? (y/n)"
   - yes → call git-worktree skill
   - no → proceed with PR diff on current branch

soleur:work

Always offer choice:

1. Ask: "How do you want to work?
   1. New branch on current worktree (live work)
   2. Worktree (parallel work)"

2. If choice 1 → create new branch normally
3. If choice 2 → call git-worktree skill to create from main

Troubleshooting

"Worktree already exists"

If you see this, the script will ask if you want to switch to it instead.

"Cannot remove worktree: it is the current worktree"

Switch out of the worktree first (to main repo), then cleanup:

Navigate to the repository root directory, then run:

bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh cleanup

Lost in a worktree?

See where you are:

bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh list

.env files missing in worktree?

If a worktree was created without .env files (e.g., via raw git worktree add), copy them:

bash ./plugins/soleur/skills/git-worktree/scripts/worktree-manager.sh copy-env feature-name

Navigate back to the repository root directory.

Sharp Edges

• If worktree-manager.sh reports success but cd to the worktree path fails or git branch --show-current returns an unexpected branch, the worktree was not properly created. Fall back to git worktree add directly: git worktree add .worktrees/<name> -b <name> main. The script includes post-creation verification (#1806) but edge cases on bare repos may still produce partial directories. Tracked in #1854.
• The draft-pr subcommand uses SCRIPT_DIR for path resolution -- invoke it from inside the worktree, not from the bare repo root.
• When creating worktrees manually (not via the script), always use absolute paths. Relative paths resolve from CWD, not from GIT_DIR, creating nested worktrees that are difficult to clean up. The script handles this correctly but manual git worktree add commands are susceptible.
• When lefthook hangs in a worktree (>60s), kill it (pkill -f "lefthook run"), verify checks manually, then commit with LEFTHOOK=0 git commit. This is a known lefthook/worktree interaction bug.
• After git worktree add on bare repos, verify both rev-parse --show-toplevel (directory validity) and git worktree list --porcelain (registration). See learning: knowledge-base/project/learnings/2026-04-10-worktree-registration-verification-insufficient.md.
• In bare repos with multiple worktrees, git fetch origin branch:branch fails when the target branch is checked out in any worktree -- git rejects the refspec update. The fallback git fetch origin branch only updates origin/branch, NOT the local ref. Use git update-ref refs/heads/branch origin/branch to force-sync when the fetch refspec is rejected.
• After creating a worktree via the script, always verify it exists in git worktree list before attempting to cd into it -- the script may report success for names that silently fail (e.g., excessively long names). A 2026-04-18 recurrence under a normal short name (#2611) confirms the silent-failure mode is not limited to edge-case names; see knowledge-base/project/learnings/2026-04-18-worktree-manager-silent-registration-failure.md.
• In bare repos, git branch --show-current from the bare root returns main (or empty), not the worktree's branch. Always ensure CWD is inside the target worktree before running branch-detecting git commands.

Technical Details

Directory Structure

.worktrees/
├── feature-login/          # Worktree 1
│   ├── .git
│   ├── app/
│   └── ...
├── feature-notifications/  # Worktree 2
│   ├── .git
│   ├── app/
│   └── ...
└── ...

.gitignore (updated to include .worktrees)

How It Works

• Uses git worktree add for isolated environments
• Each worktree has its own branch
• Changes in one worktree don't affect others
• Share git history with main repo
• Can push from any worktree

Performance

• Worktrees are lightweight (just file system links)
• No repository duplication
• Shared git objects for efficiency
• Much faster than cloning or stashing/switching