lesson ── git-labs ── ~18 мин ── 7 шагов

git worktree: work on two branches in parallel without stash

The goal is to solve the classic "I'm building a feature, a hotfix lands" problem without stash. git worktree add creates a second working tree from the same repository. You make the hotfix in one directory, then return to the main one and your feature is still there.

интерактивный sandbox

Поднимется контейнер gitlab/git-base с git, bash, pre-commit. В браузере откроется терминал, можно сразу git init. Каждый шаг проверяется автоматически. Сеть air-gapped, github.com недоступен.

запустить sandbox →

stack ── git · bash · 256 MB RAM · air-gapped · самоуничтожается через 30 мин простоя

Шаги

Create a repo and start a long-running feature

bash

cd /home/student/work

mkdir -p worktree-lab && cd worktree-lab

git init -b main

echo "stable" > prod.txt

git add . && git commit -m "init: prod baseline"

git switch -c feat/big-refactor

echo "wip stage 1" > refactor.txt

git add . && git commit -m "wip: stage 1"

echo "wip stage 2" >> refactor.txt

git status

You are now on feat/big-refactor with one commit and uncommitted work in refactor.txt. Now simulate an interruption.

✓ The feature is in progress, with uncommitted changes.

02
Create a second worktree for the hotfix
bash
cd /home/student/work/worktree-lab
# worktree add <path> <branch>: create a second working tree on branch main
git worktree add ../wt-hotfix main
git worktree list # you see both trees, their paths and branches
A ../wt-hotfix directory appeared. This is the second working tree, with its HEAD on main. The main worktree (with your feature) is untouched.
✓ The second worktree is created. One .git/, two trees.
03
Make the hotfix in the new worktree
bash
cd /home/student/work/wt-hotfix # move into the second worktree
git status # on branch main, working tree clean
echo "fixed" >> prod.txt
git commit -am "fix: critical issue in prod"
git log --oneline
You are now in wt-hotfix/, on branch main. You made a commit and it went into main. In the main worktree the feature is still in progress, uncommitted.
✓ The hotfix is committed to main, with no stash and no switching.
04
Return to the main worktree: your work is still there
bash
cd /home/student/work/worktree-lab
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD # --abbrev-ref = name of the current branch, not the SHA
cat refactor.txt # both lines are still there
git status # the uncommitted stage 2 did not disappear
git log --oneline --graph --all
The branch is still feat/big-refactor. refactor.txt contains both lines (stage 1 plus uncommitted stage 2). The graph shows the fix: critical issue commit on main, with your branch sitting apart from it.
✓ The feature is intact. Nothing was lost.

Remove the worktree once the hotfix is done

bash

cd /home/student/work/worktree-lab

git worktree remove ../wt-hotfix   # remove the worktree (directory plus registration)

git worktree list                  # one tree again

ls /home/student/work/ | grep wt-hotfix && echo "still there" || echo "removed"

The worktree is removed. The single .git/ remains, the objects are saved, and branch main is saved too, with your hotfix commit.

✓ The worktree is removed. The hotfix history is preserved in main.

06
Try to create a worktree on the same branch and see it refuse
Git allows one worktree per branch. Otherwise you would get two "active" copies of the same state, with no clear source of truth.
bash
cd /home/student/work/worktree-lab
git worktree add ../wt-fail feat/big-refactor # fails: the branch is already used by the main worktree
It should fail with fatal: 'feat/big-refactor' is already used by worktree at .... This is a guard, not a bug.

If you really need a second copy, create a new branch:
bash
# -b <new> = create a new branch from <start-point> to get around the conflict
git worktree add -b feat/big-refactor-test ../wt-test feat/big-refactor
git worktree list
git worktree remove ../wt-test
подсказка
The command fails: that is the correct behavior. Next, use `-b new-name`.
✓ You saw Git's guard, and you know the workaround.
07
Commit the feature and merge it into main
bash
cd /home/student/work/worktree-lab
git add refactor.txt
git commit -m "feat: complete refactor"
git switch main
# --no-ff = always a merge commit, so the feature boundary shows in the log
git merge --no-ff feat/big-refactor -m "merge refactor"
git log --oneline --graph --all
The final graph: main contains the hotfix and the refactor, each merged separately. This is the scenario where worktree saved you time. You never switched context or reached for stash, and nothing was lost.
✓ The hotfix and the feature are in main. Parallel work without stash is done.

Что ты узнал

git worktree add creates a second working tree next to the main one. Both look into the same .git/. You remove it with worktree remove. This is a full second workspace, not a stash.

команды

git worktree add ../hotfix maincreate a second working tree on branch main
git worktree listsee all worktrees of this repo
git worktree remove ../hotfixremove a worktree
git worktree pruneclean up the record of a manually deleted worktree

концепции

· a worktree is a second working tree, not a second repo
· one .git/ for all worktrees, the objects are shared
· one worktree per branch: you cannot put two trees on a single branch