Worktree Isolation

Worktree Isolation

Procedure for isolating feature and bugfix work on dedicated branches using git worktree. Prevents accidental commits to the wrong branch and keeps the main working tree clean.

Branch Naming

Derive the branch name from the task context. Use the git-conventions branch naming format:

| Source | Branch name | |---|---| | Bug ticket with ID | fix/- — e.g. fix/BUG-044-null-payment-response | | Feature PRD | feature/ — use the feature folder name or the title from the PRD, kebab-cased | | Feature folder | feature/ — match the directory that holds the feature spec | | Hotfix | hotfix/- | | Refactor | refactor/ |

Rules:

• Always lowercase, hyphen-separated
• Include the ticket/bug ID when one exists
• Keep the description portion under 40 characters
• Never use generic names like dev, temp, wip, or my-branch

Setup Procedure

Execute these steps in order before writing any code:

1. Determine Branch Name

BRANCH_NAME = derive from task context (see table above)

2. Check if Branch Already Exists

# Check local branches
git branch --list "$BRANCH_NAME"

# Check remote branches
git branch -r --list "origin/$BRANCH_NAME"

• If the branch exists locally — use it
• If the branch exists only on remote — fetch and track it
• If the branch does not exist anywhere — create it from the current main branch

3. Create or Enter the Worktree

# If branch does not exist — create worktree with new branch
git worktree add ../worktree-$BRANCH_NAME -b "$BRANCH_NAME"

# If branch already exists locally
git worktree add ../worktree-$BRANCH_NAME "$BRANCH_NAME"

# If branch exists only on remote
git fetch origin "$BRANCH_NAME"
git worktree add ../worktree-$BRANCH_NAME "$BRANCH_NAME"

The worktree path sits alongside the main repo directory. Adjust the path if the environment requires a different location.

4. Verify Branch

After entering the worktree, always confirm:

git branch --show-current

Hard rule: the output MUST match $BRANCH_NAME. If it does not — stop and fix before writing any code. Do not proceed on the wrong branch.

During Development

Branch Guard

Before every commit, verify the current branch:

current=$(git branch --show-current)
if [ "$current" != "$BRANCH_NAME" ]; then
  echo "ERROR: on branch '$current', expected '$BRANCH_NAME'" >&2
  exit 1
fi

Never switch branches inside the worktree. The worktree is locked to its branch. If you need a different branch, create a separate worktree.

Commit Rules

• Commit only to the designated branch
• Follow the project's commit message conventions
• Do not merge main into the feature branch inside the worktree — rebase if needed

Cleanup

After the feature is merged or the work is complete:

# From the main working tree (not from inside the worktree)
git worktree remove ../worktree-$BRANCH_NAME

# If the branch was merged, delete it
git branch -d "$BRANCH_NAME"

Do not delete the worktree while it has uncommitted changes. Commit or stash first.

Error Recovery

| Problem | Action | |---|---| | Worktree path already exists | Check if it belongs to this branch. If yes, reuse. If stale, run git worktree prune then retry | | Branch exists but worktree does not | Create worktree pointing to the existing branch | | Detached HEAD in worktree | Run git checkout "$BRANCH_NAME" inside the worktree | | Worktree locked | Run git worktree unlock ../worktree-$BRANCH_NAME then retry |

Integration

• Used by: feature-dev skill, bugfix skill
• Follows: git-conventions rule (branch naming, commit messages)

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: alex-voloshin-dev
• Source: alex-voloshin-dev/ai-skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://voloshin.net

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.