Remove Worktree

This command interactively removes a single git worktree. Unlike /prune-worktree which auto-removes all safe worktrees, this command lets you select a specific worktree and handles cases where the issue isn't closed or branch isn't merged.

Usage: /remove-worktree (no arguments - interactive selection)

Clear Worktree State

Clear any active worktree state so the pre-tool-use hook doesn't block cleanup commands: !"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-state.sh" clear 2>/dev/null || true

Context

• Repository name: !basename \git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null` 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown"`
• Default branch: !git remote show origin 2>/dev/null | grep 'HEAD branch' | sed 's/.*: //' || echo "main"
• All worktrees: !git worktree list 2>&1 || echo "No worktrees found"
• Issue worktrees: !git worktree list 2>/dev/null | grep -E "issue-[0-9]+" || echo "No issue worktrees found"

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Steps

CRITICAL: When executing bash commands below, use backticks (`) for command substitution, NOT $(). Claude Code has a bug that mangles $() syntax into broken commands. Copy the commands exactly as written.

1. Get Repository Info

!REPO_NAME=basename \git rev-parse --show-toplevel`` !echo "Repository: $REPO_NAME"

2. List All Issue Worktrees

!echo "Scanning for issue worktrees..." !git worktree list

Filter for worktrees matching the {REPO_NAME}-issue-* pattern and display them as a numbered list.

!git worktree list | grep -E "/${REPO_NAME}-issue-[0-9]+" | cat -n

If no issue worktrees are found, inform the user and stop: "No issue worktrees found matching the pattern '{REPO_NAME}-issue-*'"

3. Ask User to Select Worktree

Use AskUserQuestion to ask: "Which worktree would you like to remove? Enter the number from the list above, or the full path."

Store the selected worktree path and extract:

• WORKTREE_PATH: The full path to the worktree
• BRANCH_NAME: The branch associated with the worktree
• ISSUE_NUM: The issue number extracted from the directory name

To extract issue number from path: !ISSUE_NUM=echo "$WORKTREE_PATH" | grep -oE 'issue-[0-9]+' | grep -oE '[0-9]+' !echo "Issue number: $ISSUE_NUM"

To get branch name: !BRANCH_NAME=git worktree list --porcelain | grep -A2 "worktree $WORKTREE_PATH" | grep "branch" | sed 's/branch refs\/heads\///' !echo "Branch: $BRANCH_NAME"

4. Check Worktree Status

Check for uncommitted changes

!cd "$WORKTREE_PATH" && git status --porcelain

If there are uncommitted changes, warn the user immediately.

Validate issue number is numeric (security check)

!if ! echo "$ISSUE_NUM" | grep -qE '^[0-9]+$'; then echo "Error: Could not extract valid issue number"; exit 1; fi

Check GitHub issue status

!gh issue view "$ISSUE_NUM" --json state,title --jq '"(.state): (.title)"'

Detect default branch and check if merged

!DEFAULT_BRANCH=git remote show origin | grep 'HEAD branch' | sed 's/.*: //' | tr -cd '[:alnum:]-._/' !if [ -z "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" ]; then echo "Error: Could not determine default branch"; exit 1; fi !echo "Default branch: $DEFAULT_BRANCH" !git fetch origin "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" --quiet !MERGED=git branch --merged "origin/$DEFAULT_BRANCH" | grep -F "$BRANCH_NAME" || echo ""

5. Determine Safety and Proceed

Evaluate the status:

• ISSUE_CLOSED: true if GitHub issue state is "CLOSED"
• BRANCH_MERGED: true if branch appears in merged branches
• HAS_CHANGES: true if uncommitted changes exist

If SAFE (issue closed AND branch merged AND no uncommitted changes):

Display: "This worktree is safe to remove:"

• Issue #$ISSUE_NUM is closed
• Branch '$BRANCH_NAME' is merged into $DEFAULT_BRANCH
• No uncommitted changes

Use AskUserQuestion: "Remove this worktree?"

• Options: "Yes, remove it" / "No, cancel"

If confirmed: !git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_PATH" !echo "Worktree removed: $WORKTREE_PATH"

Ask: "Also delete the local branch '$BRANCH_NAME'?"

• Options: "Yes, delete branch" / "No, keep branch"

If confirmed: !git branch -d "$BRANCH_NAME"

If NOT SAFE (issue open OR branch not merged OR has uncommitted changes):

Display a prominent warning:

⚠️  WARNING: This worktree may contain unfinished work!

Status:
- Issue #$ISSUE_NUM: [OPEN/CLOSED]
- Branch merged: [YES/NO]
- Uncommitted changes: [YES/NO]

Removing this worktree could result in PERMANENT DATA LOSS.
This action cannot be undone.

Use AskUserQuestion with a serious tone: "Are you SURE you want to force-remove this worktree? This may delete unfinished work."

• Options:
  • "Yes, I understand the consequences - force remove"
  • "No, cancel and keep the worktree"

Only if user explicitly confirms force removal:

!git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_PATH" --force !echo "Worktree force-removed: $WORKTREE_PATH"

Ask: "Also delete the local branch '$BRANCH_NAME'? (Use -D to force delete unmerged branch)"

• Options: "Yes, force delete branch" / "No, keep branch"

If confirmed: !git branch -D "$BRANCH_NAME"

6. Clear Worktree State

Clear the active worktree state so the pre-tool-use hook stops enforcing path prefixes:

"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/worktree-state.sh" clear

7. Completion

Display final status: !echo "Done." !git worktree list

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Why Use This vs /prune-worktree?

Command	Use Case
/prune-worktree	Batch cleanup of all completed (closed + merged) worktrees
/remove-worktree	Remove a specific worktree, including abandoned/unfinished ones

Use /remove-worktree when:

• You abandoned work on an issue and want to clean up
• The issue was closed without merging (won't fix, duplicate, etc.)
• You need to remove a specific worktree without affecting others