You're deep in a feature branch. Dev server running. Uncommitted changes across a dozen files. Finally in flow. Then Slack pings: "Hey, can you look into this customer issue?" Or worse: "Can you implement this ASAP?"
You need to switch branches, but your changes aren't ready to commit. I don't like committing unfinished work. And even if I wanted to make a quick WIP commit, the pre-commit hooks won't let me. Linting fails. Tests don't pass. The commit gets rejected.
So the ritual begins. git stash. Switch branches. Fix the thing. Switch back. git stash pop. Hope nothing conflicts. Somewhere in that shuffle, you've lost 20 minutes and whatever mental state got you into flow.
I did this for years. Turns out there's been a better way since 2015, hiding in plain sight: git worktree creates separate working directories for different branches, all linked to the same repository. Your feature branch stays open in one folder while you fix the hotfix in another. No stashing. No fighting pre-commit hooks. Your work stays exactly where you left it.
Why pre-commit hooks make the stash problem worse
The stash workflow was annoying before teams started using pre-commit hooks. Now it's a real pain.
You can't just make a quick WIP commit to save your place. The hooks run linting, type checking, tests. Unfinished code fails all of them. So you're forced to stash, even when you'd rather commit.
And stashing has its own problems. Which stash was for this branch? Did you include untracked files? Will the pop conflict with changes you made in the other branch? It's a small gamble every time.
Git worktrees skip all of this. Each worktree has its own working directory. You can leave your feature branch mid-thought, with uncommitted changes everywhere, and open a completely separate folder for the urgent fix. When you come back, everything is exactly as you left it. Server still running. Files still modified. No digging through old stashes.
The friction that kept worktrees hidden for a decade
Git added worktrees in version 2.5, released July 2015. Over ten years ago. Yet most developers I talk to have never used them.
The problem isn't the feature. It's the UX. Creating a worktree requires typing the branch name three times:
git worktree add -b hotfix ../repo.hotfix && cd ../repo.hotfix
Compare that to git checkout -b hotfix. The overhead adds up, and most people give up before they see the benefit.
This is where Worktrunk comes in. It's a CLI that makes worktrees as easy as branches. The same operation becomes:
wt switch -c hotfix
Worktrunk addresses worktrees by branch name instead of paths. It handles directory management automatically. It supports hooks to automate setup, so you can have it run npm install or copy .env files every time you create a new worktree. When you're ready to merge, wt merge handles squashing, rebasing, and cleanup in one command.
Why worktrees are suddenly everywhere
Worktrees existed quietly for a decade. So why are developers suddenly talking about them?
AI coding assistants. Tools like Claude Code can work autonomously, and developers are using worktrees to give each agent its own isolated sandbox.
DHH (creator of Ruby on Rails) put it simply: "Git worktrees are perfect for starting sandboxes for agents to propose a solution to a problem while you keep working on master or another branch."
That's not why I started using worktrees, though. For me it was simpler: I got tired of the stash-switch-unstash dance every time someone needed something urgent. The AI use case is interesting, but the everyday interruption problem was reason enough.
What actually changed for me
I used to think switching branches was just part of the job. Stash, switch, pop. Repeat. Or worse: fight with pre-commit hooks, give up, stash anyway.
Now when someone pings me with something urgent, I run wt switch -c hotfix, handle it in a separate folder, and come back to my feature branch exactly as I left it. Server still running. Changes still there. No lost context.
Interruptions don't derail me the way they used to. I'm not losing 20 minutes reconstructing where I was. I'm not gambling on stash conflicts.
If you've been playing stash roulette, there's a better way. Try creating a worktree next time you're interrupted:
brew install worktrunk && wt config shell install
Learn more:
What Git feature took you embarrassingly long to discover? I'm curious what else I might be missing.
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