wt add

Synopsis

wt add <branch> [options]

Description

wt add creates a new git worktree and runs the full four-step setup pipeline:

Create the worktree directory and check out the branch
Detect the project ecosystem (Node.js, Python, Rust, Go)
Install dependencies using the detected package manager
Copy or symlink .env files from the main worktree

Options

Option	Description
`--from <base>`	Base branch or commit to create the new branch from (default: current HEAD)
`--existing`	Check out an existing branch instead of creating one
`--path <dir>`	Override the worktree directory path
`--no-deps`	Skip dependency installation
`--no-env`	Skip .env file setup
`--no-hooks`	Skip pre/post hook commands
`--bare`	Create a bare worktree (no branch checkout)
`--dry-run`	Print what would happen without executing anything

Examples

# Create a worktree branching from current HEAD
wt add feat-billing
 
# Branch from main, with a branch prefix applied automatically
wt add feat-billing --from main
# -> creates shreyansh/feat-billing if branch_prefix = "shreyansh" in global config
 
# Custom path
wt add feat-ui --path ~/worktrees/ui
 
# Check out an existing branch (e.g. a colleague's PR branch)
wt add release/v2 --existing
 
# Quick worktree for a code review — skip the slow install step
wt add fix-typo --no-deps
 
# Preview without making changes
wt add feat-billing --dry-run

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success
`1`	Error (see output for details)

Worktree Path

The worktree is placed at {base_dir}/{name_pattern} by default. These values come from your .worktreerc or global config:

[worktree]
base_dir = "../worktrees"
name_pattern = "{repo}-{short_branch}"

Override for a single run using --path.