- Claude Command: Merge Worktree
- Your job is to help users merge changes from git worktrees into their current branch, supporting multiple merge strategies from simple file checkout to selective cherry-picking.
- Instructions
- CRITICAL: Perform the following steps exactly as described:
- Current state check
-
- Run
- git worktree list
- to show all existing worktrees and
- git status
- to verify working directory state
- Parse user input
-
- Determine what merge operation the user wants:
- --interactive
- or no arguments
-
- Guided interactive mode
- File/directory path
-
- Merge specific file(s) or directory from a worktree
- Commit name
-
- Cherry-pick a specific commit
- Branch name
-
- Merge from that branch's worktree
- --from
-
- Specify source worktree explicitly
- --patch
- or
- -p
-
- Use interactive patch selection mode
- Determine source worktree/branch
- :
- a. If user specified
- --from
-
- Use that worktree path directly
- b. If user specified a branch name: Find worktree for that branch from
- git worktree list
- c. If only one other worktree exists: Ask to confirm using it as source
- d. If multiple worktrees exist: Present list and ask user which to merge from
- e. If no other worktrees exist: Explain and offer to use branch-based merge instead
- Determine merge strategy
-
- Present options based on user's needs:
- Strategy A: Selective File Checkout
- (for specific files/directories)
- Best for: Getting complete file(s) from another branch
- Command:
- git checkout
-- - Strategy B: Interactive Patch Selection
- (for partial file changes)
- Best for: Selecting specific hunks/lines from a file
- Command:
- git checkout -p
-- - Prompts user for each hunk: y (apply), n (skip), s (split), e (edit)
- Strategy C: Cherry-Pick with Selective Staging
- (for specific commits)
- Best for: Applying a commit but excluding some changes
- Steps:
- git cherry-pick --no-commit
- Review staged changes
- git reset HEAD --
- to unstage
- git checkout --
- to discard
- git commit -m "message"
- Strategy D: Manual Merge with Conflicts
- (for complex merges)
- Best for: Full branch merge with control over resolution
- Steps:
- git merge --no-commit
- Review all changes
- Selectively stage/unstage files
- Resolve conflicts if any
- git commit -m "message"
- Strategy E: Multi-Worktree Selective Merge
- (combining from multiple sources)
- Best for: Taking different files from different worktrees
- Steps:
- git checkout
-- - git checkout
-- - git commit -m "Merge selected files from multiple branches"
- Execute the selected strategy
- :
- Run pre-merge comparison if user wants to review (suggest
- /git:compare-worktrees
- first)
- Execute git commands for the chosen strategy
- Handle any conflicts that arise
- Confirm changes before final commit
- Post-merge summary
-
- Display what was merged:
- Files changed/added/removed
- Source worktree/branch
- Merge strategy used
- Cleanup prompt
- After successful merge, ask:
"Would you like to remove any worktrees to clean up local state?"
If yes: List worktrees and ask which to remove
Execute
git worktree remove
for selected worktrees Remind about git worktree prune if needed Merge Strategies Reference Strategy Use When Command Pattern Selective File Need complete file(s) from another branch git checkout -- Interactive Patch Need specific changes within a file git checkout -p -- Cherry-Pick Selective Need a commit but not all its changes git cherry-pick --no-commit + selective staging Manual Merge Full branch merge with control git merge --no-commit + selective staging Multi-Source Combining files from multiple branches Multiple git checkout -- Examples Merge single file from worktree: /git:merge-worktree src/app.js --from .. /project-feature
Prompts for merge strategy
Executes: git checkout feature-branch -- src/app.js
Interactive patch selection:
/git:merge-worktree src/utils.js --patch
Lists available worktrees to select from
Runs: git checkout -p feature-branch -- src/utils.js
User selects hunks interactively (y/n/s/e)
Cherry-pick specific commit:
/git:merge-worktree abc1234
Detects commit hash
Asks: Apply entire commit or selective?
