Work on Multiple Branches with git worktree

git worktree lets you check out multiple branches at the same time, each in its own directory. No more git stash, git checkout, npm install dance every time you need to switch branches. Perfect for reviewing a PR while keeping your own work-in-progress untouched, or running two dev servers side by side.

Tested on git 2.43+.

When to Use This

• Reviewing a PR while your own feature branch stays intact
• Running an old version of the app side-by-side with the new one
• Hotfixing main while staying on your feature branch
• Comparing behavior between two branches without rebuilding

Don't use this when disk space is tight (each worktree is a full checkout) or when you need branches that share the same files (use a single checkout).

Code

# Create a new worktree for an existing branch
git worktree add ../myapp-pr-456 origin/feature/login
 
# Create a new worktree AND a new branch from main
git worktree add -b hotfix/auth ../myapp-hotfix main
 
# List all worktrees
git worktree list
 
# Remove a worktree when you're done
git worktree remove ../myapp-pr-456
 
# Force-remove if the worktree directory was already deleted
git worktree prune

The new worktree appears as a sibling directory by convention. You can put it anywhere on disk, but keeping siblings makes them easy to find.

Usage

The "review a PR while staying on your branch" workflow:

# 1) You're on feature/dashboard with uncommitted changes
$ git status
On branch feature/dashboard
Changes not staged for commit:
  modified: src/Dashboard.tsx
 
# 2) A teammate asks you to review their PR (#456) urgently.
#    Create a worktree for it without touching your branch.
$ git fetch origin pull/456/head:pr-456
$ git worktree add ../myapp-pr-456 pr-456
 
# 3) Switch to the new directory, install deps, and review
$ cd ../myapp-pr-456
$ npm install
$ npm run dev
# Review at http://localhost:3000
 
# 4) When done, remove the worktree
$ cd ../myapp
$ git worktree remove ../myapp-pr-456
$ git branch -D pr-456

Your original feature/dashboard directory is untouched the entire time. No stash, no rebuild.

A second pattern: side-by-side comparison of two branches.

# Main branch in original directory, dev branch in a sibling
git worktree add ../myapp-dev dev
 
# Run two dev servers on different ports
cd ../myapp && PORT=3000 npm run dev
cd ../myapp-dev && PORT=3001 npm run dev

Pitfalls

• Each worktree is a full checkout. Disk space adds up fast on big repos. Don't create 10 worktrees and forget about them.
• You can't check out the same branch in two worktrees. Git refuses, because it would create an ambiguous HEAD. Use git worktree add --force to override (rarely a good idea).
• node_modules is per-worktree. Each worktree needs its own npm install. That's the trade-off — fast switching, but slower first-time setup.
• Removing a worktree directory manually leaves a stale entry. Run git worktree prune to clean up. git worktree remove is the safe way.
• Submodules don't auto-init in new worktrees. Run git submodule update --init after creating each worktree if you have submodules.
• The main checkout (.git lives in this one) cannot be removed as a worktree. It's the "primary" checkout and is always present.

Related Snippets & Reading

• Useful git stash Patterns — the workflow worktree replaces
• Interactive Rebase to Squash Commits — works inside any worktree
• git worktree official docs — full reference