Worktrunk
Worktrunk is a CLI tool which handles the mechanics of git worktrees. It's designed to allow starting many parallel agents, overseeing them, and merging their work.
Git worktrees let multiple agents work on a single repo without colliding; each agent gets a separate directory with their version of the code. But creating worktrees, tracking paths & statuses, cleaning up, etc, is manual. Worktrunk offers control, transparency & automation for this workflow, letting us scale the parallelism of agents.
Demo
List worktrees, create a worktree, make a trivial change, merge the change:

Quick Start
Create a worktree:
$ wt switch --create fix-auth
✅ Created new worktree for fix-auth from main at ../repo.fix-auth
...then do work. When ready:
Merge it:
$ wt merge
🔄 Merging 1 commit to main @ a1b2c3d (no commit/squash/rebase needed)
* a1b2c3d Implement JWT validation
auth.rs | 13 +++++++++++++
1 file changed, 13 insertions(+)
✅ Merged to main (1 commit, 1 file, +13)
🔄 Removing fix-auth worktree & branch in background
See wt merge for all options.
List worktrees:
$ wt list
Branch Status HEAD± main↕ Path Remote⇅ Commit Age Message
@ main ^ ./test-repo ↑0 ↓0 b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ bugfix-y ↑ ↑1 ./bugfix-y 412a27c8 10mo Fix bug
+ feature-x + ↑ +5 ↑3 ./feature-x 7fd821aa 10mo Add file 3
⚪ Showing 3 worktrees, 1 with changes, 2 ahead
See wt list for all options.
Installation
cargo install worktrunk
wt config shell install # Sets up shell integration
See Shell Integration for setup and wt config for customization.
Design Philosophy
Worktrunk is opinionated! It's designed for workflows which are:
- Trunk-based — lots of short-lived worktrees, linear commit histories
- Local — terminal-based agents, local inner dev loops
...and that means...
- Maximum automation: LLM commit messages, lifecycle hooks, Claude Code hooks
- A robust "auto-merge when local-CI passes" approach
- A small surface area: three core commands
- 1:1 mapping between worktree and branch, worktrees are addressed by their branch
- Sibling layout: worktrees live at
repo.feature-x/(path template configurable) - Defaults to "stage everything and squash merge" (configurable)
- Extreme UI responsiveness; slow ops can't delay fast ones
- Pluggable; adopting Worktrunk for a portion of a workflow doesn't require
adopting it for everything. Standard
git worktreecommands continue working fine!
Automation Features
LLM Commit Messages
Worktrunk can invoke external commands during merge operations to generate commit messages. It passes the diff and a configurable prompt, then receives a formatted commit message. Simon Willison's llm tool is recommended.
Add to ~/.config/worktrunk/config.toml:
[]
= "llm"
= ["-m", "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001"]
Then wt merge will generate commit messages automatically:
$ wt merge
🔄 Squashing 3 commits into a single commit (3 files, +33)...
🔄 Generating squash commit message...
feat(auth): Implement JWT authentication system
Add comprehensive JWT token handling including validation, refresh logic,
and authentication tests. This establishes the foundation for secure
API authentication.
- Implement token refresh mechanism with expiry handling
- Add JWT encoding/decoding with signature verification
- Create test suite covering all authentication flows
✅ Squashed @ a1b2c3d
🔄 Running pre-merge test:
cargo test
🔄 Running pre-merge lint:
cargo clippy
🔄 Merging 1 commit to main @ a1b2c3d (no rebase needed)
* a1b2c3d feat(auth): Implement JWT authentication system
auth.rs | 8 ++++++++
auth_test.rs | 17 +++++++++++++++++
jwt.rs | 8 ++++++++
3 files changed, 33 insertions(+)
✅ Merged to main (1 commit, 3 files, +33)
🔄 Removing feature-auth worktree & branch in background
🔄 Running post-merge install:
cargo install --path .
Use wt step commit to commit changes with LLM commit messages without the full merge workflow.
