Git Worktree Quick Workflow

When to Use

Use this skill when you need isolated development for a feature, fix, or experiment and want to avoid frequent branch switching.

Commands

If ga/gd are not available, install the helper functions from scripts/worktree_helpers.sh and then use the commands below.

# Create worktree + branch and cd into it
ga <branch-name>

# Delete current worktree (requires gum for confirmation)
gd

# List all worktrees
git worktree list

Recommended Flow

1. Pick a branch name:

- feature/<short-desc> - fix/<short-desc> - experiment/<short-desc>

1. Create the worktree:

- ga feature/<short-desc>

1. Do the work in the new directory.
2. Clean up after merge or abandon:

- gd

Guardrails

• Only run gd inside a worktree directory to avoid deleting the main repo.
• If gd fails, install gum: brew install gum.
• If a branch already exists, choose a new name or delete the old branch first.

Install helpers (if needed)

# From this repo root
source scripts/worktree_helpers.sh

Add the source line to your shell profile (e.g. ~/.zshrc) to make ga/gd available.

Example:

echo 'source /path/to/gitworktree-skill/scripts/worktree_helpers.sh' >> ~/.zshrc

Dependencies

• gum is required for gd confirmation prompts.
• mise is optional and auto-trusts new worktree directories.