Git Worktrees

This lets Claude help you work with git worktrees, which means having multiple branches checked out simultaneously in different directories. Most useful when you're juggling stacked PRs, need to spin up an urgent hotfix while knee-deep in feature work, or want to run multiple dev servers at once without the constant branch switching dance. The skill covers the full workflow from creating worktrees with specific naming conventions to managing dependencies across them, plus real examples of updating PR chains without leaving your current context. It's opinionated about directory structure (keep worktrees outside your main repo) and cleanup discipline, which honestly saves you from the mess of forgotten worktrees eating disk space six months later.

skills.sh installs: 360
GitHub stars: 79
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-skills --skill git-worktrees --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Git Worktrees

Overview

Git worktrees allow you to have multiple working directories from the same repository, each with a different branch checked out. Work on multiple branches simultaneously without switching.

When to Use Worktrees

✅ Perfect For:

Stacked PR development (one worktree per PR)
Urgent hotfix while working on feature
Parallel development on multiple features
Code review in isolation
Testing cross-branch interactions
Running multiple dev servers simultaneously

⚠️ Consider Alternatives When:

Limited disk space (worktrees duplicate working directory)
Simple branch switching is sufficient
Only working on one branch at a time

Basic Workflow

Create Worktree

New Branch:

# Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add ../worktrees/feature-auth -b feature/authentication

# Navigate to worktree
cd ../worktrees/feature-auth

Existing Branch:

# Create worktree from existing remote branch
git worktree add ../worktrees/feature-profile feature/user-profile

# Or from origin
git worktree add ../worktrees/review origin/feature/pr-to-review