Worktree Skill

Create isolated development environments for coding tasks, with automatic issue linking to deliverable-tracking.

When to Use

ALL coding tasks. No exceptions.

•Feature development
•Bug fixes
•Refactoring
•Any work that modifies code files

Invalid skip reasons:

•"Working on main branch" - NOT a valid reason to skip
•"No parallel conflict risk" - NOT a valid reason to skip
•"Primary work focus" - NOT a valid reason to skip

Failure mode: Coding without worktree = no audit trail, no issue linking, no auto-close on PR merge. Every time.

Workflow

Step 1: Confirm Issue Context

Check for "Session linked to issue #N" in conversation.

•If linked: Use that issue number
•If not linked: Ask user to provide issue number (required for worktree naming)

Step 2: Check for Existing Worktree

bash

git worktree list | grep "issue-{number}"

If worktree exists:

•ANNOUNCE: "Using existing worktree for issue #{number}"
•Skip to Step 5 (do not create new worktree, do not change labels, do not create PR)

If worktree does NOT exist:

•ANNOUNCE: "Creating worktree for issue #{number}"
•Continue to Step 3

Step 3: Create Worktree (only if not exists)

bash

git gtr new issue-{number}

This creates:

•Sibling directory: ../{repo-name}-issue-{number}/
•Branch: issue-{number}
•Copies .env* files automatically

Then move issue to in-progress:

bash

gh issue edit {number} --repo DaveX2001/deliverable-tracking \
  --add-label "in-progress" --remove-label "to-do"

Then post worktree creation comment to issue:

bash

gh issue comment {number} --repo DaveX2001/deliverable-tracking \
  --body "🌳 **Worktree created**

**Path:** \`$(pwd)/../{repo-name}-worktrees/issue-{number}/\`
**Branch:** \`issue-{number}\`
**Machine:** \`$(hostname)\`"

Step 4: Create Draft PR

After worktree creation, create empty init commit, push, and create draft PR:

bash

# Create empty init commit (required for PR creation)
git commit --allow-empty -m "chore: init issue-{number} branch"

# Push branch to remote
git push -u origin issue-{number}

# Get issue title for PR title
ISSUE_TITLE=$(gh issue view {number} --repo DaveX2001/deliverable-tracking --json title --jq '.title')

# Create draft PR with issue linking
gh pr create --draft \
  --title "Issue #{number}: $ISSUE_TITLE" \
  --body "**Task:** Fixes DaveX2001/deliverable-tracking#{number}

## How to Test
{Include success criteria from evaluation-clarity phase}"

How to Test content: Extract the success criteria defined during evaluation-clarity earlier in this session. The user already verified "how we know it worked" before implementation began.

ANNOUNCE: "Draft PR created: {PR_URL}"

Step 5: Docker Volume Handling (if applicable)

Check if project uses Docker:

bash

ls docker-compose*.yml 2>/dev/null || ls */docker-compose*.yml 2>/dev/null

If Docker Compose files exist, ask user via AskUserQuestion:

"This project uses Docker. Copy existing volumes to worktree deployment?"

•Options: "Yes, copy volumes" / "No, fresh volumes" / "Skip Docker setup"

If user chooses "Yes, copy volumes":

•Identify the Docker Compose project name from Makefile or compose file
•List existing volumes: docker volume ls | grep {project-name}
•
Guide user to either:
- •Use same project name (shares volumes automatically)
- •Or copy volume data: docker run --rm -v {src}:/src -v {dst}:/dst alpine cp -a /src/. /dst/

Step 6: Announce New Context

REPORT to user:

•Worktree path: ../{repo-name}-issue-{number}/
•Command to open: git gtr editor issue-{number}
•All commits MUST reference: Refs DaveX2001/deliverable-tracking#{number}

PR Auto-Close

The draft PR created in Step 4 includes Fixes DaveX2001/deliverable-tracking#{number}. Issue auto-closes when PR merges to default branch.

Cleanup

After PR merges:

bash

git gtr rm issue-{number}