worktree

A CLI tool that opens GitHub issues as git worktree workspaces. Paste a GitHub issue URL (or use a worktree:// deep link) and worktree clones the repo as a bare clone, creates a dedicated worktree branch, and opens it in your editor.

Install

Download a prebuilt binary from the latest release:

Platform	Download
macOS (Apple Silicon)	`worktree-macos-aarch64.tar.gz`
macOS (Intel)	`worktree-macos-x86_64.tar.gz`
Linux x86_64	`worktree-linux-x86_64.tar.gz`
Linux ARM64	`worktree-linux-aarch64.tar.gz`
Windows	`worktree-windows-x86_64.zip`

Or install from crates.io:

cargo install worktree-io

Then run first-time setup:

worktree setup

This detects your editor, writes the default config, and registers the worktree:// URL scheme handler — all in one step.

Usage

Open a workspace

# GitHub issue URL
worktree open https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/42

# Shorthand
worktree open owner/repo#42

# worktree:// deep link (used by browser / integrations)
worktree open "worktree://open?owner=owner&repo=repo&issue=42"

Flags:

Flag	Description
`--editor`	Force open in editor
`--print-path`	Print the workspace path and exit

Configuration

worktree config init          # write default config to disk
worktree config show          # print current config
worktree config path          # print config file path
worktree config set <key> <value>
worktree config get <key>

Config keys:

Key	Type	Default	Description
`editor.command`	string	—	Command to open the editor, e.g. `code .` or `nvim .`
`open.editor`	bool	`true`	Open editor automatically

The config file lives at:

macOS/Linux: ~/.config/worktree/config.toml
Windows: %APPDATA%\worktree\config.toml

Example config.toml:

[editor]
command = "code ."

[open]
editor = true

worktree:// URL scheme

worktree scheme install    # register the URL scheme handler
worktree scheme uninstall  # unregister it
worktree scheme status     # check whether it's registered

Platform details:

macOS — installs a minimal .app bundle in ~/Applications/WorktreeRunner.app and registers it with Launch Services.
Linux — installs a .desktop file in ~/.local/share/applications/ and registers it with xdg-mime.
Windows — writes the handler to HKCU\Software\Classes\worktree in the registry.

How it works

Parses the issue reference into owner, repo, and number.
Bare-clones the repository to ~/worktrees/github/<owner>/<repo> (re-uses the clone on subsequent runs and fetches latest).
Creates a git worktree at ~/worktrees/github/<owner>/<repo>/issue-<N> on a branch named issue-<N>.
- If the branch already exists on the remote it is checked out and tracked locally.
- Otherwise a new branch is created from the repo's default branch (main, master, etc.).
Opens the workspace directory in the configured editor.

License

MIT

worktree-io 0.5.3