Git Worktree Skill

Manage git worktrees for parallel development workflows.

When to Use

• Need to work on multiple branches simultaneously
• Testing features in isolation
• Reviewing PRs without switching branches
• Running CI-like tests locally

Quick Start

Create Worktree

# New branch from main
git worktree add .worktrees/<name> -b <branch-name> main

# Existing branch
git worktree add .worktrees/<name> <existing-branch>

# Specific commit
git worktree add .worktrees/<name> <commit-sha>

List Worktrees

git worktree list

Remove Worktree

# Normal remove
git worktree remove .worktrees/<name>

# Force remove (discards changes)
git worktree remove --force .worktrees/<name>

# Prune stale references
git worktree prune

Recommended Workflow

1. Create Feature Worktree

# Create worktree for new feature
git worktree add .worktrees/feature-auth -b feature-auth main
cd .worktrees/feature-auth

2. Work in Worktree

# Make changes, commit, push
git add .
git commit -m "Add auth feature"
git push -u origin feature-auth

3. Deploy and Test from Worktree

# Source environment
source ~/.rossoctl-hypershift-env.sh

# Deploy from worktree to cluster
KUBECONFIG=$HOSTED_KUBECONFIG scripts/ocp/setup-rossoctl.sh

# Or use local-setup scripts
./.github/scripts/local-setup/kind-full-test.sh --skip-cluster-destroy

4. Clean Up

# Return to main
cd /path/to/main/repo

# Remove worktree
git worktree remove .worktrees/feature-auth

# Delete branch if merged
git branch -d feature-auth

Directory Structure

Keep worktrees organized:

rossoctl/                    # Main worktree (main branch)
├── .worktrees/             # Feature worktrees
│   ├── feature-auth/       # Auth feature
│   ├── fix-keycloak/       # Bug fix
│   └── pr-review-123/      # PR review
└── ...

Add to .git/info/exclude:

.worktrees/

Using with TODO Docs

Point worktree work to a TODO document in the main repo:

# Create worktree for TODO item
git worktree add .worktrees/todo-phoenix -b todo-phoenix main
cd .worktrees/todo-phoenix

# Reference TODO from main repo
cat /path/to/main/repo/docs/TODO_PHOENIX.md

# Implement based on TODO
# ...

# Test deployment
./.github/scripts/local-setup/hypershift-full-test.sh --skip-cluster-destroy

Using with HyperShift

Test worktree code on HyperShift clusters:

# Create worktree
git worktree add .worktrees/my-feature -b my-feature main
cd .worktrees/my-feature

# Source environment (shared kubeconfig)
source ~/.rossoctl-hypershift-env.sh

# Deploy to existing cluster
KUBECONFIG=$HOSTED_KUBECONFIG scripts/ocp/setup-rossoctl.sh

# Or create new cluster with this code
./.github/scripts/local-setup/hypershift-full-test.sh --skip-cluster-destroy

Using with Kind

Test worktree code on local Kind cluster:

# Create worktree
git worktree add .worktrees/my-feature -b my-feature main
cd .worktrees/my-feature

# Full test cycle
./.github/scripts/local-setup/kind-full-test.sh --skip-cluster-destroy

# Access UI
./.github/scripts/kind/access-ui.sh

Best Practices

1. Use .worktrees/ directory: Keep worktrees in one place
2. Name descriptively: feature-auth, fix-keycloak, pr-123
3. Share kubeconfigs: Store in $HOME, not in worktree
4. Clean up regularly: Remove merged worktrees
5. Prune stale refs: Run git worktree prune periodically

Troubleshooting

Branch already checked out

# Find which worktree has the branch
git worktree list | grep <branch-name>

Worktree already exists

# Remove existing worktree
git worktree remove .worktrees/<name>
# Or force if changes exist
git worktree remove --force .worktrees/<name>

Stale worktree references

# Prune after manually deleting worktree directories
git worktree prune

Related Skills

• tdd:ci: CI-driven TDD workflow (auto-creates worktree from upstream/main for GH issues/PRs)
• kind:cluster: Local Kind cluster management
• hypershift:cluster: HyperShift cluster management
• rossoctl:operator: Deploy Rossoctl platform