1git-worktree(1) 2=============== 3 4NAME 5---- 6git-worktree - Manage multiple working trees 7 8 9SYNOPSIS 10-------- 11[verse] 12'git worktree add' [-f] [--detach] [-b <new-branch>] <path> [<branch>] 13'git worktree prune' [-n] [-v] [--expire <expire>] 14 15DESCRIPTION 16----------- 17 18Manage multiple working trees attached to the same repository. 19 20A git repository can support multiple working trees, allowing you to check 21out more than one branch at a time. With `git worktree add` a new working 22tree is associated with the repository. This new working tree is called a 23"linked working tree" as opposed to the "main working tree" prepared by "git 24init" or "git clone". A repository has one main working tree (if it's not a 25bare repository) and zero or more linked working trees. 26 27When you are done with a linked working tree you can simply delete it. 28The working tree's administrative files in the repository (see 29"DETAILS" below) will eventually be removed automatically (see 30`gc.worktreePruneExpire` in linkgit:git-config[1]), or you can run 31`git worktree prune` in the main or any linked working tree to 32clean up any stale administrative files. 33 34If you move a linked working tree to another file system, or 35within a file system that does not support hard links, you need to run 36at least one git command inside the linked working tree 37(e.g. `git status`) in order to update its administrative files in the 38repository so that they do not get automatically pruned. 39 40If a linked working tree is stored on a portable device or network share 41which is not always mounted, you can prevent its administrative files from 42being pruned by creating a file named 'locked' alongside the other 43administrative files, optionally containing a plain text reason that 44pruning should be suppressed. See section "DETAILS" for more information. 45 46COMMANDS 47-------- 48add <path> [<branch>]:: 49 50Create `<path>` and checkout `<branch>` into it. The new working directory 51is linked to the current repository, sharing everything except working 52directory specific files such as HEAD, index, etc. 53+ 54If `<branch>` is omitted and neither `-b` nor `-B` nor `--detached` used, 55then, as a convenience, a new branch based at HEAD is created automatically, 56as if `-b $(basename <path>)` was specified. 57 58prune:: 59 60Prune working tree information in $GIT_DIR/worktrees. 61 62OPTIONS 63------- 64 65-f:: 66--force:: 67 By default, `add` refuses to create a new working tree when `<branch>` 68 is already checked out by another working tree. This option overrides 69 that safeguard. 70 71-b <new-branch>:: 72-B <new-branch>:: 73 With `add`, create a new branch named `<new-branch>` starting at 74 `<branch>`, and check out `<new-branch>` into the new working tree. 75 If `<branch>` is omitted, it defaults to HEAD. 76 By default, `-b` refuses to create a new branch if it already 77 exists. `-B` overrides this safeguard, resetting `<new-branch>` to 78 `<branch>`. 79 80--detach:: 81 With `add`, detach HEAD in the new working tree. See "DETACHED HEAD" 82 in linkgit:git-checkout[1]. 83 84-n:: 85--dry-run:: 86 With `prune`, do not remove anything; just report what it would 87 remove. 88 89-v:: 90--verbose:: 91 With `prune`, report all removals. 92 93--expire <time>:: 94 With `prune`, only expire unused working trees older than <time>. 95 96DETAILS 97------- 98Each linked working tree has a private sub-directory in the repository's 99$GIT_DIR/worktrees directory. The private sub-directory's name is usually 100the base name of the linked working tree's path, possibly appended with a 101number to make it unique. For example, when `$GIT_DIR=/path/main/.git` the 102command `git worktree add /path/other/test-next next` creates the linked 103working tree in `/path/other/test-next` and also creates a 104`$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next` directory (or `$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next1` 105if `test-next` is already taken). 106 107Within a linked working tree, $GIT_DIR is set to point to this private 108directory (e.g. `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` in the example) and 109$GIT_COMMON_DIR is set to point back to the main working tree's $GIT_DIR 110(e.g. `/path/main/.git`). These settings are made in a `.git` file located at 111the top directory of the linked working tree. 112 113Path resolution via `git rev-parse --git-path` uses either 114$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR depending on the path. For example, in the 115linked working tree `git rev-parse --git-path HEAD` returns 116`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/HEAD` (not 117`/path/other/test-next/.git/HEAD` or `/path/main/.git/HEAD`) while `git 118rev-parse --git-path refs/heads/master` uses 119$GIT_COMMON_DIR and returns `/path/main/.git/refs/heads/master`, 120since refs are shared across all working trees. 121 122See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for more information. The rule of 123thumb is do not make any assumption about whether a path belongs to 124$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR when you need to directly access something 125inside $GIT_DIR. Use `git rev-parse --git-path` to get the final path. 126 127To prevent a $GIT_DIR/worktrees entry from being pruned (which 128can be useful in some situations, such as when the 129entry's working tree is stored on a portable device), add a file named 130'locked' to the entry's directory. The file contains the reason in 131plain text. For example, if a linked working tree's `.git` file points 132to `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` then a file named 133`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/locked` will prevent the 134`test-next` entry from being pruned. See 135linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for details. 136 137EXAMPLES 138-------- 139You are in the middle of a refactoring session and your boss comes in and 140demands that you fix something immediately. You might typically use 141linkgit:git-stash[1] to store your changes away temporarily, however, your 142working tree is in such a state of disarray (with new, moved, and removed 143files, and other bits and pieces strewn around) that you don't want to risk 144disturbing any of it. Instead, you create a temporary linked working tree to 145make the emergency fix, remove it when done, and then resume your earlier 146refactoring session. 147 148------------ 149$ git worktree add -b emergency-fix ../temp master 150$ pushd ../temp 151# ... hack hack hack ... 152$ git commit -a -m 'emergency fix for boss' 153$ popd 154$ rm -rf ../temp 155$ git worktree prune 156------------ 157 158BUGS 159---- 160Multiple checkout in general is still experimental, and the support 161for submodules is incomplete. It is NOT recommended to make multiple 162checkouts of a superproject. 163 164git-worktree could provide more automation for tasks currently 165performed manually, such as: 166 167- `remove` to remove a linked working tree and its administrative files (and 168 warn if the working tree is dirty) 169- `mv` to move or rename a working tree and update its administrative files 170- `list` to list linked working trees 171- `lock` to prevent automatic pruning of administrative files (for instance, 172 for a working tree on a portable device) 173 174GIT 175--- 176Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite