workstack 0.1.6

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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 list                   # List all worktrees (alias: ls)
workstack list --stacks          # List with graphite stacks and PR status
workstack tree                   # Show tree of worktrees with dependencies
workstack rename OLD NEW         # Rename a worktree
workstack rm NAME                # Remove worktree
workstack gc                     # Find safe-to-delete worktrees (merged PRs)
workstack sync                   # Sync with Graphite, show cleanup candidates
workstack sync -f                # Sync and auto-remove merged workstacks

Example output:

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

$ workstack list --stacks
root [master]
  ◉  master

feature-a [feature-a]
  ◯  master
  ◉  feature-a ✅ #123

feature-b [work/feature-b]
  ◯  master
  ◉  work/feature-b 🚧 #456

PR Status Indicators:

• ✅ Checks passing
• ❌ Checks failing
• 🟣 Merged
• 🚧 Draft
• ⭕ Closed
• ◯ Open (no checks)

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

Visualizing Worktrees

workstack tree               # Show tree of worktrees with dependencies

Example output:

$ workstack tree
main [@root]
├─ feature-a [@feature-a]
│  └─ feature-a-2 [@feature-a-2]
└─ feature-b [@feature-b]

The tree command shows:

• Only branches with active worktrees (not all branches)
• Dependency relationships from Graphite stacks
• Current worktree highlighted in bright green
• Worktree names in brackets [@name]

Note: Requires Graphite to be enabled.

Configuration

workstack init                   # Initialize in repository
workstack init --shell           # Set up shell integration (completion + auto-activation)
workstack init --list-presets    # List available config presets
workstack init --repo            # Initialize repo config only (skip global)
workstack config list            # Show all configuration
workstack config get KEY         # Get config value
workstack config set KEY VALUE   # Set config value
workstack completion bash/zsh/fish  # Generate shell completion script

Configuration Files

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

workstacks_root = "/Users/you/worktrees"
use_graphite = true     # Auto-detected if gt CLI installed
show_pr_info = true     # Display PR status in list --stacks (requires gh CLI)

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

Syncing and Cleanup

After merging PRs, sync your local branches and clean up:

workstack sync
# This will:
# 1. Switch to root (avoiding git conflicts)
# 2. Run gt sync to update branch tracking
# 3. Identify merged/closed PR workstacks
# 4. Prompt for confirmation before removing them
# 5. Switch back to your original worktree

# Or use -f to skip confirmation:
workstack sync -f

Options:

workstack sync                   # Sync and show cleanup candidates
workstack sync -f                # Force gt sync and auto-remove merged workstacks
workstack sync --dry-run         # Preview without executing

Requires Graphite CLI (gt) and GitHub CLI (gh) installed.

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

list / ls Options

Option	Description
-s, --stacks	Show graphite stacks and PR status

remove / rm Options

Option	Description
-f, --force	Do not prompt for confirmation
-s, --delete-stack	Delete all branches in Graphite stack
--dry-run	Show what would be done without executing

rename Options

Option	Description
--dry-run	Show what would be done without executing

sync Options

Option	Description
-f, --force	Force gt sync and auto-remove merged workstacks
--dry-run	Show what would be done without executing

init Options

Option	Description
--force	Overwrite existing repo config
--preset NAME	Config template (auto/generic/dagster/etc)
--list-presets	List available presets and exit
--repo	Initialize repo config only (skip global)
--shell	Set up shell integration only

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.

Documentation

For Developers

Core documentation for contributors:

• CLAUDE.md - Coding standards and conventions (required reading)
• tests/CLAUDE.md - Testing patterns and practices

For AI Assistants

Comprehensive, agent-optimized documentation is available in the .agent/ directory:

• Architecture - System design, patterns, and component relationships
• Feature Index - Complete feature catalog with implementation locations
• Glossary - Terminology and concept definitions
• Module Map - Module structure and exports
• Coding Patterns - Detailed implementation patterns with examples
• Exception Handling - Complete exception handling guide

See .agent/README.md for more details.

Links

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

License

MIT - Nick Schrock (@schrockn)