1git-worktree(1) 2=============== 3 4NAME 5---- 6git-worktree - Manage multiple worktrees 7 8 9SYNOPSIS 10-------- 11[verse] 12'git worktree prune' [-n] [-v] [--expire <expire>] 13 14DESCRIPTION 15----------- 16 17Manage multiple worktrees attached to the same repository. These are 18created by the command `git checkout --to`. 19 20A git repository can support multiple working trees, allowing you to check 21out more than one branch at a time. With `git checkout --to` 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 27Each linked working tree has a private sub-directory in the repository's 28$GIT_DIR/worktrees directory. The private sub-directory's name is usually 29the base name of the linked working tree's path, possibly appended with a 30number to make it unique. For example, when `$GIT_DIR=/path/main/.git` the 31command `git checkout --to /path/other/test-next next` creates the linked 32working tree in `/path/other/test-next` and also creates a 33`$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next` directory (or `$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next1` 34if `test-next` is already taken). 35 36Within a linked working tree, $GIT_DIR is set to point to this private 37directory (e.g. `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` in the example) and 38$GIT_COMMON_DIR is set to point back to the main working tree's $GIT_DIR 39(e.g. `/path/main/.git`). These settings are made in a `.git` file located at 40the top directory of the linked working tree. 41 42Path resolution via `git rev-parse --git-path` uses either 43$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR depending on the path. For example, in the 44linked working tree `git rev-parse --git-path HEAD` returns 45`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/HEAD` (not 46`/path/other/test-next/.git/HEAD` or `/path/main/.git/HEAD`) while `git 47rev-parse --git-path refs/heads/master` uses 48$GIT_COMMON_DIR and returns `/path/main/.git/refs/heads/master`, 49since refs are shared across all working trees. 50 51See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for more information. The rule of 52thumb is do not make any assumption about whether a path belongs to 53$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR when you need to directly access something 54inside $GIT_DIR. Use `git rev-parse --git-path` to get the final path. 55 56When you are done with a linked working tree you can simply delete it. 57The working tree's entry in the repository's $GIT_DIR/worktrees 58directory will eventually be removed automatically (see 59`gc.pruneworktreesexpire` in linkgit::git-config[1]), or you can run 60`git worktree prune` in the main or any linked working tree to 61clean up any stale entries in $GIT_DIR/worktrees. 62 63If you move a linked working directory to another file system, or 64within a file system that does not support hard links, you need to run 65at least one git command inside the linked working directory 66(e.g. `git status`) in order to update its entry in $GIT_DIR/worktrees 67so that it does not get automatically removed. 68 69To prevent a $GIT_DIR/worktrees entry from from being pruned (which 70can be useful in some situations, such as when the 71entry's working tree is stored on a portable device), add a file named 72'locked' to the entry's directory. The file contains the reason in 73plain text. For example, if a linked working tree's `.git` file points 74to `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` then a file named 75`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/locked` will prevent the 76`test-next` entry from being pruned. See 77linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for details. 78 79COMMANDS 80-------- 81prune:: 82 83Prune working tree information in $GIT_DIR/worktrees. 84 85OPTIONS 86------- 87 88-n:: 89--dry-run:: 90 With `prune`, do not remove anything; just report what it would 91 remove. 92 93-v:: 94--verbose:: 95 With `prune`, report all removals. 96 97--expire <time>:: 98 With `prune`, only expire unused worktrees older than <time>. 99 100BUGS 101---- 102Multiple checkout support for submodules is incomplete. It is NOT 103recommended to make multiple checkouts of a superproject. 104 105git-worktree could provide more automation for tasks currently 106performed manually or via other commands, such as: 107 108- `add` to create a new linked worktree 109- `remove` to remove a linked worktree and its administrative files (and 110 warn if the worktree is dirty) 111- `mv` to move or rename a worktree and update its administrative files 112- `list` to list linked worktrees 113- `lock` to prevent automatic pruning of administrative files (for instance, 114 for a worktree on a portable device) 115 116SEE ALSO 117-------- 118 119linkgit:git-checkout[1] 120 121GIT 122--- 123Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite