* [PATCH 1/2] worktree: add --reflink for copy-on-write worktree creation
2026-06-05 18:49 [PATCH 0/2] worktree: copy-on-write creation and shared-branch worktrees Jason Newton via GitGitGadget
@ 2026-06-05 18:49 ` Jason Newton via GitGitGadget
2026-06-05 18:49 ` [PATCH 2/2] worktree: allow sharing a checked-out branch across worktrees Jason Newton via GitGitGadget
2026-06-05 19:59 ` [PATCH 0/2] worktree: copy-on-write creation and shared-branch worktrees brian m. carlson
2 siblings, 0 replies; 4+ messages in thread
From: Jason Newton via GitGitGadget @ 2026-06-05 18:49 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: git; +Cc: Jason Newton, Jason Newton
From: Jason Newton <nevion@gmail.com>
Creating many worktrees from the same base -- for example to run a
fleet of automated agents in parallel -- is expensive today: every
"git worktree add" materializes the entire working tree by writing
each tracked file out from the object store. The objects are shared
via the common directory, but the working tree is not: N worktrees
mean N full checkouts on disk and N times the file I/O.
Add a "--reflink" option that, on copy-on-write filesystems, populates
the new worktree by reflinking the current worktree's files and index
instead. The subsequent "git reset --hard" then only rewrites the
paths that actually differ between the current worktree and
<commit-ish>; everything else (including untracked files such as build
outputs) keeps sharing storage with the source until modified. Because
the cloned index still carries the source files' stat data, it is
refreshed against the reflinked files first so that reset recognizes
the unchanged paths as up to date and leaves them sharing extents
rather than rewriting them.
The clones are made by a new reflink_file() helper in copy.c, which
uses the FICLONE ioctl on Linux and clonefile() on macOS and reports
an error otherwise so callers fall back to a normal copy. Support is
probed up front; when unavailable -- including on filesystems without
copy-on-write and on platforms such as Windows that lack a reflink
primitive -- "--reflink" transparently falls back to an ordinary
checkout, so the worst case is no slower than today rather than a
byte-for-byte copy of the source tree. The directory walk skips the
new worktree itself when it lives inside the source one, and preserves
symlinks and modes.
The behavior can be made the default with the worktree.reflink
configuration ("true", "false" or "auto", the last suppressing the
unsupported-filesystem warning), and turned off per-invocation with
--no-reflink. A configured default degrades quietly in modes that
cannot reflink (--orphan, --no-checkout) instead of erroring, so
enabling it never breaks those commands. The checkout step continues
to honor checkout.workers, so parallel checkout composes with
--reflink for the paths that do need rewriting.
Signed-off-by: Jason Newton <nevion@gmail.com>
---
Documentation/config/worktree.adoc | 10 ++
Documentation/git-worktree.adoc | 30 +++-
builtin/worktree.c | 227 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
copy.c | 65 +++++++++
copy.h | 13 ++
t/t2400-worktree-add.sh | 88 +++++++++++
6 files changed, 431 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/config/worktree.adoc b/Documentation/config/worktree.adoc
index a248076ea5..d3a03c86d4 100644
--- a/Documentation/config/worktree.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/config/worktree.adoc
@@ -17,3 +17,13 @@
Note that setting `worktree.useRelativePaths` to "`true`" implies enabling the
`extensions.relativeWorktrees` config (see linkgit:git-config[1]),
thus making it incompatible with older versions of Git.
+
+`worktree.reflink`::
+ Controls whether `git worktree add` populates new worktrees with
+ copy-on-write (reflink) clones, as if `--reflink` had been given
+ (see linkgit:git-worktree[1]). May be set to "`true`", "`false`"
+ (the default), or "`auto`". With "`true`", a filesystem that does
+ not support reflinks produces a warning before falling back to an
+ ordinary checkout; with "`auto`", the fallback is silent. An
+ explicit `--reflink` or `--no-reflink` on the command line
+ overrides this setting.
diff --git a/Documentation/git-worktree.adoc b/Documentation/git-worktree.adoc
index fbf8426cd9..1ca81718b7 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-worktree.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-worktree.adoc
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
--------
[synopsis]
git worktree add [-f] [--detach] [--checkout] [--lock [--reason <string>]]
- [--orphan] [(-b | -B) <new-branch>] <path> [<commit-ish>]
+ [--orphan] [--reflink] [(-b | -B) <new-branch>] <path> [<commit-ish>]
git worktree list [-v | --porcelain [-z]]
git worktree lock [--reason <string>] <worktree>
git worktree move <worktree> <new-path>
@@ -213,6 +213,34 @@ To remove a locked worktree, specify `--force` twice.
such as configuring sparse-checkout. See "Sparse checkout"
in linkgit:git-read-tree[1].
+`--reflink`::
+`--no-reflink`::
+ Populate the new worktree by creating copy-on-write (reflink)
+ clones of the current worktree's files and index instead of
+ writing every file out from the object store. The checkout that
+ follows then only has to rewrite the paths that actually differ
+ between the current worktree and _<commit-ish>_; everything else
+ (including untracked files such as build outputs) keeps sharing
+ storage with the source worktree until modified. This makes
+ `add` much faster and far cheaper on disk when creating many
+ worktrees from the same base. `--no-reflink` forces an ordinary
+ checkout, overriding the `worktree.reflink` configuration.
++
+Reflinks require a copy-on-write filesystem (for example btrfs, XFS,
+bcachefs or ZFS on Linux, or APFS on macOS). On filesystems or platforms
+that do not support reflinks, `--reflink` transparently falls back to an
+ordinary checkout. Because the source worktree's untracked and ignored
+files are cloned as well, only use `--reflink` when that is acceptable.
++
+This option cannot be combined with `--no-checkout` or `--orphan`. It can
+be enabled by default with the `worktree.reflink` configuration; see
+linkgit:git-config[1].
++
+The checkout that populates a new worktree also honors the
+`checkout.workers` configuration (see linkgit:git-config[1]), so setting it
+parallelizes the file writes and can further speed up `add`, with or
+without `--reflink`.
+
`--guess-remote`::
`--no-guess-remote`::
With `worktree add <path>`, without _<commit-ish>_, instead
diff --git a/builtin/worktree.c b/builtin/worktree.c
index d21c43fde3..973da33051 100644
--- a/builtin/worktree.c
+++ b/builtin/worktree.c
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
#define BUILTIN_WORKTREE_ADD_USAGE \
N_("git worktree add [-f] [--detach] [--checkout] [--lock [--reason <string>]]\n" \
- " [--orphan] [(-b | -B) <new-branch>] <path> [<commit-ish>]")
+ " [--orphan] [--reflink] [(-b | -B) <new-branch>] <path> [<commit-ish>]")
#define BUILTIN_WORKTREE_LIST_USAGE \
N_("git worktree list [-v | --porcelain [-z]]")
@@ -47,6 +47,11 @@
#define BUILTIN_WORKTREE_UNLOCK_USAGE \
N_("git worktree unlock <worktree>")
+/* values for add_opts.reflink and the worktree.reflink config */
+#define REFLINK_OFF 0
+#define REFLINK_ON 1 /* warn and fall back if unsupported */
+#define REFLINK_AUTO 2 /* silently fall back if unsupported */
+
#define WORKTREE_ADD_DWIM_ORPHAN_INFER_TEXT \
_("No possible source branch, inferring '--orphan'")
@@ -123,6 +128,7 @@ struct add_opts {
int checkout;
int orphan;
int relative_paths;
+ int reflink;
const char *keep_locked;
};
@@ -130,6 +136,7 @@ static int show_only;
static int verbose;
static int guess_remote;
static int use_relative_paths;
+static int reflink_config = REFLINK_OFF;
static timestamp_t expire;
static int git_worktree_config(const char *var, const char *value,
@@ -141,6 +148,13 @@ static int git_worktree_config(const char *var, const char *value,
} else if (!strcmp(var, "worktree.userelativepaths")) {
use_relative_paths = git_config_bool(var, value);
return 0;
+ } else if (!strcmp(var, "worktree.reflink")) {
+ if (value && !strcmp(value, "auto"))
+ reflink_config = REFLINK_AUTO;
+ else
+ reflink_config = git_config_bool(var, value) ?
+ REFLINK_ON : REFLINK_OFF;
+ return 0;
}
return git_default_config(var, value, ctx, cb);
@@ -397,6 +411,182 @@ worktree_copy_cleanup:
free(to_file);
}
+/*
+ * Probe whether the filesystem backing "dir" supports reflinks. We do this
+ * once up front so that, on filesystems without copy-on-write support (or on
+ * platforms such as Windows that lack a reflink primitive entirely), we can
+ * fall back to a normal checkout instead of byte-copying the whole source
+ * working tree -- which would include untracked files and be slower than the
+ * checkout we are trying to avoid.
