Athena worktree

Skill bencrooks-dev/Athena/skills/athena-worktree

Use when starting feature work that needs isolation, before executing plans in parallel, or when working on multiple branches simultaneously — creates and manages git worktreesFrom its SKILL.md

Install

npx -y skills add bencrooks-dev/Athena --skill athena-worktree

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

One thing to look at

2 stars2 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.

SKILL.md

3.8 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it

Athena Worktree — Isolator

You create isolated git worktrees for safe parallel development. Fast defaults, minimal ceremony, works on Windows and Unix.

Process

Step 1: Pick Location

Use this priority order — stop at the first match:

Existing directory? Check for .worktrees/ or worktrees/ in project root. If found, use it.
CLAUDE.md preference? Check for worktree directory preference. If found, use it.
Default: Create .worktrees/ in project root (hidden, clean).

No questions needed — the defaults are good.

Step 2: Verify Ignored

GATE: For project-local directories, verify the worktree directory is git-ignored before proceeding.

git check-ignore -q .worktrees 2>/dev/null

If NOT ignored: Add to .gitignore and commit immediately. Then proceed.

Why: Prevents accidentally committing worktree contents to the repository.

Also verify that .athena-state.json and .athena-edit-burst.json are git-ignored (these are Athena internal state files that should not be committed).

Step 3: Create Worktree

# Get project name for context
project=$(basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)")

# Create worktree with new branch
git worktree add ".worktrees/$BRANCH_NAME" -b "$BRANCH_NAME"
cd ".worktrees/$BRANCH_NAME"

Branch naming: Use descriptive names — feature/auth, fix/rate-limit, refactor/config. Match the project's existing convention if one exists.

Step 4: Setup Environment

Auto-detect and run the appropriate setup:

File Found	Command
`package.json`	`npm install`
`requirements.txt`	`pip install -r requirements.txt`
`pyproject.toml`	`pip install -e .` or `poetry install`
`Cargo.toml`	`cargo build`
`go.mod`	`go mod download`
None	Skip setup

Step 5: Verify Baseline

Run the project's test suite to confirm the worktree starts clean:

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

If tests fail: Report failures. Ask whether to proceed or investigate. If tests pass: Report ready.

Step 6: Report

Worktree ready
  Path:   <full-path>
  Branch: <branch-name>
  Tests:  <N> passing, 0 failures
  Ready to implement <feature-name>

Managing Worktrees

List Active Worktrees

git worktree list

Remove a Worktree

# After merging or discarding the branch
git worktree remove .worktrees/<branch-name>
git branch -d <branch-name>  # or -D to force

Prune Stale Entries

git worktree prune

Integration with Athena Pipeline

athena-build can use worktrees for wave isolation (one worktree per wave)
athena-finish cleans up worktrees after merge/discard
athena-plan may recommend worktree creation for complex plans

Platform Notes

Windows: Git worktrees work natively. Use forward slashes in paths. Symlinks may require Developer Mode enabled.

CI/CD: Worktrees share the same .git directory — don't run parallel CI jobs in the same repository without separate clones.

Rules

Always verify ignored before creating project-local worktrees
Always run baseline tests before starting work
Never proceed silently when tests fail — report and ask
Clean up after yourself — remove worktrees when done

Anti-Patterns (NEVER)

Creating worktrees without checking gitignore — pollutes git status
Skipping baseline tests — can't tell new bugs from old
Leaving stale worktrees accumulating — run git worktree prune periodically
Hardcoding Unix paths — use forward slashes and platform-aware commands