Git Worktree Lifecycle

PURPOSE: Create and remove fully-provisioned git worktrees for parallel development. Convention over configuration — opinionated defaults with team-configurable provisioning.

Announce at start: "I'm using the worktree skill to set up an isolated workspace." (create) or "I'm using the worktree skill to clean up a worktree." (remove)

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When to Use

Invoke this skill when:

• Starting a feature/bug that needs an isolated workspace
• An ad-hoc hotfix or experiment needs a separate branch without disrupting current work
• Pipeline skills (kickoff, build) need isolated agent workspaces
• A worktree needs cleanup after work is complete (finish)
• The user says "create a worktree", "new worktree", or /worktree

Do NOT use when:

• The user just needs to switch branches (use git checkout)
• The work is small enough to do on the current branch
• The user explicitly wants a plain git worktree add without provisioning

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Configuration

Read the worktree section from jig.config.md. All fields optional.

worktree:
  naming: branch           # ticket | ticket-branch | branch
  sync:                     # gitignored artifacts to rsync
    - .env*                 # always included regardless
    # - node_modules
    # - dist
  post-create:              # commands after create + sync
    # auto-detects install if omitted
    # - pnpm install
    # - pnpm build

If no worktree section exists, all defaults apply.

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Create Mode

Usage: /jig:worktree <branch-name> or /jig:worktree (prompts)

Step 1: Determine branch name

• If argument provided: Use it as the branch name.
• If triggered by pipeline: Branch name comes from the calling skill (derived from jig.config.md branching format).
• If no argument: Ask the user for a branch name.

Step 2: Derive worktree directory name

Read worktree.naming from config (default: branch).

Strategy	Example branch	Directory
ticket	dustin/jig-42-worktree-skill	.worktrees/jig-42/
ticket-branch	dustin/jig-42-worktree-skill	.worktrees/jig-42-worktree-skill/
branch	dustin/jig-42-worktree-skill	.worktrees/jig-42-worktree-skill/

Ticket extraction: Parse the ticket ID from the branch name using the ticket prefix in jig.config.md (e.g., JIG, ENG). If no ticket prefix is configured, look for common patterns like [A-Z]+-[0-9]+. If no ticket ID is found, fall back to branch strategy silently.

Branch slug: Everything after the last / in the branch name. If the branch has no /, use the full name.

Step 3: Safety checks

Gitignore verification (non-negotiable):

git check-ignore -q .worktrees 2>/dev/null

If .worktrees is NOT ignored:

1. Add .worktrees/ to .gitignore
2. Stage and commit: chore: add .worktrees to gitignore
3. Then proceed

Existing worktree check:

If .worktrees/<name> already exists, ask the user:

• Use the existing worktree as-is
• Remove and recreate

Step 4: Create the worktree

git fetch origin <main-branch>
git worktree add .worktrees/<name> -b <branch> origin/<main-branch>

Read main-branch from jig.config.md (default: main).

Step 5: Sync artifacts

Sync gitignored artifacts from the main working tree into the new worktree.

What to sync — resolution order:

1. If worktree.sync is configured: use that list as source of truth
2. If not configured: auto-detect based on project files

Auto-detection (when no sync config):

Project file	Sync directory
package.json	node_modules/
go.mod or composer.json	vendor/ (if it exists)
pyproject.toml or requirements.txt	.venv/ or venv/ (if either exists)
Cargo.toml	target/
Gemfile	vendor/bundle/ (if it exists)

.env* files are ALWAYS synced, regardless of config. Find all env files in the main tree:

find . -maxdepth 4 \
  \( -name '.env' -o -name '.env.*' \) \
  -not -path '*/node_modules/*' \
  -not -path '*/.worktrees/*'

Copy each file preserving directory structure:

for f in <found-env-files>; do
  mkdir -p ".worktrees/<name>/$(dirname "$f")"
  cp "$f" ".worktrees/<name>/$f"
done

For directories (node_modules, vendor, etc.):

rsync -a <dir>/ .worktrees/<name>/<dir>/

Step 6: Run post-create commands

Resolution order:

1. If worktree.post-create is configured: run those commands in order inside the worktree directory
2. If not configured: auto-detect and run install only

Auto-detect install (when no post-create config):

Lockfile	Command
pnpm-lock.yaml	pnpm install
package-lock.json	npm install
yarn.lock	yarn install
bun.lockb	bun install
go.mod	go mod download
Cargo.toml	cargo build
pyproject.toml	poetry install
requirements.txt	pip install -r requirements.txt
composer.lock	composer install
Gemfile.lock	bundle install

If nothing is detected, skip this step.

Run commands inside the worktree:

cd .worktrees/<name>
<command>

Step 7: Report

✓ Worktree created at .worktrees/<name>
✓ Branch: <branch> (from origin/<main>)
✓ Synced: <list of what was synced>
✓ Post-create: <what ran> (completed)

cd .worktrees/<name>

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Remove Mode

Usage: /jig:worktree remove <name> or /jig:worktree remove

Step 1: Identify worktree

• If argument provided: Use it as the worktree directory name.
• If no argument: Run git worktree list, present the list (excluding the main working tree), and ask which to remove.

Step 2: Safety check

Check for uncommitted changes:

git -C .worktrees/<name> status --porcelain

If there are uncommitted changes:

• Show the list of changed files
• Warn the user
• Ask for explicit confirmation before proceeding
• Never force-remove without confirmation

Step 3: Remove the worktree

If currently inside the worktree, navigate out first:

cd <main-working-tree>
git worktree remove .worktrees/<name> --force

Step 4: Branch cleanup

Get the branch name from the worktree before removal, then offer:

Delete branch '<branch>'?
  1. Local only
  2. Local + remote
  3. Keep

Execute the chosen option:

• Local only: git branch -D <branch>
• Local + remote: git branch -D <branch> then git push origin --delete <branch>
• Keep: No action

Step 5: Report

✓ Worktree .worktrees/<name> removed
✓ Branch <branch> deleted (local)

Remaining worktrees:
<output of git worktree list>

If no worktrees remain, report: No active worktrees.

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List Mode

Usage: /jig:worktree list

Run git worktree list and format the output. No side effects.

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Quick Reference

Command	Action
/jig:worktree <branch>	Create provisioned worktree
/jig:worktree remove <name>	Safely remove worktree
/jig:worktree list	List active worktrees

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Red Flags

Never:

• Create a worktree without verifying .worktrees is gitignored
• Remove a worktree with uncommitted changes without warning
• Delete a branch without asking
• Skip .env* file sync (even if sync config is empty)
• Hardcode language-specific commands — always detect or read config

Always:

• Read jig.config.md for naming, sync, and post-create config
• Fall back to branch naming when ticket ID can't be extracted
• Preserve directory structure when syncing env files
• Report what was synced and what commands ran
• List remaining worktrees after removal