Removing worktrees in Git - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of removing a non-existent worktree?

You run the command git worktree remove /path/to/nonexistent on a valid git repository. What is the expected output?

Git

git worktree remove /path/to/nonexistent

A fatal: '/path/to/nonexistent' is not a working tree

B Worktree '/path/to/nonexistent' removed successfully

C error: pathspec '/path/to/nonexistent' did not match any files

D warning: worktree '/path/to/nonexistent' is already removed

💡 Hint

Think about what happens if you try to remove a worktree that git does not know about.

Git will report a fatal error because the specified path is not recognized as a valid worktree.

🔀 Workflow

intermediate

Correct sequence to safely remove a git worktree

Which sequence of commands correctly removes a git worktree named feature-branch located at /repos/project/feature-branch?

A 3,1,2,4

B 1,2,3,4

C 1,2,4,3

D 1,3,2,4

💡 Hint

Check the worktree status before removal to avoid data loss.

First list worktrees to confirm existence, then check status inside the worktree, then remove it with git, finally delete the directory if needed.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Why does 'git worktree remove' fail with 'worktree is not empty'?

You try to run git worktree remove /path/to/worktree but get the error error: worktree '/path/to/worktree' is not empty. What is the most likely cause?

A The worktree directory contains untracked or modified files preventing removal

B The main repository is corrupted and cannot remove worktrees

C The worktree path is a symbolic link, which git does not support

D The git version is outdated and does not support removing worktrees

💡 Hint

Think about what git expects when removing a worktree directory.

Git refuses to remove a worktree if the directory is not empty to avoid accidental data loss of untracked or modified files.

✅ Best Practice

advanced

Best practice to clean up a worktree after removal

After running git worktree remove /path/to/worktree, what is the recommended next step to fully clean up the worktree directory?

A Nothing, git automatically deletes the directory

B Manually delete the worktree directory with <code>rm -rf /path/to/worktree</code>

C Run <code>git prune</code> to remove dangling commits

D Run <code>git gc</code> to clean up the repository

💡 Hint

Git removes references but not the actual directory files.

Git removes the worktree reference but leaves the directory intact. You must manually delete it to free disk space.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What happens internally when you remove a git worktree?

When you run git worktree remove /path/to/worktree, which of the following best describes what git does internally?

A Git archives the worktree contents and removes the branch from the repository

B Git resets the worktree to the main branch and deletes all untracked files

C Git removes the worktree reference from the repository's metadata but does not delete the directory

D Git deletes the worktree directory and removes its reference from the main repository's config

💡 Hint

Consider what git can safely do without risking data loss.

Git removes the worktree reference from its internal metadata but leaves the directory untouched to avoid deleting user files.