Using Git Worktrees Overview Git worktrees create isolated workspaces sharing the same repository, allowing work on multiple branches simultaneously without switching. Core principle: Systematic directory selection + safety verification = reliable isolation. Announce at start: "I'm using the using-git-worktrees skill to set up an isolated workspace." Directory Selection Process Follow this priority order: 1. Check Existing Directories
Check in priority order
ls -d .worktrees 2
/dev/null
Preferred (hidden)
ls -d worktrees 2
/dev/null
Alternative
If found: Use that directory. If both exist, .worktrees wins. 2. Check CLAUDE.md grep -i "worktree.*director" CLAUDE.md 2
/dev/null If preference specified: Use it without asking. 3. Ask User If no directory exists and no CLAUDE.md preference: No worktree directory found. Where should I create worktrees? 1. .worktrees/ (project-local, hidden) 2. ~/.config/superpowers/worktrees/
/ (global location) Which would you prefer? Safety Verification For Project-Local Directories (.worktrees or worktrees) MUST verify directory is ignored before creating worktree:
Check if directory is ignored (respects local, global, and system gitignore)
git check-ignore -q .worktrees 2
/dev/null || git check-ignore -q worktrees 2
/dev/null If NOT ignored: Per Jesse's rule "Fix broken things immediately": Add appropriate line to .gitignore Commit the change Proceed with worktree creation Why critical: Prevents accidentally committing worktree contents to repository. For Global Directory (~/.config/superpowers/worktrees) No .gitignore verification needed - outside project entirely. Creation Steps 1. Detect Project Name project = $( basename " $( git rev-parse --show-toplevel ) " ) 2. Create Worktree
Determine full path
case $LOCATION in .worktrees | worktrees ) path = " $LOCATION / $BRANCH_NAME " ; ; ~/.config/superpowers/worktrees/* ) path = "~/.config/superpowers/worktrees/ $project / $BRANCH_NAME " ; ; esac
Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add " $path " -b " $BRANCH_NAME " cd " $path " 3. Run Project Setup Auto-detect and run appropriate setup:
Node.js
if [ -f package.json ] ; then npm install ; fi
Rust
if [ -f Cargo.toml ] ; then cargo build ; fi
Python
if [ -f requirements.txt ] ; then pip install -r requirements.txt ; fi if [ -f pyproject.toml ] ; then poetry install ; fi
Go
if [ -f go.mod ] ; then go mod download ; fi 4. Verify Clean Baseline Run tests to ensure worktree starts clean:
Examples - use project-appropriate command
npm
test
cargo
test
pytest
go
test
./
..
.
If tests fail:
Report failures, ask whether to proceed or investigate.
If tests pass:
Report ready.
5. Report Location
Worktree ready at