Category guide · Worktrees
git worktree tools for ai coding agents
TL;DR
Creating a git worktree is one command. The hard part is everything after it: the .env file that didn't come along, a fresh node_modules, two dev servers fighting over port 3000, and cleaning up ten old worktrees.
Tools come in four layers: raw git, your own shell function, worktree CLIs like Workz and Wtx, and agent managers that handle worktrees as one step of running an agent. Pick the lowest layer that removes the pain you actually have.
Pane creates the worktree from a ready pool, copies your .env and agent config, gives each pane its own ports, and archives it safely when you're done.
The four layers of automation
Each layer saves more typing and takes away some control. Pick the lowest one that fixes your problem.
- 1. Raw git. Full control and full bookkeeping. See git worktrees for AI agents.
- 2. A shell function. Automate your common case in your dotfiles. Cheap and quick, but fragile and hard to share.
- 3. A worktree CLI. Workz, Wtx, gwq. They know worktrees well and work with any agent, but stop when the folder is ready.
- 4. An agent manager. Pane, Orca, Conductor. The worktree is one step of starting an agent, followed by review and cleanup.
Four ways to make one worktree
The same job, giving a new agent its own branch and folder, at four levels of help.
$git worktree add ../myrepo-add-auth -b add-auth$cd ../myrepo-add-auth$cp ../myrepo/.env . # gitignored files don't come along$npm install # a fresh node_modules$claudeWho fixes which gap
A worktree is a fresh checkout. Gitignored files, installed packages and free ports don't come with it.
| Gap | Tools that close it |
|---|---|
| .env and other gitignored files | Pane copies .env* and agent config folders into each new worktree, and you can add your own. Workz copies .env. Hyve sets up .env files per workspace. |
| node_modules and other installs | Workz links node_modules instead of reinstalling. Pane can copy it on creation. pnpm's shared store helps whatever tool you use. |
| Dev servers on the same port | Pane gives each pane a block of 10 ports in PANE_PORT. Workz sets a port range per worktree. Hyve runs services on separate ports. |
| A shared database | Workz and Hyve give each worktree its own database. |
| Slow worktree creation in big repos | Wtx keeps a reusable pool of worktrees. Pane keeps a spare worktree ready per project and branch, so a new pane opens almost at once. |
Agent managers with worktrees built in
These make the worktree and then run, watch and review the agent in it.
| Tool | Runs on | Worktree per task | Diff review | Many agents | Open source | No account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panedesktop app · Desktop app with a worktree, real terminal and diff view per agent; runs any CLI agent. | WinMacLinux | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Orcadesktop app · Desktop app with worktrees, terminals, a browser and git review, plus a phone app. | WinMacLinux | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Emdashdesktop app · Desktop app for about 35 agents, with issue-tracker import and SSH remotes. | WinMacLinux | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Conductordesktop app · Polished Mac app with a chat UI over Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode. | WinMacLinux | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Supersetdesktop app · Feature-packed Mac-first app with terminals, worktrees, schedules and team plans. | WinMacLinux | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✕ |
| Claude Squadterminal tool · Keyboard-driven list of agents, each in a tmux session and worktree. | WinMacLinux | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Herdrterminal tool · Agent-aware terminal multiplexer; agents keep running when you disconnect. | WinMacLinux | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sidecarterminal tool · Terminal workspace with live git diffs, worktrees per task, notes and todos. | WinMacLinux | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Pane
desktop app · Desktop app with a worktree, real terminal and diff view per agent; runs any CLI agent.
Orca
desktop app · Desktop app with worktrees, terminals, a browser and git review, plus a phone app.
desktop app · Desktop app for about 35 agents, with issue-tracker import and SSH remotes.
desktop app · Polished Mac app with a chat UI over Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode.
desktop app · Feature-packed Mac-first app with terminals, worktrees, schedules and team plans.
terminal tool · Keyboard-driven list of agents, each in a tmux session and worktree.
terminal tool · Agent-aware terminal multiplexer; agents keep running when you disconnect.
Sidecar
terminal tool · Terminal workspace with live git diffs, worktrees per task, notes and todos.
Pane reads a pane.json with setup, run and archive scripts, in the same format as Conductor's conductor.json, so you can run a tool like Workz as each worktree's setup step.
Worktree CLIs
These do the worktree part well and leave the agent to you. Checked as active in October 2026; not tested hands-on.
Short descriptions come from each project's own README.
- Workz · Makes a new worktree runnable: links dependencies, copies .env, sets a port range, its own database and compose project. Works as a hook for Claude Code and Cursor.
- Wtx · Keeps a reusable pool of worktrees and assigns them to branches; some features need tmux. Last updated March 2026.
- Hyve · Isolated workspaces across several repos, with a database and services per feature. Last updated January 2026.
- Galactic · A native macOS tool that spins up isolated environments for running several agents in parallel, with an agent monitor. No commits since May 2026.
- gwq · A git worktree manager, often paired with fzf and ghq in shell workflows.
- ghq · Organizes your cloned repos under one root; a common base for DIY worktree scripts.
What worktree tools usually skip
Review, status and cleanup are workflow, not git, so CLIs rarely track them.
Review. Most CLIs end once the folder exists. They don't show a diff or help you decide what to commit.
Status. Which worktree has an agent mid-edit, which is idle, and which has a pull request open is state about the work, and git doesn't record it.
Cleanup. Adding a worktree is one command. Removing it is two more, the worktree and the branch, and few people do both reliably after ten merged pull requests.
Источники
- Что мы запускали
- → Worktree creation in Pane, Orca, Emdash, Claude Squad, Herdr and Sidecar during hands-on runs on Windows 11 and WSL2
- → Workz, Wtx and Hyve READMEs read for their current commands and features in October 2026
- Исправления
- Если что-то здесь неверно или устарело, сообщите нам, и мы исправим это и обновим дату вверху. Открыть задачу на GitHub
- Источники
частые вопросы
Автор: Parsa Khazaeepoul, сооснователь Pane. .