What is Git worktree, and why should you use it

The traditional approach using git stash incurs a high mental cost in the process of temporarily saving work and switching branches. This is because it involves the hassle of having to reload files or reinstall dependencies such as node_modules.

With Git worktree, you can instantly create a separate workspace in a new folder while keeping the branch you're currently working on intact. This provides the following benefits.

• Enables parallel work: You can work on a new bug fix or feature simultaneously without touching your existing work environment.
• Preserves context: Even if you open a new editor window to work, the files and state you were already working on remain unchanged.
• Prevents conflicts: There's no risk of code conflicts that can occur when using stash.

As parallel work between AI agents and developers increases and code review culture spreads, worktree is drawing attention as an essential tool in modern development workflows.

However, there is a caveat: since dependencies are installed separately for each worktree folder, this can take up a lot of disk space, and you need to manage this by manually deleting folders after use.