Two agents in one working tree step on each other's edits. The fix is to give each Claude Code session its own directory and branch with git worktree. Here's the condensed version (tested on git 2.54.0 and Claude Code 2.1.309, 2026-10-23).
Git worktree basics
cd todo-app
git worktree add ../todo-app-login -b feature/login
git worktree list
Things that bite:
-
A branch can be checked out in only one worktree at a time. A second one fails with
fatal: 'feature/login' is already used by worktree at ... -
git worktree removerefuses while modified or untracked files remain - If you delete a worktree with
rm, clean up withgit worktree prune -v
Claude Code's --worktree
claude --worktree feature-auth
This creates .claude/worktrees/feature-auth/ on a new branch worktree-feature-auth. Run it in another terminal with a different name for a second session. Add .claude/worktrees/ to .gitignore. New worktrees branch from the default branch; set worktree.baseRef to "head" to branch from current work.
What each worktree needs
A worktree is a fresh checkout: no node_modules, no gitignored .env. Install dependencies in each one. A .worktreeinclude file (gitignore syntax) copies matching gitignored files into new worktrees:
.env
.env.local
Dev-server ports and local databases are shared, so give each worktree its own port.
How many to run
On a subscription, usage is shared across sessions (five-hour and weekly limits), so more sessions hit limits sooner. The costs docs say agent teams use roughly 7x more tokens than standard sessions when teammates run in plan mode. We found no official maximum.
Cleaning up
- Interactive session with no changes: an unnamed worktree and its branch are removed automatically
- With changes: you're asked to keep or remove; resume with
claude --worktree <name> --resume -
-pruns leave worktrees behind; remove them withgit worktree remove(git worktree unlockfirst if locked)
Sources: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-worktree , https://code.claude.com/docs/en/worktrees (checked 2026-10-23)
👉 Full article: https://agentkoji.com/en/articles/agent-parallel-worktree/
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