Use the `gw` CLI for ALL Git worktree work — creating, navigating, listing, removing, syncing, updating, checking out PRs, troubleshooting. Replaces raw `git worktree`, `cd ../wt`, `git checkout -b`, and manual file copies. Triggers on: "spin up a branch", "work on a feature", "check out PR", "switch branch without stashing", "create a worktree", "parallel branches", "clean up branches", "gw", "gw add", "gw checkout", "git worktree", or any branch workflow.
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Stars8
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Skill metadata
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Version2.2.0
LicenseMIT
More metadata
author
mthines
version
2.2.0
workflow_type
advisory
Package contents
Files included with this skill beyond the listing page.
skill mdSKILL.md12,322 B
docsREADME.md3,417 B
docsSUMMARY.md493 B
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First seen on skills.sh
First recorded snapshot · 25 installs
SKILL.md
Git Worktree Workflows
Master Git worktrees using the gw CLI tool for optimized parallel development workflows.
MANDATORY: Always Use gw, Never Raw git worktree
Non-negotiable in any repo where gw is installed. Check with which gw; if missing, suggest brew install mthines/gw-tools/gw or npm install -g @gw-tools/gw.
gw checkout is canonical.gw add and gw co are aliases — prefer gw checkout in explanations.
One branch per worktree. Same branch cannot be checked out in two worktrees. gw checkout <existing> detects this and navigates instead.
Remote probe before treating a branch as new.gw checkout runs git ls-remote (3s timeout) so a teammate's freshly-pushed branch isn't silently forked locally. Use --no-fetch when offline.
Auto-copy beats manual copying. Configure autoCopyFiles once in gw init; .env, secrets, etc. land in every new worktree.
Post-checkout hooks beat manual installs. Wire pnpm install / equivalent so each worktree is ready immediately.
Shell integration is required for cd. Without eval "$(gw install-shell)" in ~/.zshrc, gw cd and auto-nav after gw checkout silently no-op.
Typical Worktree Workflow
# 1. First-time repo setup (one-time per project)
gw init [email protected]:org/repo.git \
--auto-copy-files .env,.env.local \
--post-checkout "pnpm install" \
--interactive
# 2. Start a feature
gw checkout feat/my-feature
# - creates worktree, copies .env, runs pnpm install, auto-navigates
# 3. Work, then update with main
gw update
# 4. Open a PR for review (in another terminal / worktree)
gw pr 456
# - fetches PR branch, creates worktree, copies .env, auto-navigates
# 5. Navigate between worktrees
gw cd feat/my-feature
gw checkout main # navigates to main worktree (already checked out)
# 6. Extract staged WIP to a new branch
git add src/new-thing.ts
gw checkout feat/extracted --from-staged
# 7. Clean up when done
gw remove feat/my-feature # removes worktree + local branch
gw clean # batch remove safe (committed + pushed) worktrees
gw prune # full cleanup: worktrees + orphan branches
Config Reference
Config lives at .gw/config.json (committable) and .gw/config.local.json (gitignored, personal overrides):
{
"defaultBranch": "main",
"autoCopyFiles": [".env", ".env.local", "secrets/"],
"hooks": {
"checkout": {
"pre": ["echo 'Creating: {worktree}'"],
"post": ["pnpm install"],
},
},
"cleanThreshold": 7, // days before worktrees are "stale" for gw clean
"autoClean": true, // silently prune stale worktrees on gw checkout / gw list
"updateStrategy": "merge", // "merge" | "rebase"
"protectedBranches": ["staging"], // extra branches exempt from gw clean / auto-clean
}
