| name | worktree-detection |
| description | How to find a Git worktree by task number without hardcoding paths. Use in hooks or scripts that need to locate a specific task's worktree. |
Worktree Detection
Reference snippet for locating a task's Git worktree from its task number,
without hardcoding paths.
When to Use
- Inside a hook or script that must act on a specific task's worktree.
- Any time you'd otherwise hardcode a
/tmp/... worktree path.
Pattern
TASK_NUM="TASK-005"
WORKTREE=$(git worktree list --porcelain \
| grep "^worktree " \
| awk '{print $2}' \
| grep -i "${TASK_NUM}" \
| head -1)
if [ -z "$WORKTREE" ] || [ ! -d "$WORKTREE" ]; then
echo "No worktree found for ${TASK_NUM} — skipping"
exit 0
fi
Why this works
git worktree list reads from Git's internal registry — it knows every worktree regardless of where it was created. No assumptions about directory structure or machine-specific paths.
Extracting TASK_NUM from agent variables
TASK_NUM=$(echo "$TASK_OWNER $TASK_SUBJECT" | grep -oP 'TASK-\d+' | head -1)
Works whether the task number appears in the owner field or the subject line.
Red Flags
- A hardcoded
/tmp/... worktree path instead of querying git worktree list.
- Assuming a directory layout rather than reading Git's registry.
- Treating a missing worktree as an error instead of skipping cleanly (
exit 0).
Verification
