Development

/worktrees

Use when starting isolated feature work. Creates git worktrees to prevent branch cross-contamination. Covers worktree, isolated development, parallel features, branch isolation. NOT for: simple branch switching (use git checkout), Linear-only operations (use linear).

$ golems-cli skills install worktrees

Good

5 workflows

Updated 2 weeks ago

Create isolated working directories for each task. Worktrees share git history but have separate working files, preventing cross-contamination between branches.

Quick Actions

What you want to do	Workflow
Create new worktree from branch name	workflows/create.md
Create worktree from Linear issue	workflows/from-linear.md
List active worktrees	workflows/list.md
Switch to a worktree	workflows/switch.md
Clean up completed worktrees	workflows/cleanup.md

Default Paths

Worktrees are created at: ~/worktrees/<repo>/<branch>

Example:

Main repo: /Users/me/projects/my-app
Worktree: ~/worktrees/my-app/feature-login

Safety Rules

One branch, one worktree. For parallel work on the same repo, create a separate worktree for each branch.
Do not reuse a single shared checkout for multiple active branches. If the user proposes "just switch branches in one folder" for parallel work, stop and redirect them to worktrees.
Do not remove a worktree until you verify its branch is merged. Unmerged or in-progress worktrees stay in place.
Do not use git worktree remove --force unless the user explicitly confirms that uncommitted work can be discarded.

Full SKILL.md source — includes LLM directives, anti-patterns, and technical instructions stripped from the Overview tab.

Create isolated working directories for each task. Worktrees share git history but have separate working files, preventing cross-contamination between branches.

Quick Actions

What you want to do	Workflow
Create new worktree from branch name	workflows/create.md
Create worktree from Linear issue	workflows/from-linear.md
List active worktrees	workflows/list.md
Switch to a worktree	workflows/switch.md
Clean up completed worktrees	workflows/cleanup.md

Default Paths

Worktrees are created at: ~/worktrees/<repo>/<branch>

Example:

Main repo: /Users/me/projects/my-app
Worktree: ~/worktrees/my-app/feature-login

Safety Rules

One branch, one worktree. For parallel work on the same repo, create a separate worktree for each branch.
Do not reuse a single shared checkout for multiple active branches. If the user proposes "just switch branches in one folder" for parallel work, stop and redirect them to worktrees.
Do not remove a worktree until you verify its branch is merged. Unmerged or in-progress worktrees stay in place.
Do not use git worktree remove --force unless the user explicitly confirms that uncommitted work can be discarded.

Environment Setup (Automatic)

Worktrees automatically handle:

Env files: Uses 1Password op inject if .env.template exists, else copies .env*.local from source
Dependencies: Auto-detects package manager (bun/pnpm/yarn/npm) and installs

Condition	Action
`.env.template` + `op` available	`op inject -i .env.template -o .env.local`
`op inject` fails	Fallback: copy from source repo
No `.env.template`	Copy all `.env*.local` from source

Quick Commands

# List all worktrees
git worktree list
 
# Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add ~/worktrees/$(basename "$PWD")/feature-name -b feature-name
 
# Parallel branches require separate worktrees. Do not multiplex one checkout.
git worktree add ~/worktrees/$(basename "$PWD")/feat-pr-loop-audit -b feat-pr-loop-audit
git worktree add ~/worktrees/$(basename "$PWD")/fix-commit-trailer -b fix-commit-trailer
 
# Check if branch is merged before removal. If not merged, stop.
BRANCH_NAME=feature-name
git branch --merged main | grep -Fxq "$BRANCH_NAME" || {
  echo "STOP: '$BRANCH_NAME' is not merged into main. Do not remove this worktree."
  exit 1
}
 
# Remove merged worktree
git worktree remove ~/worktrees/$(basename "$PWD")/$BRANCH_NAME
 
# Prune stale references
git worktree prune

Troubleshooting

"fatal: 'path' already exists"

Worktree or directory already exists at that path
Remove existing directory or choose different name

"branch already exists"

Branch was created previously
Use without -b flag: git worktree add <path> <existing-branch>

"Cannot create worktree from detached HEAD"

Must be on a branch in main repo
Run git checkout main first

Workflows

/worktrees:list/worktrees:from-linear/worktrees:create/worktrees:switch/worktrees:cleanup