using-git-worktrees

Git worktrees isolate feature development by creating separate working directories linked to the same repository, protecting your current workspace from concurrent branch changes. This approach allows independent branch work without stashing or cloning.

Setting up a Git worktree involves detecting the project root, selecting a preferred directory like .worktrees, verifying .gitignore rules, and optionally running project setup commands. This process safely creates an isolated workspace for your feature branch.

Git worktree creation verifies .gitignore rules before switching branches to ensure safety. The workflow checks ignore configurations and enforces them prior to establishing a local worktree, preventing unwanted files from entering the isolated environment.

You can choose between local and global locations for Git worktrees. The setup detects the project name to determine placement, applying an automatic directory selection order that prefers local .worktrees before falling back to global worktree locations.

Optional project setup commands run after creating a Git worktree to prepare the isolated environment for development. You need these commands when starting new features or experiments that require dependency installation or environment configuration before coding begins.

Git worktrees provide isolated working directories sharing a single repository history, avoiding the disk overhead and history duplication of cloning. They allow safe parallel feature development and experiments without stashing changes or disrupting the current workspace.