Git Workspace Operations

Work with git worktrees to enable concurrent development across multiple branches without context switching or stashing conflicts.

Prerequisites

• •Git 2.5+ installed (worktree support introduced in 2.5)
• •Working in a git repository
• •Understanding of git branches and basic git operations

Quick Start

Create a new workspace:

git worktree add -b <new-branch> <path> [<commit-ish>]

List all worktrees:

git worktree list

Remove a worktree:

git worktree remove <path>

Core Operations

Create Worktree

Create a new worktree (workspace) linked to the current repository:

# Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add -b <new-branch> <path> [<commit-ish>]

# Create worktree with existing branch
git worktree add <path> <branch-name>

# Create worktree at specific commit (detached HEAD)
git worktree add --detach <path> <commit-ish>

Best practices:

• •Use relative paths outside current worktree (e.g., ../workspace-feature-x)
• •Branch name should be descriptive and match feature/task
• •Default to creating new branch unless explicitly checking out existing branch

Example:

git worktree add -b feature-user-auth ../workspace-user-auth

List Worktrees

List all worktrees associated with the repository:

# Basic list
git worktree list

# Verbose output (shows branch and commit)
git worktree list -v

# Machine-readable format (for scripting)
git worktree list --porcelain

Output interpretation:

• •First line is main worktree (cannot be removed)
• •Subsequent lines are linked worktrees
• •Format: <path> <commit> [<branch>]

Remove Worktree

Remove a worktree when done:

# Remove clean worktree (default - safe)
git worktree remove <path>

# Force remove unclean worktree (discards uncommitted changes)
git worktree remove --force <path>

Safety considerations:

• •Default behavior only removes "clean" worktrees (no untracked files, no modified tracked files)
• •Use --force only when intentionally discarding uncommitted work
• •Main worktree cannot be removed
• •Always verify worktree path before removal

Example:

git worktree remove ../workspace-feature-x

Prune Stale Worktrees

Clean up administrative files from manually deleted worktrees:

# Dry run (see what would be pruned)
git worktree prune -n

# Prune stale worktrees
git worktree prune

# Prune with expiration (remove entries older than specified time)
git worktree prune --expire <time>

When to use:

• •After manually deleting a worktree directory (outside of git commands)
• •To clean up stale metadata in .git/worktrees/
• •Regular maintenance to keep repository clean

Common Patterns

Concurrent Feature Development

Work on multiple features simultaneously:

# Main worktree: working on feature A
# Create new workspace for feature B
git worktree add -b feature-b ../workspace-feature-b

# Work in new workspace
cd ../workspace-feature-b
# ... make changes, commit ...

# Return to main worktree
cd ../devagent
# Continue working on feature A

Emergency Fixes

Create temporary worktree for urgent fixes without disrupting main work:

# Create temporary worktree from main branch
git worktree add -b emergency-fix ../temp-fix main

# Make fix, commit
cd ../temp-fix
# ... fix bug ...
git commit -a -m "Emergency fix for production issue"

# Push and create PR
git push origin emergency-fix

# Clean up
cd ../devagent
git worktree remove ../temp-fix

Migrating Uncommitted Work

Move uncommitted work to a new workspace:

# 1. Stash current work in main worktree
git stash push -m "Migrating to workspace feature-x"

# 2. Create new worktree
git worktree add -b feature-x ../workspace-feature-x

# 3. Apply stash in new worktree
cd ../workspace-feature-x
git stash pop

# 4. Verify work is in new worktree
git status

# Main worktree is now clean
cd ../devagent
git status  # Should show clean working tree

Safety Considerations

Worktree Limits

Git has limits on number of worktrees (typically 2-3 per repository, configurable). Check limits:

# Check current worktree count
git worktree list | wc -l

# If limit reached, remove unused worktrees before creating new ones

Path Validation

• •Always verify path doesn't already exist before creating worktree
• •Use relative paths outside current worktree (recommended: ../workspace-<name>)
• •Avoid paths that conflict with existing directories

Clean State Checks

Before removing worktrees:

# Check worktree status
git -C <worktree-path> status

# Only remove if clean, or use --force if intentionally discarding work

Main Worktree Protection

• •Main worktree (the one created by git init or git clone) cannot be removed
• •Always verify you're not attempting to remove the main worktree
• •Use git worktree list to identify which is the main worktree

Error Handling

Path Already Exists

If path already exists:

• •Choose different path
• •Or remove existing directory first (if safe)

Branch Already Exists

If branch already exists:

• •Use -B flag to force: git worktree add -B <branch> <path>
• •Or choose different branch name
• •Or checkout existing branch: git worktree add <path> <existing-branch>

Worktree Limit Reached

If git reports worktree limit:

• •Remove unused worktrees: git worktree remove <unused-path>
• •Or increase limit in git config (advanced)

Unclean Worktree Removal

If removal fails due to unclean state:

• •Commit or discard changes in worktree
• •Or use --force flag (discards uncommitted work)

Integration Notes

• •Worktrees share repository data (objects, refs) but have independent working directories
• •Each worktree has its own index, HEAD, and config
• •Changes in one worktree are immediately visible in others (same repository)
• •Commits in any worktree update the shared repository

Reference Documentation

• •Git Worktree Documentation: git-scm.com/docs/git-worktree
• •Research: .devagent/workspace/tasks/active/2026-01-14_git-workspace-setup-workflow/research/2026-01-14_workspace-best-practices-research.md — Workspace best practices and patterns