For more details, including custom prompt templates: wt config --help
Project Hooks
Automate tasks at different points in the worktree lifecycle. Configure hooks in .config/wt.toml.
| Hook | When | On Failure |
|---|---|---|
| post-create | After worktree created | Warn, continue |
| post-start | After worktree created (background) | Warn, continue |
| pre-commit | Before squash commit created | Stop merge |
| pre-merge | After squash, before push | Stop merge |
| post-merge | After successful merge | Warn, continue |
# Install dependencies, build setup
[]
= "uv sync"
# Dev servers, file watchers (runs in background)
[]
= "uv run dev"
# Tests and lints before merging (blocks on failure)
[]
= "uv run pytest"
= "uv run ruff check"
$ wt switch --create feature-x
🔄 Running post-create install:
uv sync
Resolved 24 packages in 145ms
Installed 24 packages in 1.2s
✅ Created new worktree for feature-x from main at ../repo.feature-x
🔄 Running post-start dev:
uv run dev
$ wt merge
🔄 Squashing 3 commits into a single commit (2 files, +45)...
🔄 Generating squash commit message...
feat(api): Add user authentication endpoints
Implement login and token refresh endpoints with JWT validation.
Includes comprehensive test coverage and input validation.
✅ Squashed @ a1b2c3d
🔄 Running pre-merge test:
uv run pytest
============================= test session starts ==============================
collected 3 items
tests/test_auth.py::test_login_success PASSED [ 33%]
tests/test_auth.py::test_login_invalid_password PASSED [ 66%]
tests/test_auth.py::test_token_validation PASSED [100%]
============================== 3 passed in 0.8s ===============================
🔄 Running pre-merge lint:
uv run ruff check
All checks passed!
🔄 Merging 1 commit to main @ a1b2c3d (no rebase needed)
* a1b2c3d feat(api): Add user authentication endpoints
api/auth.py | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
tests/test_auth.py | 14 ++++++++++++++
2 files changed, 45 insertions(+)
✅ Merged to main (1 commit, 2 files, +45)
🔄 Removing feature-auth worktree & branch in background
See wt switch --help and wt merge --help for skipping hooks, template variables, security details.
Shell Integration
Worktrunk requires shell integration to change directories during wt switch,
wt merge, and wt remove. To add automatic setup to shell config files
(Bash, Zsh, and Fish):
wt config shell install
For manual setup instructions, see wt config shell --help.
Tips
Create an alias for creating a new worktree + launching an agent — Start a new agent-in-worktree in a couple of seconds. For example, to create a worktree and immediately start Claude:
alias wsl='wt switch --create --execute=claude'
Then:
wsl new-feature
...creates a branch, sets up the worktree, runs initialization hooks, and launches Claude Code in that directory.
Auto-generate commit messages — Configure an LLM to generate commit messages during merge. See LLM Commit Messages.
Automate startup with hooks — Use post-create for environment
setup, post-start for non-blocking tasks. For example, the Worktrunk project uses
post-start to bootstrap build caches from main via copy-on-write,
eliminating cold compiles (see worktrunk's config). See
Project Hooks for details.
Use pre-merge as a "local CI" — Running wt merge with pre-merge
hooks is like having a local CI pipeline. Tests run after squashing but before
pushing to main, and failures abort the merge. This protects main from one
agent forgetting to run tests, without having to babysit it.
View Claude Code status from wt list — The Claude Code integration shows
which branches have active sessions in wt list. When the agent is working, the
branch shows 🤖; when it's waiting for the user, it shows 💬. Setup
instructions: Custom Worktree Status.
Monitor CI status across all branches — Use wt list --full --branches to
see PR/CI status for all branches (including those without worktrees) in a single
view. The CI column shows clickable links to PR/MR pages when running in a
terminal that supports hyperlinks.
Delegate to task runners — Reference existing Taskfile/Justfile/Makefile commands instead of duplicating logic:
[]
= "task install"
[]
= "just test lint"
Use ^ as shorthand for the default branch — Works everywhere: wt switch ^,
wt merge ^, --base=^. Similarly, @ for current branch and - for previous (e.g., wt switch --create hotfix --base=@ creates a worktree based on the current commit rather than the default branch).
All Commands
wt switch — Switch to a worktree
Usage: switch [OPTIONS] <BRANCH>
Arguments:
<BRANCH>
Branch, path, '@' (HEAD), '-' (previous), or '^' (main)
Options:
-c, --create
Create a new branch
-b, --base <BASE>
Base branch
Defaults to default branch.
-x, --execute <EXECUTE>
Command to run after switch
-f, --force
Skip approval prompts
--no-verify
Skip all project hooks
-h, --help
Print help (see a summary with '-h')
Operation
Switching to Existing Worktree
- If worktree exists for branch, changes directory via shell integration
- No hooks run
- No branch creation
Creating New Worktree (--create)
- Creates new branch (defaults to current default branch as base)
- Creates worktree in configured location (default:
../{{ main_worktree }}.{{ branch }}) - Runs post-create hooks sequentially (blocking)
- Shows success message
- Spawns post-start hooks in background (non-blocking)
- Changes directory to new worktree via shell integration
Hooks
post-create (sequential, blocking)
- Run after worktree creation, before success message
- Typically:
npm install,cargo build, setup tasks - Failures block the operation
- Skip with
--no-verify
post-start (parallel, background)
- Spawned after success message shown
- Typically: dev servers, file watchers, editors
- Run in background, failures logged but don't block
- Logs:
.git/wt-logs/{branch}-post-start-{name}.log - Skip with
--no-verify
Template variables: {{ repo }}, {{ branch }}, {{ worktree }}, {{ repo_root }}
Security: Commands from project hooks require approval on first run.
Approvals are saved to user config. Use --force to bypass prompts.
See wt config approvals --help.
Examples
Switch to existing worktree:
wt switch feature-branch
Create new worktree from main:
wt switch --create new-feature
Switch to previous worktree:
wt switch -
Create from specific base:
wt switch --create hotfix --base production
Create and run command:
wt switch --create docs --execute "code ."
Skip hooks during creation:
wt switch --create temp --no-verify
Shortcuts
Use @ for current HEAD, - for previous, ^ for main:
wt switch @ # Switch to current branch's worktree
wt switch - # Switch to previous worktree
wt switch --create new-feature --base=^ # Branch from main (default)
wt switch --create bugfix --base=@ # Branch from current HEAD
wt remove @ # Remove current worktree
wt merge — Merge worktree into target branch
Usage: merge [OPTIONS] [TARGET]
Arguments:
[TARGET]
Target branch
Defaults to default branch.
Options:
--no-squash
Skip commit squashing
--no-commit
Skip commit, squash, and rebase
--no-remove
Keep worktree after merge
--no-verify
Skip all project hooks
-f, --force
Skip approval prompts
--stage <STAGE>
What to stage before committing [default: all]
Possible values:
- all: Stage everything: untracked files + unstaged tracked changes
- tracked: Stage tracked changes only (like git add -u)
- none: Stage nothing, commit only what's already in the index
-h, --help
Print help (see a summary with '-h')
Operation
Commit → Squash → Rebase → Pre-merge hooks → Push → Cleanup → Post-merge hooks
Commit
Uncommitted changes are staged and committed with LLM commit message.
Use --stage=tracked to stage only tracked files, or --stage=none to commit only what's already staged.
Squash
Multiple commits are squashed into one (like GitHub's "Squash and merge") with LLM commit message.
Skip with --no-squash. Safety backup: git reflog show refs/wt-backup/<branch>
Rebase
Branch is rebased onto target. Conflicts abort the merge immediately.
Hooks
Pre-merge commands run after rebase (failures abort). Post-merge commands
run after cleanup (failures logged). Skip all with --no-verify.
Push
Fast-forward push to local target branch. Non-fast-forward pushes are rejected.
Cleanup
Worktree and branch are removed. Skip with --no-remove.
Template variables: {{ repo }}, {{ branch }}, {{ worktree }}, {{ repo_root }}, {{ target }}
Security: Commands from project hooks require approval on first run.
Approvals are saved to user config. Use --force to bypass prompts.
See wt config approvals --help.
Examples
Basic merge to main:
wt merge
Merge without squashing:
wt merge --no-squash
Keep worktree after merging:
wt merge --no-remove
Skip all hooks:
wt merge --no-verify
wt remove — Remove worktree and branch
Usage: remove [OPTIONS] [WORKTREES]...
Arguments:
[WORKTREES]...
Worktree or branch (@ for current)
Options:
--no-delete-branch
Keep branch after removal
-D, --force-delete
Delete unmerged branches
--no-background
Run removal in foreground
-h, --help
Print help (see a summary with '-h')
Operation
Removes worktree directory, git metadata, and branch. Requires clean working tree.
No arguments (remove current)
- Removes current worktree and switches to main worktree
- In main worktree: switches to default branch
By name (remove specific)
- Removes specified worktree(s) and branches
- Current worktree removed last (switches to main first)
Background removal (default)
- Returns immediately so you can continue working
- Logs:
.git/wt-logs/{branch}-remove.log - Use
--no-backgroundfor foreground (blocking)
Cleanup
Stops any git fsmonitor daemon for the worktree before removal. This prevents orphaned processes when using builtin fsmonitor (core.fsmonitor=true). No effect on Watchman users.
Examples
Remove current worktree and branch:
wt remove
Remove specific worktree and branch:
wt remove feature-branch
Remove worktree but keep branch:
wt remove --no-delete-branch feature-branch
Remove multiple worktrees:
wt remove old-feature another-branch
Remove in foreground (blocking):
wt remove --no-background feature-branch
Switch to default in main:
wt remove # (when already in main worktree)
wt list — List worktrees and optionally branches
Usage: list [OPTIONS]
Options:
--format <FORMAT>
Output format (table, json)
[default: table]
--branches
Include branches without worktrees
--remotes
Include remote branches
--full
Show CI, conflicts, diffs
--progressive
Show fast info immediately, update with slow info
Displays local data (branches, paths, status) first, then updates with remote data (CI, upstream) as it arrives. Auto-enabled for TTY.
-h, --help
Print help (see a summary with '-h')
Columns
- Branch: Branch name
- Status: Quick status symbols (see Status Symbols below)
- HEAD±: Uncommitted changes vs HEAD (+added -deleted lines, staged + unstaged)
- main↕: Commit count ahead↑/behind↓ relative to main (commits in HEAD vs main)
- main…± (
--full): Line diffs in commits ahead of main (+added -deleted) - Path: Worktree directory location
- Remote⇅: Commits ahead↑/behind↓ relative to tracking branch (e.g.
origin/branch) - CI (
--full): CI pipeline status (tries PR/MR checks first, falls back to branch workflows)●passed (green) - All checks passed●running (blue) - Checks in progress●failed (red) - Checks failed●conflicts (yellow) - Merge conflicts with base●no-ci (gray) - PR/MR or workflow found but no checks configured- (blank) - No PR/MR or workflow found, or
gh/glabCLI unavailable - (dimmed) - Stale: unpushed local changes differ from PR/MR head
- Commit: Short commit hash (8 chars)
- Age: Time since last commit (relative)
- Message: Last commit message (truncated)
Status Symbols
Order: ?!+»✘ ✖⚠≡∅ ↻⋈ ↑↓↕ ⇡⇣⇅ ⎇⌫⊠
?Untracked files present!Modified files (unstaged changes)+Staged files (ready to commit)»Renamed files✘Deleted files✖Merge conflicts - unresolved conflicts in working tree (fix before continuing)⚠Would conflict - merging into main would fail≡Working tree matches main (identical contents, regardless of commit history)∅No commits (no commits ahead AND no uncommitted changes)↻Rebase in progress⋈Merge in progress↑Ahead of main branch↓Behind main branch↕Diverged (both ahead and behind main)⇡Ahead of remote tracking branch⇣Behind remote tracking branch⇅Diverged (both ahead and behind remote)⎇Branch indicator (shown for branches without worktrees)⌫Prunable worktree (directory missing, can be pruned)⊠Locked worktree (protected from auto-removal)
Rows are dimmed when there's no marginal contribution (≡ matches main OR ∅ no commits).
JSON Output
Use --format=json for structured data. Each object contains two status maps
with the same fields in the same order as Status Symbols above:
status - variant names for querying:
working_tree:{untracked, modified, staged, renamed, deleted}booleansbranch_state:""|"Conflicts"|"MergeTreeConflicts"|"MatchesMain"|"NoCommits"git_operation:""|"Rebase"|"Merge"main_divergence:""|"Ahead"|"Behind"|"Diverged"upstream_divergence:""|"Ahead"|"Behind"|"Diverged"user_status: string (optional)
status_symbols - Unicode symbols for display (same fields, plus worktree_attrs: ⎇/⌫/⊠)
Note: locked and prunable are top-level fields on worktree objects, not in status.
Worktree position fields (for identifying special worktrees):
is_main: boolean - is the main/default worktreeis_current: boolean - is the current working directory (present when true)is_previous: boolean - is the previous worktree fromwt switch(present when true)
Query examples:
# Find worktrees with conflicts
jq '.[] | select(.status.branch_state == "Conflicts")'
# Find worktrees with untracked files
jq '.[] | select(.status.working_tree.untracked)'
# Find worktrees in rebase or merge
jq '.[] | select(.status.git_operation != "")'
# Get branches ahead of main
jq '.[] | select(.status.main_divergence == "Ahead")'
# Find locked worktrees
jq '.[] | select(.locked != null)'
# Get current worktree info (useful for statusline tools)
jq '.[] | select(.is_current == true)'
wt config — Manage configuration and shell integration
Usage: config <COMMAND>
Commands:
shell Shell integration setup
create Create global configuration file
show Show configuration files & locations
refresh-cache Refresh default branch from remote
status Manage branch status markers
approvals Manage command approvals
help Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)
Options:
-h, --help
Print help (see a summary with '-h')
Setup Guide
-
Set up shell integration
wt config shell installOr manually add to your shell config:
eval "$(wt config shell init bash)" -
(Optional) Create config file
wt config createThis creates ~/.config/worktrunk/config.toml with examples.
-
(Optional) Enable LLM commit messages
Install:
uv tool install -U llmConfigure:llm keys set anthropicAdd to config.toml:[] = "llm"
LLM Setup Details
For Claude:
llm install llm-anthropic
llm keys set anthropic
llm models default claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
For OpenAI:
llm keys set openai
Use wt config show to view your current configuration.
Docs: https://llm.datasette.io/ | https://github.com/sigoden/aichat
Configuration Files
Global config (user settings):
- Location:
~/.config/worktrunk/config.toml(orWORKTRUNK_CONFIG_PATH) - Run
wt config create --helpto view documented examples
Project config (repository hooks):
- Location:
.config/wt.tomlin repository root - Contains: post-create, post-start, pre-commit, pre-merge, post-merge hooks
wt step — Workflow building blocks
Usage: step <COMMAND>
Commands:
commit Commit changes with LLM commit message
squash Squash commits with LLM commit message
push Push changes to local target branch
rebase Rebase onto target
post-create Run post-create hook
post-start Run post-start hook
pre-commit Run pre-commit hook
pre-merge Run pre-merge hook
post-merge Run post-merge hook
help Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)
Options:
-h, --help
Print help
Advanced Features
Custom Worktree Status
Add emoji status markers to branches that appear in wt list.
# Set status for current branch
wt config status set "🤖"
# Or use git config directly
git config worktrunk.status.feature-x "💬"
Status appears in the Status column:
$ wt list
Branch Status HEAD± main↕ Path Remote⇅ Commit Age Message
@ main ^ ./test-repo b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ clean-no-status ∅ ./clean-no-status b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ clean-with-status ∅ 💬 ./clean-with-status b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ dirty-no-status ! +1 -1 ./dirty-no-status b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ dirty-with-status ?∅ 🤖 ./dirty-with-status b834638e 10mo Initial commit
⚪ Showing 5 worktrees, 1 with changes
The custom emoji appears directly after the git status symbols.
Claude Code can automatically set/clear emoji status when coding sessions start and end.
When using Claude:
- Sets status to
🤖for the current branch when submitting a prompt (working) - Changes to
💬when Claude needs input (waiting for permission or idle) - Clears the status completely when the session ends
$ wt list
Branch Status HEAD± main↕ Path Remote⇅ Commit Age Message
@ main ^ ./test-repo b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ clean-no-status ∅ ./clean-no-status b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ clean-with-status ∅ 💬 ./clean-with-status b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ dirty-no-status ! +1 -1 ./dirty-no-status b834638e 10mo Initial commit
+ dirty-with-status ?∅ 🤖 ./dirty-with-status b834638e 10mo Initial commit
⚪ Showing 5 worktrees, 1 with changes
How it works:
- Status is stored as
worktrunk.status.<branch>in.git/config - Each branch can have its own status emoji
- The hooks automatically detect the current branch and set/clear its status
- Works with any git repository, no special configuration needed
Project Status
Worktrunk is in active development. The core features are stable and ready for use. There may be backward-incompatible changes.
