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NAME
git-worktree - Manage multiple working trees
SYNOPSIS
git worktree add [-f] [--detach] [--checkout] [--lock [--reason <string>]]
[--orphan] [(-b | -B) <new-branch>] <path> [<commit-ish>]
git worktree list [-v | --porcelain [-z]]
git worktree lock [--reason <string>] <worktree>
git worktree move <worktree> <new-path>
git worktree prune [-n] [-v] [--expire <expire>]
git worktree remove [-f] <worktree>
git worktree repair [<path>...]
git worktree unlock <worktree>
DESCRIPTION
Manage multiple working trees attached to the same repository.
A git repository can support multiple working trees, allowing you to check out more than
one branch at a time. With git worktree add a new working tree is associated with the
repository, along with additional metadata that differentiates that working tree from
others in the same repository. The working tree, along with this metadata, is called a
"worktree".
This new worktree is called a "linked worktree" as opposed to the "main worktree" prepared
by git-init(1) or git-clone(1). A repository has one main worktree (if it’s not a bare
repository) and zero or more linked worktrees. When you are done with a linked worktree,
remove it with git worktree remove.
In its simplest form, git worktree add <path> automatically creates a new branch whose
name is the final component of <path>, which is convenient if you plan to work on a new
topic. For instance, git worktree add ../hotfix creates new branch hotfix and checks it
out at path ../hotfix. To instead work on an existing branch in a new worktree, use git
worktree add <path> <branch>. On the other hand, if you just plan to make some
experimental changes or do testing without disturbing existing development, it is often
convenient to create a throwaway worktree not associated with any branch. For instance,
git worktree add -d <path> creates a new worktree with a detached HEAD at the same commit
as the current branch.
If a working tree is deleted without using git worktree remove, then its associated
administrative files, which reside in the repository (see "DETAILS" below), will
eventually be removed automatically (see gc.worktreePruneExpire in git-config(1)), or you
can run git worktree prune in the main or any linked worktree to clean up any stale
administrative files.
If the working tree for a linked worktree is stored on a portable device or network share
which is not always mounted, you can prevent its administrative files from being pruned by
issuing the git worktree lock command, optionally specifying --reason to explain why the
worktree is locked.
COMMANDS
add <path> [<commit-ish>]
Create a worktree at <path> and checkout <commit-ish> into it. The new worktree is
linked to the current repository, sharing everything except per-worktree files such as
HEAD, index, etc. As a convenience, <commit-ish> may be a bare "-", which is
synonymous with @{-1}.
If <commit-ish> is a branch name (call it <branch>) and is not found, and neither -b
nor -B nor --detach are used, but there does exist a tracking branch in exactly one
remote (call it <remote>) with a matching name, treat as equivalent to:
$ git worktree add --track -b <branch> <path> <remote>/<branch>
If the branch exists in multiple remotes and one of them is named by the
checkout.defaultRemote configuration variable, we’ll use that one for the purposes of
disambiguation, even if the <branch> isn’t unique across all remotes. Set it to e.g.
checkout.defaultRemote=origin to always checkout remote branches from there if
<branch> is ambiguous but exists on the origin remote. See also checkout.defaultRemote
in git-config(1).
If <commit-ish> is omitted and neither -b nor -B nor --detach used, then, as a
convenience, the new worktree is associated with a branch (call it <branch>) named
after $(basename <path>). If <branch> doesn’t exist, a new branch based on HEAD is
automatically created as if -b <branch> was given. If <branch> does exist, it will be
checked out in the new worktree, if it’s not checked out anywhere else, otherwise the
command will refuse to create the worktree (unless --force is used).
If <commit-ish> is omitted, neither --detach, or --orphan is used, and there are no
valid local branches (or remote branches if --guess-remote is specified) then, as a
convenience, the new worktree is associated with a new orphan branch named <branch>
(after $(basename <path>) if neither -b or -B is used) as if --orphan was passed to
the command. In the event the repository has a remote and --guess-remote is used, but
no remote or local branches exist, then the command fails with a warning reminding the
user to fetch from their remote first (or override by using -f/--force).
list
List details of each worktree. The main worktree is listed first, followed by each of
the linked worktrees. The output details include whether the worktree is bare, the
revision currently checked out, the branch currently checked out (or "detached HEAD"
if none), "locked" if the worktree is locked, "prunable" if the worktree can be pruned
by the prune command.
lock
If a worktree is on a portable device or network share which is not always mounted,
lock it to prevent its administrative files from being pruned automatically. This also
prevents it from being moved or deleted. Optionally, specify a reason for the lock
with --reason.
move
Move a worktree to a new location. Note that the main worktree or linked worktrees
containing submodules cannot be moved with this command. (The git worktree repair
command, however, can reestablish the connection with linked worktrees if you move the
main worktree manually.)
prune
Prune worktree information in $GIT_DIR/worktrees.
remove
Remove a worktree. Only clean worktrees (no untracked files and no modification in
tracked files) can be removed. Unclean worktrees or ones with submodules can be
removed with --force. The main worktree cannot be removed.
repair [<path>...]
Repair worktree administrative files, if possible, if they have become corrupted or
outdated due to external factors.
For instance, if the main worktree (or bare repository) is moved, linked worktrees
will be unable to locate it. Running repair in the main worktree will reestablish the
connection from linked worktrees back to the main worktree.
Similarly, if the working tree for a linked worktree is moved without using git
worktree move, the main worktree (or bare repository) will be unable to locate it.
Running repair within the recently-moved worktree will reestablish the connection. If
multiple linked worktrees are moved, running repair from any worktree with each tree’s
new <path> as an argument, will reestablish the connection to all the specified paths.
If both the main worktree and linked worktrees have been moved manually, then running
repair in the main worktree and specifying the new <path> of each linked worktree will
reestablish all connections in both directions.
unlock
Unlock a worktree, allowing it to be pruned, moved or deleted.
OPTIONS
-f, --force
By default, add refuses to create a new worktree when <commit-ish> is a branch name
and is already checked out by another worktree, or if <path> is already assigned to
some worktree but is missing (for instance, if <path> was deleted manually). This
option overrides these safeguards. To add a missing but locked worktree path, specify
--force twice.
move refuses to move a locked worktree unless --force is specified twice. If the
destination is already assigned to some other worktree but is missing (for instance,
if <new-path> was deleted manually), then --force allows the move to proceed; use
--force twice if the destination is locked.
remove refuses to remove an unclean worktree unless --force is used. To remove a
locked worktree, specify --force twice.
-b <new-branch>, -B <new-branch>
With add, create a new branch named <new-branch> starting at <commit-ish>, and check
out <new-branch> into the new worktree. If <commit-ish> is omitted, it defaults to
HEAD. By default, -b refuses to create a new branch if it already exists. -B
overrides this safeguard, resetting <new-branch> to <commit-ish>.
-d, --detach
With add, detach HEAD in the new worktree. See "DETACHED HEAD" in git-checkout(1).
--[no-]checkout
By default, add checks out <commit-ish>, however, --no-checkout can be used to
suppress checkout in order to make customizations, such as configuring
sparse-checkout. See "Sparse checkout" in git-read-tree(1).
--[no-]guess-remote
With worktree add <path>, without <commit-ish>, instead of creating a new branch from
HEAD, if there exists a tracking branch in exactly one remote matching the basename of
<path>, base the new branch on the remote-tracking branch, and mark the
remote-tracking branch as "upstream" from the new branch.
This can also be set up as the default behaviour by using the worktree.guessRemote
config option.
--[no-]track
When creating a new branch, if <commit-ish> is a branch, mark it as "upstream" from
the new branch. This is the default if <commit-ish> is a remote-tracking branch. See
--track in git-branch(1) for details.
--lock
Keep the worktree locked after creation. This is the equivalent of git worktree lock
after git worktree add, but without a race condition.
-n, --dry-run
With prune, do not remove anything; just report what it would remove.
--orphan
With add, make the new worktree and index empty, associating the worktree with a new
orphan/unborn branch named <new-branch>.
--porcelain
With list, output in an easy-to-parse format for scripts. This format will remain
stable across Git versions and regardless of user configuration. It is recommended to
combine this with -z. See below for details.
-z
Terminate each line with a NUL rather than a newline when --porcelain is specified
with list. This makes it possible to parse the output when a worktree path contains a
newline character.
-q, --quiet
With add, suppress feedback messages.
-v, --verbose
With prune, report all removals.
With list, output additional information about worktrees (see below).
--expire <time>
With prune, only expire unused worktrees older than <time>.
