git-worktrees

<domain_overview>

🌳 GIT WORKTREES: ISOLATED WORKSPACES

Philosophy: Isolation prevents contamination. Work on features without affecting the main workspace. Systematic directory selection + safety verification = reliable isolation. ISOLATION INTEGRITY MANDATE (CRITICAL): Never create worktrees in directories that are not explicitly ignored by Git. AI-generated workflows often fail by polluting the primary repository with tracked worktree data. You MUST verify that the destination directory is within .gitignore before execution. Furthermore, you MUST ensure a 'Clean Baseline' by running tests before starting any feature work in a new worktree to avoid cross-contamination of artifacts. </domain_overview>

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<directory_selection>

🎯 OVERVIEW

Git worktrees create isolated workspaces sharing the same repository, allowing work on multiple branches simultaneously without switching. Benefits:

• Work on feature branch without stashing changes
• Test in isolation without affecting main workspace
• Run long processes without blocking other work
• Easy cleanup when feature is complete

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📋 WHEN TO USE

Use before:

• Starting new feature development
• Implementing plans from @planning-mastery
• Making experimental changes
• Working on multiple features in parallel Skip for:
• Quick bug fixes on current branch
• Documentation updates
• Configuration changes

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📁 DIRECTORY SELECTION PROCESS

Follow this priority order:

1. Check Existing Directories

Unix/macOS:

ls -d .worktrees 2>/dev/null     # Preferred (hidden)
ls -d worktrees 2>/dev/null      # Alternative

Windows (PowerShell):

if (Test-Path ".worktrees") { ".worktrees" }
elseif (Test-Path "worktrees") { "worktrees" }

If found: Use that directory. If both exist, .worktrees wins.

2. Check CLAUDE.md

grep -i "worktree.*director" CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null

If preference specified: Use it without asking.

3. Ask User

If no directory exists and no CLAUDE.md preference:

No worktree directory found. Where should I create worktrees?
1. .worktrees/ (project-local, hidden)
2. %USERPROFILE%\.config\maestro\worktrees\<project>\ (global location)
Which would you prefer?

</directory_selection> <safety_verification>