The most helpful way to contribute:
- Use it!
- Star the repo / tell friends / post about it
- Find bugs, file reproducible bug reports
FAQ
Worktrunk executes commands in three contexts:
- Project hooks (
.config/wt.toml) - Automation for worktree lifecycle - LLM commands (
~/.config/worktrunk/config.toml) - Commit message generation - --execute flag - Commands provided explicitly
Commands from project hooks and LLM configuration require approval on first run. Approved commands are saved to ~/.config/worktrunk/config.toml under the project's configuration. If a command changes, Worktrunk requires new approval.
Example approval prompt:
🟡 test-repo needs approval to execute 3 commands:
⚪ post-create install:
echo 'Installing dependencies...'
⚪ post-create build:
echo 'Building project...'
⚪ post-create test:
echo 'Running tests...'
💡 Allow and remember? [y/N]
Use --force to bypass prompts (useful for CI/automation).
vs. Branch Switching
git checkout forces all work through a single directory. Switching branches means rebuilding artifacts, restarting dev servers, and stashing changes. Only one branch can be active at a time.
Worktrunk gives each branch its own directory with independent build caches, processes, and editor state. Work on multiple branches simultaneously without rebuilding or stashing.
vs. Plain git worktree
Git's built-in worktree commands work but require manual lifecycle management:
# Plain git worktree workflow
git worktree add -b feature-branch ../myapp-feature main
cd ../myapp-feature
# ...work, commit, push...
cd ../myapp
git merge feature-branch
git worktree remove ../myapp-feature
git branch -d feature-branch
Worktrunk automates the full lifecycle:
wt switch --create feature-branch # Creates worktree, runs setup hooks
# ...work...
wt merge # Squashes, merges, removes worktree
What git worktree doesn't provide:
- Consistent directory naming and cleanup validation
- Project-specific automation (install dependencies, start services)
- Unified status across all worktrees (commits, CI, conflicts, changes)
Worktrunk adds path management, lifecycle hooks, and wt list --full for viewing all worktrees—branches, uncommitted changes, commits ahead/behind, CI status, and conflicts—in a single view.
vs. git-machete / git-town
Different scopes:
- git-machete: Branch stack management in a single directory
- git-town: Git workflow automation in a single directory
- worktrunk: Multi-worktree management with hooks and status aggregation
These tools can be used together—run git-machete or git-town inside individual worktrees.
vs. Git TUIs (lazygit, gh-dash, etc.)
Git TUIs operate on a single repository. Worktrunk manages multiple worktrees, runs automation hooks, and aggregates status across branches (wt list --full). Use your preferred TUI inside each worktree directory.
If you encounter errors related to tree-sitter or C compilation (like "error: 'for' loop initial declarations are only allowed in C99 mode" or "undefined reference to le16toh"), install without syntax highlighting:
cargo install worktrunk --no-default-features
This disables bash syntax highlighting in command output but keeps all core functionality. The syntax highlighting feature requires C99 compiler support and can fail on older systems or minimal Docker images.
Running Tests
Quick tests (no external dependencies):
Full integration tests (requires bash, zsh, fish):
Dependencies for shell integration tests:
- bash, zsh, fish shells
- Quick setup:
./dev/setup-claude-code-web.sh(installs shells on Linux)
Releases
Use cargo-release to publish new versions:
cargo install cargo-release
# Bump version, update Cargo.lock, commit, tag, and push
cargo release patch --execute # 0.1.0 -> 0.1.1
cargo release minor --execute # 0.1.0 -> 0.2.0
cargo release major --execute # 0.1.0 -> 1.0.0
This updates Cargo.toml and Cargo.lock, creates a commit and tag, then pushes to GitHub. The tag push triggers GitHub Actions to build binaries, create the release, and publish to crates.io.
Run without --execute to preview changes first.