How I Use Git Worktrees for Concurrent Work

The Core Philosophy

"Git is not a version control system, Git is a toolbox for building a VCS"

This perspective completely changes how we think about git. Instead of limiting ourselves to basic functionalities, we can create our own optimized workflow.

The 5 Specialized Worktrees

The author maintains 5 worktrees, each with a specific purpose:

1. main - Read-only snapshot - Clean reflection of remote main - Reference for comparisons - Never modified locally
2. work - Main workspace - Day-to-day active development - Frequent commits with minimal messages - Detached HEAD for maximum flexibility
3. review - Dedicated to code reviews - Clean context to analyze PRs - Without interfering with ongoing work
4. fuzz - Long-running tests - Fuzzing and tests that last hours - Runs in parallel without blocking development
5. scratch - Unrelated quick tasks - Experiments - Urgent fixes - Ad-hoc investigations

# Typical directory structure
~/projects/my-project/
├── main/        # main worktree
├── work/        # active development
├── review/      # reviews
├── fuzz/        # testing
└── scratch/     # experiments

Advantages of the Approach

Truly Concurrent Work

• Multiple coding activities simultaneously
• No need for stash or complex branch switching
• Clean separation of contexts

Frictionless Workflow

• Instant switching between tasks
• Frequent commits without pressure for perfect messages
• Free experimentation on detached HEAD

Real Parallelization

• Fuzzing running while you develop
• Reviews without interrupting main work
• Background tests without blocks

Advanced Techniques

Strategic Detached HEAD

# In the 'work' worktree, work without a branch
git checkout --detach HEAD
# Frequent commit, reorganize later
git commit -m "wip"

Custom Scripts for Common Operations

# Script to quickly create/switch worktrees
#!/bin/bash
git worktree add "../$1" "$2"
cd "../$1"

Integration Flow

# From the 'work' worktree
git log --oneline  # review commits
git reset HEAD~5   # undo temporary commits
git add -p         # select changes
git commit         # clean final commit

Key Lessons

1. Git is flexible: There is no "one right way" to use git
2. Automate the repetitive: Custom scripts for common operations
3. Separate contexts: Each type of work deserves its own space
4. Cheap commits: Commit frequently, organize later

This approach transforms git from a versioning tool into a complete workflow management platform, maximizing productivity through truly concurrent work.

Original article: How I Use Git Worktrees