git-start-work

Git Start Work

Start new code work from the latest main branch. Supports two modes:

• Regular branch — Standard git checkout (default)
• Worktree — Isolated workspace in separate directory

When to Use

• User says: "start new work", "start new feature", "begin coding", "new branch"
• User wants to work on a bug fix or new feature
• User needs to refresh their branch from latest main

Step 0: Ask Worktree Preference

Ask the user:

How would you like to work?

1. Regular branch (default) — Simple git checkout
2. Worktree — Isolated workspace (recommended for multi-task or experimental work)

If no preference expressed, default to regular branch.

Branch Naming Convention

Use these prefixes based on the type of work:

• feat/ - New features (e.g., feat/user-authentication)
• fix/ - Bug fixes (e.g., fix/login-validation)
• docs/ - Documentation changes
• refactor/ - Code restructuring
• test/ - Adding or updating tests
• chore/ - Maintenance tasks

---

Mode 1: Regular Branch

Step 1: Check Repository Exists

ls -la /path/to/repo/.git

If not exists, clone from remote:

git clone <remote-url>
cd repo-name

Step 2: Fetch Latest Changes

git fetch origin

Step 3: Determine Main Branch

git remote show origin | grep "HEAD branch"

Common names: main, master, develop

Step 4: Checkout Latest Main

git checkout origin/<main-branch> -b <main-branch>

Step 5: Create New Branch

If user specified a branch name:

git checkout -b <prefix>/<description>

If user didn't specify, ask them:

• What type of work? (feature/fix/docs/refactor)
• What is the short description?

Example:

git checkout -b feat/user-login

Step 6: Confirm

Report:

• Branch name created
• Current branch
• Any relevant next steps

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Mode 2: Worktree (Isolated Workspace)

Core principle: Systematic directory selection + safety verification = reliable isolation.

Directory Selection Process

Follow this priority order:

1. Check Existing Directories

# Check in priority order
ls -d .worktrees 2>/dev/null     # Preferred (hidden)
ls -d worktrees 2>/dev/null      # Alternative

If found: Use that directory.

2. Check CLAUDE.md

grep -i "worktree.*director" CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null

If preference specified: Use it without asking.

3. Ask User

If no directory exists and no CLAUDE.md preference:

No worktree directory found. Where should I create worktrees?

1. .worktrees/ (project-local, hidden)
2. worktrees/ (project-local)
3. ~/.config/worktrees/<project>/ (global)

Which would you prefer?

Safety Verification

CRITICAL: Must verify directory is ignored before creating worktree.

For Project-Local Directories (.worktrees or worktrees)

# Check if directory is ignored (respects local, global, and system gitignore)
git check-ignore -q .worktrees 2>/dev/null && echo "IGNORED" || echo "NOT_IGNORED"
git check-ignore -q worktrees 2>/dev/null && echo "IGNORED" || echo "NOT_IGNORED"

If NOT ignored:

Per the "Fix broken things immediately" rule:

1. Add appropriate line to .gitignore
2. Commit the change
3. Proceed with worktree creation

Why critical: Prevents accidentally committing worktree contents to repository.

For Global Directory (~/.config/worktrees)

No .gitignore verification needed — outside project entirely.

Creation Steps

Step 1: Detect Project Name

project=$(basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)")

Step 2: Create Worktree

# Determine full path
case $LOCATION in
  .worktrees|worktrees)
    path="$LOCATION/$BRANCH_NAME"
    ;;
  ~/.config/worktrees/*)
    path="$LOCATION/$project/$BRANCH_NAME"
    ;;
esac

# Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add "$path" -b "$BRANCH_NAME"
cd "$path"

Step 3: Run Project Setup

Auto-detect and run appropriate setup:

# Node.js
if [ -f package.json ]; then npm install; fi

# Python
if [ -f requirements.txt ]; then pip install -r requirements.txt; fi
if [ -f pyproject.toml ]; then uv sync; fi

# Rust
if [ -f Cargo.toml ]; then cargo build; fi

# Go
if [ -f go.mod ]; then go mod download; fi

Step 4: Verify Clean Baseline

Run tests to ensure worktree starts clean:

# Use project-appropriate command
npm test
cargo test
pytest
go test ./...

If tests fail: Report failures, ask whether to proceed or investigate.

If tests pass: Continue.

Step 5: Report Location

Worktree ready at <full-path>
Tests passing (<N> tests, 0 failures)
Ready to implement <feature-name>

---

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Skipping ignore verification

• Problem: Worktree contents get tracked, pollute git status
• Fix: Always use git check-ignore before creating project-local worktree

Assuming directory location

• Problem: Creates inconsistency, violates project conventions
• Fix: Follow priority: existing > CLAUDE.md > ask

Proceeding with failing tests

• Problem: Can't distinguish new bugs from pre-existing issues
• Fix: Report failures, get explicit permission to proceed

Hardcoding setup commands

• Problem: Breaks on projects using different tools
• Fix: Auto-detect from project files (package.json, etc.)