worktrees

worktrees

use git worktrees when working on a complex task, without disturbing the main branch

this can be useful when there is a dev server running and you need to switch branches quickly,

or when a coworker asked you to fix a bug on main branch while you are working on a feature branch,

or when reviewing a PR that has multiple commits and you want to test the changes locally without disturbing your current branch

creating a worktree

in the project directory, the .worktrees folder contains all the worktrees created for that repository

we first need to make sure that the .worktrees folder exists

mkdir -p .worktrees

then, we need to check if it is in the .gitignore file, if not, we need to add it immediately

grep -qxF '.worktrees' .gitignore || echo '.worktrees' >> .gitignore

finally, to create a worktree, use the following command :

git worktree add .worktrees/<worktree-name> <branch-name>

then, open a new opencode session in the new worktree :

use open-new-opencode tool with directory .worktrees/<worktree-name>

move to a worktree

to move to a worktree, simply change directory to the worktree folder

cd .worktrees/<worktree-name>

now you can work on the branch without disturbing the main branch

removing a worktree

to remove a worktree, use the following command :

# first make sure you are not in the worktree directory
cd ..
# now remove the worktree
git worktree remove .worktrees/<worktree-name>

this will remove the worktree and all its files, but will not delete the branch

listing worktrees

to list all the worktrees for the repository, use the following command :

git worktree list 

this will show the path and branch name for each worktree

misc.

• always make sure to commit or stash your changes before switching worktrees
• always tell the user when creating a worktree, never assume that they know
• never delete a worktree directory manually, always use the git command to remove it
• if you delete a branch that has a worktree, you need to remove the worktree first before deleting the branch
• worktrees can be used to test different versions of dependencies or configurations without affecting the main branch
• always clean up unused worktrees to avoid clutter and confusion