workstack 0.1.4

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workstack

Effortless git worktree management for parallel development.

Create, switch, and manage multiple worktrees from a centralized location with automatic environment setup.

Installation

# With uv (recommended)
uv tool install workstack

# From source
uv tool install git+https://github.com/schrockn/workstack.git

Quick Start

# Initialize in your repo
cd /path/to/your/repo
workstack init
source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc

# Create and switch to a worktree
workstack create user-auth
workstack switch user-auth

# Switch back and clean up
workstack switch root
workstack rm user-auth

Overview

workstack solves the pain of managing multiple git worktrees for parallel agenetic coding sessions.

Key features:

• Centralized worktrees in ~/worktrees/<repo>/<feature>/
• Automatic environment setup (.env, virtual environments, activation scripts)
• Simple CLI: create, switch, rm, ls
• Plan-based development workflow
• Optional Graphite integration for stacked diffs

Core Commands

Creating Worktrees

# New feature branch
workstack create feature-x                          # Creates worktree 'feature-x' with branch 'feature-x'
workstack create fix --branch hotfix/bug           # Creates worktree 'fix' with branch 'hotfix/bug'

# From existing branch
workstack create --from-branch feature/login       # Creates worktree from existing branch 'feature/login'
workstack create login --from-branch feature/login # Creates worktree 'login' from branch 'feature/login'

# Move current work
workstack create --from-current-branch             # Move current branch to new worktree

# From a plan file
workstack create --plan Add_Auth.md                # Creates worktree, moves plan to .PLAN.md

Managing Worktrees

workstack switch NAME            # Switch between worktrees (or 'root' for repo root)
workstack ls                     # List all worktrees
workstack rename OLD NEW         # Rename a worktree
workstack rm NAME                # Remove worktree
workstack gc                     # Find safe-to-delete worktrees (merged PRs)

Example output:

$ workstack ls
root [master]
feature-a [feature-a]
feature-b [work/feature-b]

Note: The repository root is displayed as root and can be accessed with workstack switch root.

Configuration

workstack init                   # Initialize in repository
workstack config list            # Show all configuration
workstack config get KEY         # Get config value
workstack config set KEY VALUE   # Set config value

Configuration Files

Global (~/.workstack/config.toml):

workstacks_root = "/Users/you/worktrees"
use_graphite = true  # Auto-detected if gt CLI installed

Per-Repository (~/worktrees/<repo>/config.toml):

[env]
# Template variables: {worktree_path}, {repo_root}, {name}
DATABASE_URL = "postgresql://localhost/{name}_db"

[post_create]
shell = "bash"
commands = [
  "uv venv",
  "uv pip install -e .",
]

Common Workflows

Parallel Feature Development

workstack create feature-a
workstack switch feature-a
# ... work on feature A ...

workstack create feature-b
workstack switch feature-b
# ... work on feature B ...

workstack switch feature-a  # Instantly back to feature A

Plan-Based Development

workstack promotes an opinionated workflow that separates planning from implementation:

Core principles:

• Plan in main/master - Keep your main branch "read-only" for planning. Since planning doesn't modify code, you can create multiple plans in parallel without worktrees.
• Execute in worktrees - All code changes happen in dedicated worktrees, keeping work isolated and switchable.
• Plans as artifacts - Each plan is a markdown file that travels with its worktree.

Workflow:

# 1. Stay in root repo for planning
workstack switch root

# 2. Create your plan and save it to disk (e.g. Add_User_Auth.md)

# 3. Create worktree from plan
workstack create --plan Add_User_Auth.md
# This automatically:
#   - Creates worktree named 'add-user-auth'
#   - Moves Add_User_Auth.md to worktree as .PLAN.md
#   - .PLAN.md is already in .gitignore (added by workstack init)

# 4. Switch and execute
workstack switch add-user-auth
# Your plan is now at .PLAN.md for reference during implementation

Why this works:

• Plans don't clutter PR reviews (.PLAN.md in .gitignore)
• Each worktree has its own plan context
• Clean separation between thinking and doing
• Workflow guides user to start implementation with clean context with just the .PLAN.md.

This workflow emerged from experience - checking in planning documents created noise in reviews and maintenance overhead without clear benefits.

Moving Current Work

# Started work on main by accident?
workstack create --from-current-branch
# Creates worktree with current branch, switches you back to root

Command Reference

create Options

Option	Description
--branch BRANCH	Specify branch name (default: NAME)
--ref REF	Base ref (default: current HEAD)
--plan FILE	Create from plan file
--from-current-branch	Move current branch to worktree
--from-branch BRANCH	Create from existing branch
--no-post	Skip post-create commands

Environment Variables

Always exported when switching:

• WORKTREE_PATH - Absolute path to current worktree
• REPO_ROOT - Absolute path to repository root
• WORKTREE_NAME - Name of current worktree

Advanced Features

Graphite Integration

If Graphite CLI is installed, workstack automatically uses gt create for proper stack tracking.

brew install withgraphite/tap/graphite
workstack init  # Auto-detects gt

Disable in ~/.workstack/config.toml: use_graphite = false

Repository Presets

Dagster:

[env]
DAGSTER_GIT_REPO_DIR = "{worktree_path}"

[post_create]
commands = ["uv venv", "uv run make dev_install"]

Garbage Collection

Find and clean up merged/closed PR branches:

workstack gc
# Output:
#   feature-x [work/feature-x] - merged (PR #123)
#     → workstack rm feature-x

Requires GitHub CLI (gh) installed and authenticated.

FAQ

Q: How is this different from git worktree?
A: Adds centralized management, automatic environment setup, and seamless switching.

Q: Does it work with non-Python projects?
A: Yes! Configure post_create commands for any stack.

Q: What if I don't use Graphite?
A: Works perfectly with standard git commands.

Links

• GitHub: https://github.com/schrockn/workstack
• Issues: https://github.com/schrockn/workstack/issues

License

MIT - Nick Schrock (@schrockn)