Git Worktree for Parallel Development

Need to work on multiple branches simultaneously (hotfix while feature is in progress) but stashing and switching branches is error-prone and slow.

Git worktrees let you check out multiple branches at once:

# Create a worktree for a hotfix
git worktree add ../project-hotfix hotfix-branch
# Now ../project-hotfix has hotfix-branch checked out
# Main repo still has your feature branch

# Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add -b urgent-fix ../project-urgent main

# List worktrees
git worktree list
# /home/user/project         abc1234 [feature-x]
# /home/user/project-hotfix  def5678 [hotfix-branch]

# Work in the hotfix worktree
cd ../project-hotfix
# edit, commit, push - independent of main worktree

# Remove worktree when done
cd ../project
git worktree remove ../project-hotfix
# Or just delete the directory and run:
git worktree prune

Benefits over stash/switch:

• No need to stash/unstash (can't lose WIP)
• IDEs can have both open simultaneously
• Build caches stay warm in each worktree
• CI can use worktrees for parallel test runs

Worktrees share the same .git directory (saves disk space) but have independent working directories. This is perfect for context-switching without disrupting in-progress work.

Working on multiple features or hotfixes simultaneously