Git Worktree Switcher

A status bar worktree switcher for VS Code, the feature Zed gives you out of the box.

The status bar shows the branch of your current worktree. Click it to open a picker of every worktree in the repository. Choosing one reopens it in the current window — no new window unless you ask for it.

• ⚡ Switch between worktrees directly from the bottom status bar
• 🌿 See worktree name, branch, and total worktree count at a glance
• 📊 View ahead/behind status for each worktree
• ➕ Create a worktree from any branch
• 🗑️ Remove worktrees directly from the picker
• 📌 Pin favorite worktrees and recent folders
• ⌨️ Jump directly between worktrees with Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + 1–9
• 🕘 Quickly switch between recently opened folders
• 🗓️ See when a recent folder was last opened, e.g. "3 hours ago"
• 💾 Pins persist across VS Code restarts

Screenshots

Status bar — two separate chips: the active worktree branch on the left, and a "Recent" chip for recently opened folders next to it.

Worktree picker — pick any worktree in the repository, with dirty and clean status shown per row.

Recent folders picker — plain project folders only. Worktrees never appear here; they have their own picker above.

A short demo video is available on the author's YouTube channel: Code Career Golpo.

Features

• See your branch at a glance. The status bar shows the branch of your current worktree, for example ⧉ wt: feature/checkout. You can change the text with worktreeSwitcher.statusBarFormat.
• Switch worktrees in one click. Click the status bar item, or press Ctrl+Alt+W (Cmd+Alt+W on macOS), to open a picker of every worktree in the repository.
• See status before you switch. Each worktree row shows its branch, folder path, how many files changed, and how far it is ahead or behind its remote. This loads in the background, so the picker opens instantly.
• Jump to a recent folder too. A separate action opens a list of folders you had open recently. Folders that are worktrees of the current repository are left out — they already have a home in the worktree picker.
• Pin what you use most. Click the pin button on any worktree or recent-folder row to keep it at the top of its picker. Worktree pins are saved per repository; recent-folder pins are saved globally, and the two never affect each other.
• Jump straight to a worktree with the keyboard. Ctrl+Shift+1…5 (Cmd+Shift+1…5 on macOS) open the 1st through 5th row of the worktree picker (pinned rows first). Every slot from 1 to 9 exists as a command even if only 1-5 have a default key — rebind or add more from keybindings.json like any other VS Code shortcut.
• Stay in the same window. Everything opens in your current window by default. Click the ⧉ button on a row to open it in a new window instead.
• Create a worktree in a few clicks, from a local branch, a remote branch, or a brand new branch.
• Remove or clean up worktrees safely. Remove one (with a force option if it has changes), or prune every stale worktree at once.
• Notice when you are in a detached state. The status bar turns orange when the current worktree has no branch checked out.
• Always up to date. The status bar refreshes automatically on branch change, window focus, and editor change.

Commands

Slot commands open the worktree at that position in the picker's pinned-then-recency order — slot 1 is the first row you would see, slot 2 the second, and so on. All of these are default bindings, not fixed ones: rebind or disable any of them from keybindings.json if they clash with something else on your machine.

Settings

How to use it

1. Open a Git repository that has one or more worktrees.
2. Look at the status bar. It shows the branch of the current worktree.
3. Select the status bar item, or press Ctrl+Alt+W (Cmd+Alt+W on macOS).
4. Select a worktree from the picker. VS Code reopens the current window in that worktree.
5. To open a worktree in a new window instead, select the ⧉ button next to its row.
6. To create, remove, or prune worktrees, use the Manage section of the same picker.

Develop

npm install
npm run compile
# then press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host
npm run package     # requires: npm i -g @vscode/vsce

Notes

• Switching runs vscode.openFolder, so the current window reloads. VS Code's hot exit restores unsaved editors, but a reload is still a reload.
• If the window has a multi-root .code-workspace open, switching replaces it with the single worktree folder.
• The extension detects the repository from the workspace folder that owns the active editor. If no editor is active, it falls back to the first workspace folder.

Feedback and issues

If you find a bug, or you want to request a feature, please open an issue on GitHub:

👉 Open an issue

Your feedback helps improve this extension for everyone.

About the author

Sumonta Saha Mridul — Associate Software Engineer.

• GitHub: github.com/sumonta056
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sumonta-saha-mridul-b35bb61a0
• YouTube: Code Career Golpo

This project and its documentation were built through a collaboration between AI and a human — "AI + U".