With list, annotate missing worktrees as prunable if they are older than <time>.
--reason <string>
With lock or with add --lock, an explanation why the worktree is locked.
<worktree>
Worktrees can be identified by path, either relative or absolute.
If the last path components in the worktree’s path is unique among worktrees, it can
be used to identify a worktree. For example if you only have two worktrees, at
/abc/def/ghi and /abc/def/ggg, then ghi or def/ghi is enough to point to the former
worktree.
REFS
When using multiple worktrees, some refs are shared between all worktrees, but others are
specific to an individual worktree. One example is HEAD, which is different for each
worktree. This section is about the sharing rules and how to access refs of one worktree
from another.
In general, all pseudo refs are per-worktree and all refs starting with refs/ are shared.
Pseudo refs are ones like HEAD which are directly under $GIT_DIR instead of inside
$GIT_DIR/refs. There are exceptions, however: refs inside refs/bisect, refs/worktree and
refs/rewritten are not shared.
Refs that are per-worktree can still be accessed from another worktree via two special
paths, main-worktree and worktrees. The former gives access to per-worktree refs of the
main worktree, while the latter to all linked worktrees.
For example, main-worktree/HEAD or main-worktree/refs/bisect/good resolve to the same
value as the main worktree’s HEAD and refs/bisect/good respectively. Similarly,
worktrees/foo/HEAD or worktrees/bar/refs/bisect/bad are the same as
$GIT_COMMON_DIR/worktrees/foo/HEAD and $GIT_COMMON_DIR/worktrees/bar/refs/bisect/bad.
To access refs, it’s best not to look inside $GIT_DIR directly. Instead use commands such
as git-rev-parse(1) or git-update-ref(1) which will handle refs correctly.
CONFIGURATION FILE
By default, the repository config file is shared across all worktrees. If the config
variables core.bare or core.worktree are present in the common config file and
extensions.worktreeConfig is disabled, then they will be applied to the main worktree
only.
In order to have worktree-specific configuration, you can turn on the worktreeConfig
extension, e.g.:
$ git config extensions.worktreeConfig true
In this mode, specific configuration stays in the path pointed by git rev-parse --git-path
config.worktree. You can add or update configuration in this file with git config
--worktree. Older Git versions will refuse to access repositories with this extension.
Note that in this file, the exception for core.bare and core.worktree is gone. If they
exist in $GIT_DIR/config, you must move them to the config.worktree of the main worktree.
You may also take this opportunity to review and move other configuration that you do not
want to share to all worktrees:
• core.worktree should never be shared.
• core.bare should not be shared if the value is core.bare=true.
• core.sparseCheckout should not be shared, unless you are sure you always use sparse
checkout for all worktrees.
See the documentation of extensions.worktreeConfig in git-config(1) for more details.
DETAILS
Each linked worktree has a private sub-directory in the repository’s $GIT_DIR/worktrees
directory. The private sub-directory’s name is usually the base name of the linked
worktree’s path, possibly appended with a number to make it unique. For example, when
$GIT_DIR=/path/main/.git the command git worktree add /path/other/test-next next creates
the linked worktree in /path/other/test-next and also creates a
$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next directory (or $GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next1 if test-next is
already taken).
Within a linked worktree, $GIT_DIR is set to point to this private directory (e.g.
/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next in the example) and $GIT_COMMON_DIR is set to point
back to the main worktree’s $GIT_DIR (e.g. /path/main/.git). These settings are made in a
.git file located at the top directory of the linked worktree.
Path resolution via git rev-parse --git-path uses either $GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR
depending on the path. For example, in the linked worktree git rev-parse --git-path HEAD
returns /path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/HEAD (not /path/other/test-next/.git/HEAD or
/path/main/.git/HEAD) while git rev-parse --git-path refs/heads/master uses
$GIT_COMMON_DIR and returns /path/main/.git/refs/heads/master, since refs are shared
across all worktrees, except refs/bisect, refs/worktree and refs/rewritten.
See gitrepository-layout(5) for more information. The rule of thumb is do not make any
assumption about whether a path belongs to $GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR when you need to
directly access something inside $GIT_DIR. Use git rev-parse --git-path to get the final
path.
If you manually move a linked worktree, you need to update the gitdir file in the entry’s
directory. For example, if a linked worktree is moved to /newpath/test-next and its .git
file points to /path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next, then update
/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/gitdir to reference /newpath/test-next instead. Better
yet, run git worktree repair to reestablish the connection automatically.
