Git Worktrees + Claude Code: My Workflow

If you've been using Claude Code for a while, you've probably run into this: you want to start a second task while keeping the current one going. You could clone the repo again, but the easier answer is git worktrees.

I never had much reason to use worktrees before. When I was writing code without Claude Code, switching tasks just meant stashing my changes or making a WIP commit and coming back later.

With Claude Code, running multiple sessions in parallel is actually useful. Worktrees are what make it work.

The built-in way vs. my way

Claude Code has a --worktree flag that handles everything for you:

claude --worktree feature-auth

This creates .claude/worktrees/feature-auth/ as the working directory, along with a new branch. It works, but I don't use it this way.

The problem is that worktrees end up buried under .claude/ in the repo. I start losing track of what I've made.

Instead, I create the worktree myself:

git worktree add ../my-repo-feature-auth
cd ../my-repo-feature-auth
claude

I place the worktree as a sibling directory to the repo, give it a name I'll remember, and then cd into it and start Claude from there.

Interestingly, this is actually documented as an official pattern in the Claude Code docs.

Why I prefer manual worktree creation

A few reasons:

I know what I have. Creating a worktree manually helps me keep track of what I'm working on.

The location makes sense. Sibling directories are easy to navigate to and simple to open in a new editor window.

It fits how I already work. I often write my prompt in a markdown file before starting Claude anyway, so creating the worktree and dropping in a PLAN.md is a natural combo for me.

The actual workflow

# From the main repo
git worktree add ../my-repo-refactor-auth
cd ../my-repo-refactor-auth
 
# Write out your prompt
nano PLAN.md
 
# Let it rip
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p "Execute on PLAN.md"

From there, Claude runs autonomously while I switch back to the main worktree or review a PR or whatever. When the work is done, I merge the branch normally and clean up:

git worktree remove ../my-repo-refactor-auth