Branch Command (Worktree-Based)

Create an isolated worktree before starting work. Never work directly on main.

Philosophy

NEVER WORK ON MAIN
All work happens on isolated worktrees.
Create worktree first, then code.
Each worktree = isolated context = own Claude session.

Steps

1. Check Current State

git status --short
git branch --show-current
git worktree list

2. If Uncommitted Changes Exist

• Ask: commit them first, stash them, or abort?

3. If Already in a Worktree (not main)

• Ask: continue here, or create new worktree?

4. If on Main, Get Branch Intention

Ask user for:

• Type: feat | fix | docs | refactor | test | chore
• Description: 2-4 words, kebab-case

5. Create Worktree and Open Terminal

# Get project name for naming
PROJECT=$(basename $(pwd))

# Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add -b <type>/<description> ../${PROJECT}-<type>-<description>

# Open in new terminal (macOS)
open -a Terminal ../${PROJECT}-<type>-<description>

For Linux:

# gnome-terminal
gnome-terminal --working-directory="../${PROJECT}-<type>-<description>"

# OR xterm
xterm -e "cd ../${PROJECT}-<type>-<description> && $SHELL" &

For Windows (PowerShell):

Start-Process wt -ArgumentList "-d", "..\${PROJECT}-<type>-<description>"

6. Confirm

Report:

Worktree created and terminal opened!

Setup:
  Main directory: [current path] (stays on main)
  Worktree: ../${PROJECT}-<type>-<description> (on <type>/<description>)

New Terminal window opened at the worktree location.

You can now:
  1. Start Claude Code in the new terminal
  2. Work on your feature in isolation
  3. When done, use /ship to push and create PR

Cleanup (after merge):
  git worktree remove ../${PROJECT}-<type>-<description>
  git branch -d <type>/<description>

Branch Types

Type	Use For
feat/	New feature
fix/	Bug fix
docs/	Documentation
refactor/	Code restructure
test/	Test changes
chore/	Maintenance

Example Flow

USER: /branch

CLAUDE: What type of work?
  1. feat - New feature
  2. fix - Bug fix
  3. docs - Documentation
  4. refactor - Code restructure
  5. test - Test changes
  6. chore - Maintenance

USER: feat

CLAUDE: Brief description (2-4 words, kebab-case)?

USER: user-authentication

CLAUDE: Creating worktree...

  git worktree add -b feat/user-authentication ../myapp-feat-user-authentication
  open -a Terminal ../myapp-feat-user-authentication

Worktree created and terminal opened!

Setup:
  Main directory: ~/projects/myapp (stays on main)
  Worktree: ../myapp-feat-user-authentication (on feat/user-authentication)

Start Claude Code in the new terminal to begin work.

Why Worktrees Instead of Branches?

Traditional Branching	Worktree Approach
git checkout -b feat/x	git worktree add -b feat/x ../proj-feat-x
Same directory, different branch	Separate directory, own context
Stash required for context switch	Just open another terminal
One Claude session	Multiple parallel Claude sessions
Risk of cross-contamination	Complete isolation

Edge Cases

If Already on Feature Branch

You're on branch: feat/existing-work

Options:
  1. Continue here (don't create new worktree)
  2. Create new worktree for different task

If Worktree Already Exists

Worktree already exists at: ../myapp-feat-user-authentication

Options:
  1. Open terminal to existing worktree
  2. Remove it and create fresh
  3. Create with different name

If Not a Git Repository

Error: Not in a git repository
Cannot create worktrees outside of git repos.

Related

• /ship - Push branch and create PR from worktree
• /parallelize - Set up multiple worktrees for parallel streams
• See CODING-PROMPT-BANK.md "GIT WORKFLOW" section