To prevent a $GIT_DIR/worktrees entry from being pruned (which can be useful in some
situations, such as when the entry’s worktree is stored on a portable device), use the git
worktree lock command, which adds a file named locked to the entry’s directory. The file
contains the reason in plain text. For example, if a linked worktree’s .git file points to
/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next then a file named
/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/locked will prevent the test-next entry from being
pruned. See gitrepository-layout(5) for details.
When extensions.worktreeConfig is enabled, the config file
.git/worktrees/<id>/config.worktree is read after .git/config is.
LIST OUTPUT FORMAT
The worktree list command has two output formats. The default format shows the details on
a single line with columns. For example:
$ git worktree list
/path/to/bare-source (bare)
/path/to/linked-worktree abcd1234 [master]
/path/to/other-linked-worktree 1234abc (detached HEAD)
The command also shows annotations for each worktree, according to its state. These
annotations are:
• locked, if the worktree is locked.
• prunable, if the worktree can be pruned via git worktree prune.
$ git worktree list
/path/to/linked-worktree abcd1234 [master]
/path/to/locked-worktree acbd5678 (brancha) locked
/path/to/prunable-worktree 5678abc (detached HEAD) prunable
For these annotations, a reason might also be available and this can be seen using the
verbose mode. The annotation is then moved to the next line indented followed by the
additional information.
$ git worktree list --verbose
/path/to/linked-worktree abcd1234 [master]
/path/to/locked-worktree-no-reason abcd5678 (detached HEAD) locked
/path/to/locked-worktree-with-reason 1234abcd (brancha)
locked: worktree path is mounted on a portable device
/path/to/prunable-worktree 5678abc1 (detached HEAD)
prunable: gitdir file points to non-existent location
Note that the annotation is moved to the next line if the additional information is
available, otherwise it stays on the same line as the worktree itself.
Porcelain Format
The porcelain format has a line per attribute. If -z is given then the lines are
terminated with NUL rather than a newline. Attributes are listed with a label and value
separated by a single space. Boolean attributes (like bare and detached) are listed as a
label only, and are present only if the value is true. Some attributes (like locked) can
be listed as a label only or with a value depending upon whether a reason is available.
The first attribute of a worktree is always worktree, an empty line indicates the end of
the record. For example:
$ git worktree list --porcelain
worktree /path/to/bare-source
bare
worktree /path/to/linked-worktree
HEAD abcd1234abcd1234abcd1234abcd1234abcd1234
branch refs/heads/master
worktree /path/to/other-linked-worktree
HEAD 1234abc1234abc1234abc1234abc1234abc1234a
detached
worktree /path/to/linked-worktree-locked-no-reason
HEAD 5678abc5678abc5678abc5678abc5678abc5678c
branch refs/heads/locked-no-reason
locked
worktree /path/to/linked-worktree-locked-with-reason
HEAD 3456def3456def3456def3456def3456def3456b
branch refs/heads/locked-with-reason
locked reason why is locked
worktree /path/to/linked-worktree-prunable
HEAD 1233def1234def1234def1234def1234def1234b
detached
prunable gitdir file points to non-existent location
Unless -z is used any "unusual" characters in the lock reason such as newlines are escaped
and the entire reason is quoted as explained for the configuration variable core.quotePath
(see git-config(1)). For Example:
$ git worktree list --porcelain
...
locked "reason\nwhy is locked"
...
EXAMPLES
You are in the middle of a refactoring session and your boss comes in and demands that you
fix something immediately. You might typically use git-stash(1) to store your changes away
temporarily, however, your working tree is in such a state of disarray (with new, moved,
and removed files, and other bits and pieces strewn around) that you don’t want to risk
disturbing any of it. Instead, you create a temporary linked worktree to make the
emergency fix, remove it when done, and then resume your earlier refactoring session.
$ git worktree add -b emergency-fix ../temp master
$ pushd ../temp
# ... hack hack hack ...
$ git commit -a -m 'emergency fix for boss'
$ popd
$ git worktree remove ../temp
BUGS
Multiple checkout in general is still experimental, and the support for submodules is
incomplete. It is NOT recommended to make multiple checkouts of a superproject.
GIT
Part of the git(1) suite