Worktree Reference

How the Coordinator resolves the team root (on every session start):

0. Check config.json overrides first — read .squad/config.json in the current directory (or at the git root):
   • If teamRoot is set → Team root = that path. STOP — do not walk further.
   • If stateLocation is "external" → Resolve external AppData path. Team root = external path. STOP.
   • Otherwise → continue to step 1.
1. Check CWD first — does .squad/ exist in the current working directory?
   • Yes → Team root = CWD. This handles monorepos where .squad/ lives in a subfolder.
2. If not, run git rev-parse --show-toplevel to get the current worktree root.
3. Check if .squad/ exists at that root (fall back to .ai-team/ for repos that haven’t migrated yet).
   • Yes → use worktree-local strategy. Team root = current worktree root.
   • No → use main-checkout strategy. Discover the main working tree:

     Copy

     git worktree list --porcelain

     The first worktree line is the main working tree. Team root = that path.
4. The user may override the strategy at any time (e.g., “use main checkout for team state” or “keep team state in this worktree”).

Passing the team root to agents:

• The Coordinator includes TEAM_ROOT: {resolved_path} in every spawn prompt.
• Agents resolve ALL .squad/ paths from the provided team root — charter, history, decisions inbox, logs.
• Agents never discover the team root themselves. They trust the value from the Coordinator.

Cross-worktree considerations (worktree-local strategy — recommended for concurrent work):

• .squad/ files are branch-local. Each worktree works independently — no locking, no shared-state races.
• When branches merge into main, .squad/ state merges with them. The append-only pattern ensures both sides only added content, making merges clean.
• A merge=union driver in .gitattributes (see Init Mode) auto-resolves append-only files by keeping all lines from both sides — no manual conflict resolution needed.
• The Scribe commits .squad/ changes to the worktree’s branch. State flows to other branches through normal git merge / PR workflow.

Cross-worktree considerations (main-checkout strategy):

• All worktrees share the same .squad/ state on disk via the main checkout — changes are immediately visible without merging.
• Not safe for concurrent sessions. If two worktrees run sessions simultaneously, Scribe merge-and-commit steps will race on decisions.md and git index. Use only when a single session is active at a time.
• Best suited for solo use when you want a single source of truth without waiting for branch merges.

Worktree Lifecycle Management

When worktree mode is enabled, the coordinator creates dedicated worktrees for issue-based work. This gives each issue its own isolated branch checkout without disrupting the main repo.

Worktree mode activation:

• Explicit: worktrees: true in project config (squad.config.ts or package.json squad section)
• Environment: SQUAD_WORKTREES=1 set in environment variables
• Default: false (backward compatibility — agents work in the main repo)

Creating worktrees:

• One worktree per issue number
• Multiple agents on the same issue share a worktree
• Path convention: {repo-parent}/{repo-name}-{issue-number}
  • Example: Working on issue #42 in C:\src\squad → worktree at C:\src\squad-42
• Branch: squad/{issue-number}-{kebab-case-slug} (created from base branch, typically main)

Dependency management:

• After creating a worktree, link node_modules from the main repo to avoid reinstalling
• Windows: cmd /c "mklink /J {worktree}\node_modules {main-repo}\node_modules"
• Unix: ln -s {main-repo}/node_modules {worktree}/node_modules
• If linking fails (permissions, cross-device), fall back to npm install in the worktree

Reusing worktrees:

• Before creating a new worktree, check if one exists for the same issue
• git worktree list shows all active worktrees
• If found, reuse it (cd to the path, verify branch is correct, git pull to sync)
• Multiple agents can work in the same worktree concurrently if they modify different files

Cleanup:

• After a PR is merged, the worktree should be removed
• git worktree remove {path} + git branch -d {branch}
• Ralph heartbeat can trigger cleanup checks for merged branches

Pre-Spawn: Worktree Setup

When spawning an agent for issue-based work (user request references an issue number, or agent is working on a GitHub issue):

1. Check worktree mode:

• Is SQUAD_WORKTREES=1 set in the environment?
• Or does the project config have worktrees: true?
• If neither: skip worktree setup → agent works in the main repo (existing behavior)

2. If worktrees enabled:

a. Determine the worktree path:

• Parse issue number from context (e.g., #42, issue 42, GitHub issue assignment)
• Calculate path: {repo-parent}/{repo-name}-{issue-number}
• Example: Main repo at C:\src\squad, issue #42 → C:\src\squad-42

b. Check if worktree already exists:

• Run git worktree list to see all active worktrees
• If the worktree path already exists → reuse it:
  • Verify the branch is correct (should be squad/{issue-number}-*)
  • cd to the worktree path
  • git pull to sync latest changes
  • Skip to step (e)

c. Create the worktree:

• Determine branch name: squad/{issue-number}-{kebab-case-slug} (derive slug from issue title if available)
• Determine base branch (typically main, check default branch if needed)
• Run: git worktree add {path} -b {branch} {baseBranch}
• Example: git worktree add C:\src\squad-42 -b squad/42-fix-login main

d. Set up dependencies:

• Link node_modules from main repo to avoid reinstalling:
  • Windows: cmd /c "mklink /J {worktree}\node_modules {main-repo}\node_modules"
  • Unix: ln -s {main-repo}/node_modules {worktree}/node_modules
• If linking fails (error), fall back: cd {worktree} && npm install
• Verify the worktree is ready: check build tools are accessible

e. Include worktree context in spawn:

• Set WORKTREE_PATH to the resolved worktree path
• Set WORKTREE_MODE to true
• Add worktree instructions to the spawn prompt (see template below)

3. If worktrees disabled:

• Set WORKTREE_PATH to "n/a"
• Set WORKTREE_MODE to false
• Use existing git checkout -b flow (no changes to current behavior)