Create New Git Workspace (Branch or Worktree)

You are helping the user create a new Git branch or worktree for experiments or features.

Workflow

1. Ask User for Workspace Type

Ask the user to choose:

branch: Create a new branch in the current working directory
worktree: Create a new worktree in a separate directory

2. Ask for Branch Type and Name

Ask the user to choose the branch type:

feature: For new features (creates feature/<name>)
exp: For experiments (creates exp/<name>)

Then ask for the branch name (without prefix). For example:

User inputs: authentication
Result: feature/authentication or exp/authentication

3. Verify Current Git State

Before creating anything, check:

# Ensure we're in a git repository
git rev-parse --git-dir

# Check for uncommitted changes
git status --porcelain

If there are uncommitted changes, warn the user and ask if they want to:

Stash changes and continue
Commit changes first
Cancel operation

4. Create Branch or Worktree

Option A: Create Branch Only

# Create and checkout new branch
git checkout -b <branch-type>/<branch-name>

Show success message and current branch.

Option B: Create Worktree

Steps:

Get project root directory:

git rev-parse --show-toplevel

Create worktree directory structure:

# Worktrees will be at: <project-root>/../worktrees/<branch-name>/
PROJECT_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
WORKTREE_DIR="$PROJECT_ROOT/../worktrees/<branch-type>-<branch-name>"

# Create worktree
git worktree add "$WORKTREE_DIR" -b <branch-type>/<branch-name>

Sync IDE configuration directories:

Automatically copy IDE configuration folders from project root to worktree:

# Copy IDE configuration directories
for config_dir in .vscode .cursor .claude; do
    if [ -d "$PROJECT_ROOT/$config_dir" ]; then
        echo "Copying $config_dir configuration..."
        cp -r "$PROJECT_ROOT/$config_dir" "$WORKTREE_DIR/"
        echo "✓ $config_dir synced"
    fi
done

Important: These directories are copied (not symlinked) so that:

Each worktree can have independent IDE settings if needed
Changes in one worktree don't affect others
You can customize settings per experiment/feature

Check for .worktree-links configuration:

Look for .worktree-links file in the project root:

LINKS_CONFIG="$PROJECT_ROOT/.worktree-links"
if [ -f "$LINKS_CONFIG" ]; then
    # Read and process links
    while IFS= read -r line; do
        # Skip empty lines and comments
        [[ -z "$line" || "$line" =~ ^#.* ]] && continue

        # Create symlink from worktree to original location
        SOURCE="$PROJECT_ROOT/$line"
        TARGET="$WORKTREE_DIR/$line"

        if [ -e "$SOURCE" ]; then
            # Create parent directory if needed
            mkdir -p "$(dirname "$TARGET")"
            ln -s "$SOURCE" "$TARGET"
            echo "Linked: $line"
        else
            echo "Warning: Source not found: $line"
        fi
    done < "$LINKS_CONFIG"
fi

Format of .worktree-links file:

# Lines starting with # are comments
# List relative paths from project root to link

data/
models/
.env
configs/local_settings.yaml

Sync UV environment in the new worktree:

cd "$WORKTREE_DIR"

# Check if pyproject.toml exists (indicating a Python project with uv)
if [ -f "pyproject.toml" ]; then
    echo "Syncing UV environment..."
    uv sync
    echo "UV environment synced successfully"
else
    echo "No pyproject.toml found, skipping UV sync"
fi

Display summary:

✓ Worktree created at: <worktree-path>
✓ Branch created: <branch-type>/<branch-name>
✓ Symlinks created: <count> items
✓ UV environment synced

To start working:
  cd <worktree-path>

5. Error Handling

Handle common errors:

Not in a git repository: Show clear error message
Branch already exists: Ask if user wants to:
- Create worktree from existing branch (if applicable)
- Choose a different name
- Cancel
Worktree directory already exists: Ask to remove or choose different name
UV sync fails: Show error but don't rollback worktree creation
.worktree-links not found: Continue without creating symlinks (this is optional)

6. Additional Features

Optional: List existing worktrees

If user chooses worktree option, first show existing worktrees:

git worktree list

This helps user see what already exists.

Configuration File Template

If .worktree-links doesn't exist in the project, you can offer to create it with common defaults:

# .worktree-links
#
# Symlinks to create in new worktrees
# List paths relative to project root
# Lines starting with # are ignored

# Example entries:
# data/
# models/
# .env
# configs/production.yaml

Important Notes

Worktree isolation: Each worktree has its own working directory but shares the same Git object database
UV environment: Each worktree gets its own .venv/ (not symlinked) to avoid conflicts
Symlinks are absolute paths: Use absolute paths in symlinks to ensure they work from the worktree location
Branch tracking: New branches are created as local branches (not tracking remote)

new-workspace