Workflow Patterns

Single-Task Isolation

One worktree for one feature or bug fix. The agent works in isolation, then merges back.

main/               ← Untouched
.worktrees/
└── auth-feature/   ← Isolated development

When it helps: Non-trivial changes, work that might be interrupted, experimental modifications.

When it's overkill: Single-file fixes, quick documentation updates.

Parallel Agents

Multiple agents working simultaneously, each in their own worktree.

.worktrees/
├── agent-1-auth/      ← Agent 1
├── agent-2-dashboard/ ← Agent 2
└── agent-3-bugfix/    ← Agent 3

Each agent has:

• Own workspace with separate dependencies
• No file conflicts between agents
• Isolated processes

Work proceeds without coordination overhead. The constraint: worktrees must be on different branches.

PR Review Pattern

A dedicated worktree for reviewing changes without disrupting active work.

main/                 ← Your active development
.worktrees/
├── current-feature/  ← Your current task
└── pr-review-123/    ← Reviewing someone's PR

Run tests, explore changes with full IDE support, then return to your work without losing state.

When to Use Worktrees

Scenario	Worktree?
Multi-file feature	Yes
Quick typo fix	No
Parallel agent work	Yes
Experimental refactoring	Yes
Documentation update	Usually no
Reviewing a PR during active work	Yes

Use a worktree when losing current state would be disruptive.

When Files Conflict

Parallel worktrees work best when agents touch different files. When features overlap, merge conflicts become likely.

To avoid conflicts:

• Assign non-overlapping features to parallel agents
• When files overlap, serialize the work
• Frequent merges reduce conflict scope

Worktrees provide file-level isolation. Coordinating overlapping changes is your job.