This skill should be used when "creating a worktree", "worktree naming", "ephemeral branch", "merge from worktree", "worktree cleanup", or navigating between worktrees. Covers naming conventions, ephemeral branch patterns, the CWD trap, and worktree setup. Do not use for general git workflow.
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This skill should be used when "creating a worktree", "worktree naming", "ephemeral branch", "merge from worktree", "worktree cleanup", or navigating between worktrees. Covers naming conventions, ephemeral branch patterns, the CWD trap, and worktree setup. Do not use for general git workflow.
Worktree Workflow
Git worktree patterns for parallel development work. Enables
working on multiple features/tickets simultaneously without
branch switching.
Core Convention
All worktrees live in _worktrees/ subfolder:
{repo}/ # Main checkout (on main)
{repo}/_worktrees/ # Worktrees folder
{repo}/_worktrees/{worktree-name}/ # Individual worktree
Naming Conventions
Forge Slice Worktrees
Element
Pattern
Example
Folder
{slice-slug}
auth-refactor
Branch
slice/{slug}-{phase}-{suffix}
slice/auth-refactor-design-a1b2
Forge Effort Worktrees
Element
Pattern
Example
Folder
{effort-slug}
cloud-migration
Branch
effort/{slug}-{suffix}
effort/cloud-migration-a1b2
Implementation Ticket Worktrees
Element
Pattern
Example
Folder
{feature-slug}-{ticket-num}
auth-refactor-42
Branch
{feature-slug}/{ticket-num}-{desc}
auth-refactor/42-jwt-validation
Ephemeral Branch Pattern
Branches are single-use: create → push → merge → delete
Each set of changes gets a unique branch
After merge, create a fresh branch for next changes
No branch resets needed — each PR starts fresh from main
Always specify the starting branch (typically origin/main)
when creating with -b — omitting it starts the branch from
current HEAD, which may be a feature branch, pulling
unrelated commits into your PR.
Manual Creation
mkdir -p _worktrees
# ALWAYS specify origin/main as the starting point
git worktree add _worktrees/auth-refactor \
-b slice/auth-refactor-design-a1b2 origin/main
cd _worktrees/auth-refactor
Common Mistake: Omitting Base Branch
# WRONG - branches from current HEAD (might be a feature branch!)
git worktree add _worktrees/my-feature -b feature/my-feature
# RIGHT - always specify origin/main
git worktree add _worktrees/my-feature \
-b feature/my-feature origin/main
Working in a Worktree
# Navigate to worktreecd {repo}/_worktrees/{worktree-name}
# Work normally — all git commands work
git status
git add .
git commit -m "feat(scope): Description"
git push -u origin {branch-name}
Merging PRs
IMPORTANT: Always merge from main repository, not from
worktrees.
The Problem
cd _worktrees/my-feature
gh pr merge 123 --rebase --delete-branch
# Error: fatal: 'main' is already used by worktree at '/path/to/repo'
Why: The --rebase merge needs to check out main, which
is already checked out in the main repository directory.
The Solution
# From your worktreecd _worktrees/my-feature
git push # Ensure your work is pushed# Navigate to main repositorycd ../.. # Or: cd /path/to/repo# Merge from main repository
gh pr merge 123 --rebase --delete-branch
Alternative: Web UI
Merge via GitHub's web interface (no worktree limitation).
Use "Rebase and merge" to maintain linear history.
Removing a Worktree
# Remove worktree (keeps branch)
git worktree remove _worktrees/{worktree-name}
# Optionally delete the branch if merged
git branch -d {branch-name}
CRITICAL: CWD Trap That Kills Your Session
If the shell's CWD is inside a worktree directory when that
directory is deleted, the shell breaks permanently for the
session. Even echo hello will fail.
How it happens:
You work in a worktree (CWD persisted to worktree dir)
You chain: cd /repo && git worktree remove _worktrees/X
The remove succeeds but a chained branch delete fails
Shell does not persist the cd from a failed command
Next command tries to start in the deleted directory
Prevention:
cd to repo root in a separate shell call before removing
Never chain cd and remove in one command
# WRONG - cd and remove in same commandcd /repo && git worktree remove _worktrees/X
# RIGHT - separate callscd /repo # Call 1 (must succeed)
git worktree remove _worktrees/X # Call 2
Navigation Best Practices
Problem: Relative paths (_worktrees/...) only work from
repo root. If you're already inside a worktree, they fail.
Use Absolute Paths
# Get absolute path from git (works from anywhere)
WORKTREE_PATH=$(git worktree list | \
grep "my-feature" | awk '{print $1}')
# Check if already there
CURRENT=$(pwd)
if [ "$CURRENT" = "$WORKTREE_PATH" ]; thenecho"Already in worktree"elsecd"$WORKTREE_PATH"fi
Navigate to Repo Root First
# Go to repo root, then use relative pathcd"$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"cd _worktrees/my-feature
Listing Worktrees
# Use git as source of truth (works from anywhere)
git worktree list
Best Practices
One Work Item Per Worktree
Don't mix multiple tickets/features
Makes PRs cleaner and easier to review
Clean Up After Merge
Remove worktrees after PR merge
Prevents accumulation of stale directories
Keep Main Clean
Don't make changes in main checkout
Use worktrees for all feature/ticket work
Consistent Naming
Follow naming conventions strictly
Makes automation and scripting easier
Merge from Main Checkout
Always run gh pr merge from main repository
Troubleshooting
Worktree Already Exists
# Check if worktree exists
git worktree list | grep {name}
# If stale, prune and recreate
git worktree prune
git worktree add _worktrees/{name} -b {branch} origin/main
Branch Already Exists
# If branch exists but no worktree
git worktree add _worktrees/{name} {existing-branch}
# If need to reset
git branch -D {branch}
git worktree add _worktrees/{name} -b {branch} origin/main
"No such file or directory" When Navigating
Symptom:cd _worktrees/my-feature fails even though
git worktree list shows it exists.
Cause: Using relative path from inside another worktree.
Solution: Use absolute paths from git worktree list.
