
wt-switch-create
Create a new worktrunk worktree (optionally in another repo) and switch this session's working directory into it. Use when launching a session that should work in its own worktree.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/max-sixty/worktrunk --skill wt-switch-create- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads wt-switch-create automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Arguments: $ARGUMENTS. Grammar: [<branch>] [<repo>] [-- <task>].
- branch — optional; the branch name for the new worktree. When omitted, pick one (step 1 below).
- repo — optional path or name; create the worktree in this repo instead of the session's current one.
- task — optional; what to do inside the new worktree. No task means enter the worktree and wait.
Tokens before the -- are the branch and/or repo. A path-shaped token
(starting with /, ~, ./, or ../) is the repo. A bare name can be
either, so make an informed guess. It is the branch when the current repo
already has a branch by that name, as it is for wt switch itself. Otherwise
it is the repo when a git repository by that name exists where the user keeps
repos (beside the current repo, or in a workspace directory like
~/workspace), and the branch when none does (docs is a branch, not the
current repo's docs/ directory). A name read as the repo carries its absolute
path forward: that path, not the bare token, is the <repo> in step 3. Two
tokens that both read as branches don't fit the grammar — ask. Without a --,
judge where the task starts: leading tokens that read as a branch name
(fix-auth) or a repo are consumed as such, and the rest is the task;
otherwise the whole input is the task (fix the parser bug has no
branch-shaped lead — all task).
/wt-switch-create my-feature -- fix the parser bug
/wt-switch-create -- fix the parser bug
/wt-switch-create my-feature ~/workspace/other-repo -- fix the parser bug
/wt-switch-create my-feature
What to do
Creating the worktree comes first on every invocation, before any other work. The invocation is itself the explicit request to create it; a research or read-only task gets one all the same.
<!-- Maintainers: rationale.md (same directory) covers the harness rules and design choices behind this — read it before re-adding guards or routes. -->-
Pick a new branch name if none was given: short, from the task and consistent with existing worktree names, or, mid-session, from the work being moved; with nothing to derive from, ask.
-
With no repo argument, create and enter in one call:
EnterWorktree({name: "<branch>"}). Worktrunk'sWorktreeCreatehook runswt switch --createfor a new branch orwt switchfor an existing one, creating its checkout if needed. The result is an ordinarywtworktree, and the user sees no confirmation prompt. On success, do the task (or, with no task text, confirm it's ready and wait).Mid-session, carry uncommitted work across:
git stash push -ubefore theEnterWorktreecall, thengit stash popafter — the call re-roots the session into the new worktree, and the stash is shared across worktrees. -
Otherwise create it with
wtand enter by path. Two cases reach here: a repo argument, which step 2 can't target, and a failed step 2, whose error saysAlready in a worktree session. Create with aBashcall (omit-C <repo>for this repo):wt -C <repo> switch --create <branch> --no-cd --format=jsonStdout is JSON whose
pathfield is the worktree's absolute path (status lines go to stderr). OnBranch <branch> already exists: if the user named the branch, rerun without--create(it enters the branch, creating its worktree if missing); if step 1 picked the name, pick another and rerun. Any other failure (not a git repo, invalid name): report it and stop.With a repo argument,
cd <repo>next, in its ownBashcall.EnterWorktreere-roots only within the repository the cwd is in, and worktrunk'sPermissionRequesthook answers the confirmation that call asks for only for awtworktree of that same repository. If thecdreportsShell cwd was reset, the repo is unreachable: skip the entry and hand back as in Unreachable below.Then call
EnterWorktree({path: "<path from the JSON>"}).With a repo argument, once the session works in the new worktree (entered, or reached by
cdin the recovery below), read whichever of its rootCLAUDE.mdandAGENTS.mdexist before the task. Claude Code keeps the launch repo's root instructions in context and loads only the new repo's nested ones, so the new repo's root files supersede the launch repo's for the rest of the session.- Accepted → the session is re-rooted in the worktree. Do the task (or, with no task text, confirm it's ready and wait).
- Tool error — the tool ran and returned an error (
Cannot enter worktree: …) → graceful; nothing moved, and one recovery covers them all. The common cause is a session already rooted in a worktree (or a pinned agent), which limits entry to the current repo's.claude/worktrees/and excludes even a same-repowtsibling. The recovery test is whether you cancdinto the worktree, which works when it's inside an allowed directory. Socd <path>and read the result:- no
Shell cwd was resetnotice → it stuck; the worktree is reachable. Work there, but a barecdis not a tracked re-root, so the cwd can revert to the session's launch worktree across turns (and in spawned subagents); pin commands withgit -C <path>/wt -C <path>rather than trusting thecdto persist. Shell cwd was reset→ Unreachable. Stop and ask the user to make the directory whosecdreset reachable: add a parent that holds both the repo and its worktrees, like~/workspace, topermissions.additionalDirectories(durable, every session), or run/add-diron it (this session). Then continue from thatcd. Don't grind through absolute paths withcdresetting on every command.
- no
- Denied — the call itself was refused, with no tool error → however
the denial is worded, it is the user's answer to the confirmation Claude
Code shows for entering a worktree outside
.claude/worktrees/, unless there was no user to ask (the denial says the session couldn't prompt), which decides nothing — take the recovery above. On the user's answer: the worktreewtjust created still exists; only the entry didn't happen.cdback out of the repo you moved into, if any, then report the worktree's path and ask how to proceed, since reaching it throughcdwould override that answer.
Cleanup
The worktree is a normal worktrunk worktree: it shows up in wt list and is
merged or removed with wt merge / wt remove <branch> like any other. Don't
remove it unprompted.
A worktree from step 2 that the session never touched — no changed files, no
commits — is cleaned up when the session ends, branch included; anything
written into it keeps it. A worktree from step 3 always stays. If the user asks
to leave mid-session, ExitWorktree({action: "keep"}) returns the session to
its original directory;
ExitWorktree cannot remove a worktree entered by path, so removing one of
those is always wt remove <branch>.
Scope
The command's mandate is ONE worktree (in the named repo, if one was given) and the requested task inside it. Commits, pushes, and merges still each require explicit user permission.
FAQ
What does the wt-switch-create skill do?
Create a new worktrunk worktree (optionally in another repo) and switch this session's working directory into it. Use when launching a session that should work in its own worktree.
How do I install wt-switch-create?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/max-sixty/worktrunk --skill wt-switch-create in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/wt-switch-create/ (personal) or .claude/skills/wt-switch-create/ (project).
Which AI agents can use wt-switch-create?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is wt-switch-create safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains wt-switch-create?
It is published by max-sixty in max-sixty/worktrunk. It has 1,381 recorded installs.
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