Why Listing worktrees in Git? - Purpose & Use Cases

The Big Idea

What if you could see all your project versions at once without opening a single folder?

The Scenario

Imagine you have multiple versions of a project saved in different folders on your computer. You want to see all these folders to know which version you are working on, but you have to open each folder one by one to check.

The Problem

This manual way is slow and confusing. You might forget which folder has which version, or accidentally work in the wrong folder. It's easy to lose track and make mistakes.

The Solution

Using the git worktree list command, you can quickly see all your project versions (worktrees) in one place. It shows the paths and the branches checked out, so you always know where you are working.

Before vs After

✗ Before

ls ~/project-folder-1
ls ~/project-folder-2
ls ~/project-folder-3

✓ After

git worktree list

What It Enables

This lets you manage multiple project versions easily and avoid confusion, saving time and reducing errors.

Real Life Example

A developer working on a new feature can keep the main project and the feature version open at the same time, and quickly check which worktree is active without opening folders manually.

Key Takeaways

Manually checking multiple folders is slow and error-prone.

git worktree list shows all worktrees and their branches in one command.

This helps you stay organized and work faster with multiple project versions.

Practice

1. What does the command git worktree list do?

easy

A. Deletes all existing worktrees

B. Shows the commit history of the current branch

C. Creates a new worktree

D. Shows all the linked worktrees with their paths and branches

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of git worktree list

   This command lists all worktrees connected to the repository, showing their folder paths and branches.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Options A and C describe deleting or creating worktrees, which are done by different commands. Shows the commit history of the current branch shows commit history, unrelated to worktrees.

3. Final Answer:

   Shows all the linked worktrees with their paths and branches -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   List worktrees = B [OK]

Hint: Remember: 'list' shows all worktrees and their details [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 'list' with 'add' or 'remove' commands
• Thinking it shows commit history
• Assuming it deletes worktrees

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to list all git worktrees?

easy

A. git worktree show

B. git worktree ls

C. git worktree list

D. git worktree status

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the exact command for listing worktrees

   The correct command is git worktree list to display all worktrees.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   Options A, B, and D are invalid or do not exist in git worktree commands.

3. Final Answer:

   git worktree list -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax for listing = C [OK]

Hint: Use full command 'git worktree list' to avoid errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'show' or 'status' instead of 'list'
• Shortening 'list' to 'ls' which is invalid
• Confusing with other git commands

3. Given the output of git worktree list below, what branch is checked out in the worktree at /projects/myrepo/feature?

/projects/myrepo  123abc [main]
/projects/myrepo/feature  456def [feature-branch]

medium

A. main

B. feature-branch

C. 123abc

D. 456def

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the worktree path in the output

   The path /projects/myrepo/feature corresponds to the second line in the output.

2. Step 2: Read the branch name in brackets

   The branch checked out there is feature-branch, shown in square brackets.

3. Final Answer:

   feature-branch -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Branch at /feature = feature-branch [OK]

Hint: Branch name is always in brackets after path [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing commit hashes with branch names
• Picking the wrong line for the path
• Ignoring the brackets around branch names

4. You ran git worktree list but got an error: fatal: 'worktree' is not a git command. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. Your git version is too old and does not support worktrees

B. You typed 'worktree' instead of 'worktrees'

C. You are not inside a git repository

D. You need to initialize worktrees with a special command first

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the error message

   The error means git does not recognize the 'worktree' command, likely due to version.

2. Step 2: Check git version support

   Worktrees were introduced in git 2.5+. Older versions lack this command.

3. Final Answer:

   Your git version is too old and does not support worktrees -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Unsupported git version = A [OK]

Hint: Check git version if 'worktree' command not found [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming typo in command name
• Thinking worktrees need special init
• Not verifying git version

5. You have multiple worktrees for your project. You want to list all worktrees and filter only those on the branch named 'release'. Which command combination will achieve this?

hard

A. git worktree list | grep release

B. git worktree list --branch release

C. git worktree show release

D. git worktree list --filter=branch=release

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand git worktree list filtering options

   Git worktree list does not have built-in branch filtering options like --branch or --filter.

2. Step 2: Use shell tools to filter output

   Using grep release after listing worktrees filters lines containing 'release', showing only those branches.

3. Final Answer:

   git worktree list | grep release -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Filter branches by grep after list = D [OK]

Hint: Use shell grep to filter worktree list output by branch [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming git worktree list supports --branch or --filter
• Using 'show' instead of 'list'
• Expecting git to filter output internally