Definition
What is a git worktree, and why agents need them
A git worktree is an additional working directory attached to the same repository, each on its own branch. For coding agents it is the cheapest real isolation available: two agents in two worktrees cannot edit the same files, and neither needs a full clone of the repository.
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The command
One line per task, and each agent gets a directory of its own on its own branch.
git worktree add ../proj-auth -b feat/authWhy not just branches
- A branch is a pointer. A worktree is a directory. Agents edit directories.
- Switching branches in one checkout while an agent is mid task corrupts its view of the world.
- Worktrees share the object store, so they cost far less disk than clones.
How a GUI should treat them
As separate projects. A worktree is a different working directory, so its sessions belong to it. Helicon lists each worktree with a badge under its own entry, which is what makes parallel work legible.
Source: Git - git-worktree Documentation
Frequently asked questions
Do worktrees use a lot of disk?
Much less than clones, because they share the repository's object store.
Can two agents share one worktree?
They can, and they will collide. One worktree per agent is the point.
How does Helicon show them?
As their own projects in the sidebar, badged as worktrees, with their sessions underneath.
Keep reading
- Projects and worktreesHelicon groups every Muse Code thread under the directory the agent worked in, isolated git worktrees included, so parallel work across repositories has one place to live.
- Parallel agents in worktreesUse isolated git worktrees so parallel agents never collide, then watch all of them from one sidebar that shows which threads are running and which are blocked.
- Running agents in parallelIsolated worktrees, one sidebar, and clear marks for which thread is running, finished, or blocked on you. Plus the cost of all that parallelism, per thread.
- a subagentA subagent is a separate agent a main agent spawns to do part of the work in parallel. Why it saves wall clock time and why it is unreadable in a terminal.
- reasoning effortReasoning effort controls how much thinking a model does before answering. What it changes, what it costs, and when to turn it up.
- a TUIA TUI is a text user interface drawn inside a terminal. Why agents ship one first, and where the format runs out.
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