using-git-worktrees

Git Worktrees with tmux Integration

Create isolated workspaces, open them in tmux windows within your current session, and dispatch tasks — all in one flow.

Core Flow

1. Create worktree     → git worktree add .claude/worktrees/{name} -b {branch}
2. Create tmux window  → new window in CURRENT session named {session}-{name}
3. cd into worktree    → send-keys to the new window
4. Dispatch task       → send-keys with the command to execute

Workflow Routing

Intent	Action
"create worktree for X"	Create → steps 1-3 only
"create worktree and run Y"	Create + Dispatch → steps 1-4
"clean up worktree X"	Cleanup → remove worktree + tmux window + optionally delete branch
"list worktrees"	Show git worktree list
"analyze for parallelization"	Read references/bmad-orchestration.md for BMAD-specific dependency analysis
"merge worktree branches"	Read references/bmad-orchestration.md for merge workflow

Step 1: Create Worktree

Safety Check

Before creating, verify .claude/worktrees/ is git-ignored:

# Check if ignored (test with a hypothetical file)
git check-ignore .claude/worktrees/test 2>/dev/null

If NOT ignored, add to .gitignore immediately:

echo ".claude/worktrees/" >> .gitignore
# Stage and commit the gitignore change

Create

REPO_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
WORKTREE_NAME="the-feature-name"
BRANCH_NAME="feature/the-feature-name"  # or bmad/story-1-3 etc.
BASE_BRANCH="main"  # or current branch

mkdir -p "$REPO_ROOT/.claude/worktrees"
git worktree add "$REPO_ROOT/.claude/worktrees/$WORKTREE_NAME" -b "$BRANCH_NAME" "$BASE_BRANCH"

Verify

git worktree list

Step 2: Create tmux Window

Create a new window in the current tmux session (not a new session). The window name follows the pattern {current-session-name}-{worktree-name} so it's easy to identify.

# Get current tmux session name
SESSION=$(tmux display-message -p '#S')
WINDOW_NAME="${SESSION}-${WORKTREE_NAME}"
WORKTREE_PATH="$REPO_ROOT/.claude/worktrees/$WORKTREE_NAME"

# Create window in current session, starting in worktree directory
tmux new-window -t "$SESSION" -n "$WINDOW_NAME" -c "$WORKTREE_PATH"

Step 3: Ensure Working Directory

The -c flag in step 2 already sets the initial directory, but if you need to explicitly cd (e.g., shell profile overrides it):

tmux send-keys -t "${SESSION}:${WINDOW_NAME}" "cd '$WORKTREE_PATH'" Enter

Step 4: Dispatch Task (Optional)

Send a command to the new tmux window:

# Example: launch Claude Code with a task
tmux send-keys -t "${SESSION}:${WINDOW_NAME}" "claude 'your task here'" Enter

# Example: run a BMAD skill
tmux send-keys -t "${SESSION}:${WINDOW_NAME}" "claude '/bmad-create-story story 1-3'" Enter

# Example: run any shell command
tmux send-keys -t "${SESSION}:${WINDOW_NAME}" "make test" Enter

For unattended execution (no permission prompts):

tmux send-keys -t "${SESSION}:${WINDOW_NAME}" "claude --dangerously-skip-permissions 'your task'" Enter

Important: Only use --dangerously-skip-permissions if the user explicitly requests it.

Cleanup Workflow

After work is complete and merged:

WORKTREE_NAME="the-feature-name"
REPO_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
SESSION=$(tmux display-message -p '#S')

# 1. Kill the tmux window
tmux kill-window -t "${SESSION}:${SESSION}-${WORKTREE_NAME}" 2>/dev/null

# 2. Remove the git worktree
git worktree remove "$REPO_ROOT/.claude/worktrees/$WORKTREE_NAME"

# 3. Optionally delete the branch (only if merged)
git branch -d "$BRANCH_NAME" 2>/dev/null

# 4. Prune stale worktree references
git worktree prune

Quick Reference

Situation	Action
.claude/worktrees/ exists	Use it (verify ignored)
Not in .gitignore	Add .claude/worktrees/ and commit
Not in tmux	Skip tmux steps, just create worktree and report path
Branch already exists	Use git worktree add <path> <existing-branch> (no -b)
Worktree path exists	Report error, ask user to remove or pick different name

Naming Conventions

Element	Pattern	Example
Worktree directory	.claude/worktrees/{name}	.claude/worktrees/story-1-3
Branch	{convention}/{name}	bmad/story-1-3-deploy-nat-gateway
tmux window	{session}-{name}	myproject-golden-image-story-1-3

The branch naming convention depends on the project. Check CLAUDE.md for project-specific patterns (e.g., bmad/story-{id} for BMAD projects).

Troubleshooting

Branch already checked out:

# Another worktree has this branch — remove it first or use a different name
git worktree list  # find which worktree has the branch

tmux window name conflict:

# Rename or kill the conflicting window
tmux kill-window -t "session:conflicting-name" 2>/dev/null

Worktree not in .gitignore after adding:

# .gitignore uses directory patterns — ensure trailing slash
# Check with: git check-ignore .claude/worktrees/testfile

References

• WORKFLOW.md — Detailed step-by-step workflow with edge cases
• references/bmad-orchestration.md — BMAD sprint parallelization, dependency analysis, and merge workflows
• references/tmux-integration.md — Advanced tmux configuration for worktrees
• scripts/setup-worktree.sh — Shell script for automated worktree setup

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Gotchas

• .claude/worktrees/ conflicts with .gitignore defaults — must explicitly ignore it or the parent repo sees worktree files as untracked.
• tmux session names with worktree paths hit filename length limits — use short branch-based names or the socket path errors.
• Concurrent git status across worktrees can fail with index.lock errors — git locks the index per-repo, not per-worktree.
• BMAD-specific parallel work assumes disjoint files: overlapping edits across stories cause merge headaches at integration.
• Shell prompts that read git branch via the worktree path can be slow — disable expensive prompt parts in worktrees.