Git Worktrees

The git-worktrees skill enables AI agents to manage multiple parallel branches within a single Git repository without cluttering the main working directory. It allows agents to create, switch between, and delete worktrees, facilitating isolated development environments for different features or experiments.

When to use it

• Isolating experimental code changes from the stable main branch to prevent accidental merges.
• Managing parallel development of multiple features simultaneously within one repository.
• Testing specific branches in a clean environment before integrating them back into the primary workflow.
• Maintaining a tidy working directory by keeping unrelated tasks in separate worktrees rather than switching branches constantly.

Key capabilities

• Creating new worktrees based on existing branches or commits.
• Listing all available worktrees and their associated branch names.
• Switching the active worktree to a specific path or branch.
• Deleting unused worktrees to reclaim disk space and clean up the repository structure.

Example prompts

• "Create a new worktree named 'feature-auth' based on the current HEAD for testing authentication logic."
• "List all existing worktrees in this repository and show which branches they are tracking."
• "Delete the old worktree at '/tmp/legacy-fix' as it is no longer needed."

Tips & gotchas

Ensure the AI agent has write permissions to the target directory, as creating or deleting worktrees modifies the filesystem. Be mindful of disk space usage when managing many concurrent worktrees, as each maintains its own copy of the checked-out files.