using-git-worktrees

To create an isolated git worktree, the process selects a priority directory like .worktrees, verifies safety with git check-ignore, updates .gitignore if needed, and automatically runs project setup steps from your manifest files. This ensures your new worktree is fully configured and isolated from the main workspace.

The safest way to set up git worktrees involves a safety-first workflow that checks directory priority, uses git check-ignore to prevent tracking issues, patches .gitignore automatically, and runs a post-creation test baseline. This guarantees your main workspace remains unaffected by feature branch experimentation.

You can configure git worktree directory preferences by adding hints to your CLAUDE.md file. The creation process reads these preferences to automatically steer directory choice between local and global locations without requiring interactive prompts during setup.

Yes, you can automatically run project setup steps when creating a git worktree. The process auto-detects manifest files like package.json, Cargo.toml, requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, and go.mod, executing the necessary installations to establish a functional test baseline immediately after worktree creation.

Git worktree creation handles .gitignore updates by performing safety verification with git check-ignore. If the worktree directory is not ignored, it optionally patches the .gitignore file and commits the changes to ensure the isolated feature work directory remains untracked by the main repository.