If selective: git cherry-pick --no-commit abc1234
Then guides through unstaging unwanted changes
Merge from multiple worktrees:
/git:merge-worktree --interactive
"Select files to merge from different worktrees:"
"From feature-1: src/moduleA.js"
"From feature-2: src/moduleB.js, src/moduleC.js"
Executes selective checkouts from each
Full guided mode:
/git:merge-worktree
Lists all worktrees
Asks what to merge (files, commits, or branches)
Guides through appropriate strategy
Offers cleanup at end
Directory merge with conflicts:
/git:merge-worktree src/components/ --from .. /project-refactor
Strategy D: Manual merge with conflicts
git merge --no-commit refactor-branch
Helps resolve any conflicts
Reviews and commits selected changes
Interactive Patch Mode Guide When using --patch or Strategy B, the user sees prompts for each change hunk: @@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ function processData(input) { const result = transform(input); + // Added validation + if (!isValid(result)) throw new Error('Invalid'); return result; } Apply this hunk? [y,n,q,a,d,s,e,?] Key Action y Apply this hunk n Skip this hunk q Quit (don't apply this or remaining hunks) a Apply this and all remaining hunks d Don't apply this or remaining hunks in this file s Split into smaller hunks e Manually edit the hunk ? Show help Cherry-Pick Selective Workflow For Strategy C (cherry-picking with selective staging):
1. Apply commit without committing
git cherry-pick --no-commit abc1234
2. Check what was staged
git status
3. Unstage files you don't want
git reset HEAD -- path/to/unwanted.js
4. Discard changes to those files
git checkout -- path/to/unwanted.js
5. Commit the remaining changes
git commit -m "Cherry-pick selected changes from abc1234" Multi-Worktree Merge Workflow For Strategy E (merging from multiple worktrees):
Get files from different branches
git checkout feature-auth -- src/auth/login.js src/auth/session.js git checkout feature-api -- src/api/endpoints.js git checkout feature-ui -- src/components/Header.js
Review all changes
git status git diff --cached
Commit combined changes
git commit -m "feat: combine auth, API, and UI improvements from feature branches" Common Workflows Take a Feature File Without Full Merge
/git:merge-worktree src/new-feature.js --from .. /project-feature
Gets just the file, not the entire branch
Partial Bugfix from Hotfix Branch
/git:merge-worktree --patch src/utils.js --from .. /project-hotfix
Select only the specific bug fix hunks, not all changes
Combine Multiple PRs' Changes
/git:merge-worktree --interactive
Select specific files from PR-1 worktree
Select other files from PR-2 worktree
Combine into single coherent commit
Pre-Merge Review
First review what will be merged
/git:compare-worktrees src/module.js
Then merge with confidence
- >
- /git:merge-worktree src/module.js
- --from
- ..
- /project-feature
- Important Notes
- Working directory state
-
- Always ensure your working directory is clean before merging. Uncommitted changes can cause conflicts.
- Pre-merge review
-
- Consider using
- /git:compare-worktrees
- before merging to understand what changes will be applied.
- Conflict resolution
-
- If conflicts occur during merge, the command will help identify and resolve them before committing.
- No-commit flag
-
- Most strategies use
- --no-commit
- to give you control over the final commit message and what gets included.
- Shared repository
-
- All worktrees share the same Git object database, so commits made in any worktree are immediately visible to cherry-pick from any other.
- Branch locks
- Remember that branches can only be checked out in one worktree at a time. Use branch names for merge operations rather than creating duplicate worktrees. Cleanup After Merge After merging, consider cleaning up worktrees that are no longer needed:
List worktrees
git worktree list
Remove specific worktree (clean state required)
git worktree remove .. /project-feature
Force remove (discards uncommitted changes)
git worktree remove --force .. /project-feature
Clean up stale worktree references
git
worktree prune
The command will prompt you about cleanup after each successful merge to help maintain a tidy workspace.
Troubleshooting
"Cannot merge: working directory has uncommitted changes"
Commit or stash your current changes first
Or use
git stash
before merge,
git stash pop
after
"Merge conflict in "
The command will show conflicted files
Open files and resolve conflicts (look for
<<<<<<<
markers)
Stage resolved files with
git add
/git:compare-worktrees src/
/git:merge-worktree src/specific-file.js Create worktree, merge, cleanup:
/git:create-worktree feature-branch
/git:compare-worktrees src/
/git:merge-worktree src/module.js --from .. /project-feature-branch