🧩 VS Code Git Worktrees

A wrapper for Git Worktree operations that provides an interactive API so developers can manage worktrees more easily — without switching between the terminal and VS Code.

🎯 Purpose of the Extension

After creating a ZSH plugin for Git operations, I noticed how often I switched between the terminal and my main editor (VS Code). To streamline my workflow, I built this extension to keep everything inside VS Code.

⚙️ Requirements

Git ≥ 2.34.1

🧪 Multiple Workspaces Support

This extension supports multiple workspaces. Here's how it works:

If you have more than one project open, you'll be prompted to choose the workspace to run the operation in.
If only one project is open, it is automatically selected.

✅ Select a workspace from the list → the operation will run in that workspace.

🛠️ Supported Operations

➕ `git worktree add [remote-branch] [new-branch]`

Create a new worktree.

Behavior:

If you skip the new branch name (ESC), it defaults to using the same name as the remote branch.
Since worktree and branch names are often identical, the extension validates user input accordingly. 👉 [See Issue #22](https://github.com/alexiszamanidis/vscode-git-worktrees/issues/22)

📄 `git worktree list`

Display all worktrees and switch between them easily via an interactive UI.

❌ `git worktree remove [worktree-name]`

Remove an existing worktree.

Behavior:

If untracked or modified files exist, a ⚠️ popup will appear in the bottom left.
You can force delete by clicking the Force delete button in that popup.

Restrictions:

You cannot delete the worktree you're currently working in.

🚀 Getting Started

📦 Install the Git Worktrees extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
💡 Open the command palette: Ctrl + Shift + P
🔍 Search for any available operations

All commands are prefixed with: Git Worktree:

✨ Features & Operations

➕ Worktree Add (Create)

Create a new Git worktree with an intuitive interface.

worktree-add

🔁 Worktree List (Switch)

View and switch between all active worktrees with ease.

worktree-list

❌ Worktree Remove

Safely remove a worktree. If files are untracked or modified, you’ll get a prompt to confirm.

worktree-remove

⚠️ Error Handling

If something goes wrong, a helpful popup will appear at the bottom-left corner of your screen. Please don’t hesitate to open an issue if you encounter a bug.

error

⚙️ Extension Settings

Customize behavior using the following properties in your VS Code settings:

🏷️ Property	🧩 Type	🛠️ Default	📃 Description
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.remove.stalledBranches`	`boolean`	`false`	Remove local (stalled) branches that no longer exist on the remote
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.move.openNewVscodeWindow`	`boolean`	`true`	Open a new VS Code window when switching or creating a worktree
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.worktrees.dir.path`	`string`	`null`	Define a directory for storing all your worktrees
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.add.autoPush`	`boolean`	`true`	Automatically push the new worktree branch after creation
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.add.autoPull`	`boolean`	`true`	Automatically pull updates after creating a new worktree branch
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.worktreeCopyIncludePatterns`	`array`	`[]`	Files and folders to copy from the source repo to the new worktree
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.worktreeCopyExcludePatterns`	`array`	`[]`	Files and folders to exclude from the worktree copy
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.worktree.coloring`	`boolean`	`false`	Enable color labels when creating or switching worktrees
`vsCodeGitWorktrees.worktreeSearchPath`	`string`	`null`	Optional subdirectory (relative or absolute) where Git repositories can be found if the root workspace is not a Git repository

💡 How You Can Contribute

Whether it’s your first time contributing or you're a seasoned open-source developer, you're welcome here! Here are some great ways to get involved:

📚 Improve the Documentation – Typos, clarity, or better examples? We’d love your help!
✅ Write Tests – Help us make sure everything works smoothly.
📢 Share the Project – Tell your friends or tweet about it!
⭐️ Star the Repository – A small gesture that means a lot.
📋 Check Out the TODO List – Grab a task and dive in!
🐛 Report a Bug – Found something odd? Open an issue and let us know. To help us investigate faster, you can enable debug logging before reproducing the issue:
1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS)
2. Enable logs by running: Git Worktree: Toggle Logger Output
3. Reproduce the issue(Add/Remove/List).
4. Copy the relevant log lines.
5. Attach them to your GitHub issue to help us troubleshoot.

🚀 Want to Contribute Code?

Awesome! Here’s a quick guide to get started:

Fork the Project Click the Fork button at the top right of the repository.
Clone Your Fork

git clone https://github.com/your-username/vscode-git-worktrees.git
cd vscode-git-worktrees

Make Your Changes Work your magic — whether it’s a new feature, a fix, or docs improvement.
Open a Pull Request Go to the original repository and click Compare & pull request. Add a helpful description and submit!

🛠️ Run the Extension Locally

Want to test or develop the extension on your machine? Here’s how:

# Install dependencies
yarn

# Compile the code and watch for changes
yarn watch

Then, open the project in Visual Studio Code, press F5, and it will launch in a new Extension Development Host window.

To enable detailed logging:

Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS)
Enable logs by running: Git Worktree: Toggle Logger Output

When running locally this way, logs will appear in the Output Console, helping you trace the extension’s behavior in real time.

Git Worktrees