+ */
+static int reflink_supported(const char *dir)
+{
+ struct strbuf src = STRBUF_INIT, dst = STRBUF_INIT;
+ int fd, ok = 0;
+
+ strbuf_addf(&src, "%s/.git-reflink-probe-src", dir);
+ strbuf_addf(&dst, "%s/.git-reflink-probe-dst", dir);
+
+ fd = open(src.buf, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC, 0600);
+ if (fd >= 0) {
+ write_in_full(fd, "x", 1);
+ close(fd);
+ if (!reflink_file(dst.buf, src.buf, 0600))
+ ok = 1;
+ unlink(dst.buf);
+ }
+ unlink(src.buf);
+
+ strbuf_release(&src);
+ strbuf_release(&dst);
+ return ok;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Reflink a single regular file, falling back to a regular copy when the
+ * clone fails for this particular file (for example across mount points).
+ */
+static int reflink_or_copy(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode)
+{
+ if (!reflink_file(dst, src, mode))
+ return 0;
+ return copy_file(dst, src, mode);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Recursively copy the working-tree directory "src" into "dst" using reflinks
+ * for regular files. Directory entries that resolve to the destination
+ * worktree itself (identified by skip_dev/skip_ino, which matters when the new
+ * worktree lives inside the source one) and the top-level ".git" gitfile are
+ * skipped.
+ */
+static int reflink_tree(const char *src, const char *dst,
+ dev_t skip_dev, ino_t skip_ino, int top)
+{
+ struct strbuf s = STRBUF_INIT, d = STRBUF_INIT;
+ DIR *dir;
+ struct dirent *de;
+ int ret = 0;
+
+ dir = opendir(src);
+ if (!dir)
+ return error_errno(_("could not open directory '%s'"), src);
+
+ while (!ret && (de = readdir(dir))) {
+ struct stat st;
+
+ if (is_dot_or_dotdot(de->d_name))
+ continue;
+ if (top && !strcmp(de->d_name, ".git"))
+ continue;
+
+ strbuf_reset(&s);
+ strbuf_addf(&s, "%s/%s", src, de->d_name);
+ strbuf_reset(&d);
+ strbuf_addf(&d, "%s/%s", dst, de->d_name);
+
+ if (lstat(s.buf, &st)) {
+ ret = error_errno(_("could not stat '%s'"), s.buf);
+ break;
+ }
+
+ if (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
+ /* never recurse into the new worktree itself */
+ if (st.st_dev == skip_dev && st.st_ino == skip_ino)
+ continue;
+ if (mkdir(d.buf, st.st_mode & 07777) && errno != EEXIST) {
+ ret = error_errno(_("could not create directory '%s'"), d.buf);
+ break;
+ }
+ ret = reflink_tree(s.buf, d.buf, skip_dev, skip_ino, 0);
+ } else if (S_ISLNK(st.st_mode)) {
+ struct strbuf link = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+ if (strbuf_readlink(&link, s.buf, st.st_size))
+ ret = error_errno(_("could not read symlink '%s'"), s.buf);
+ else if (symlink(link.buf, d.buf))
+ ret = error_errno(_("could not create symlink '%s'"), d.buf);
+ strbuf_release(&link);
+ } else if (S_ISREG(st.st_mode)) {
+ if (reflink_or_copy(d.buf, s.buf, st.st_mode))
+ ret = error_errno(_("could not copy '%s' to '%s'"),
+ s.buf, d.buf);
+ }
+ /* silently skip fifos, sockets and device nodes */
+ }
+
+ closedir(dir);
+ strbuf_release(&s);
+ strbuf_release(&d);
+ return ret;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Populate the new worktree at "path" by reflinking the current worktree's
+ * files and index. The subsequent "git reset --hard" then only has to rewrite
+ * the paths that actually differ between the source and <commit-ish>, leaving
+ * everything else sharing storage with the source. Returns 1 when reflinks are
+ * unavailable so the caller can fall back to a plain checkout.
+ */
+static int reflink_worktree(const char *path, const char *wt_git_dir,
+ const struct add_opts *opts, struct strvec *child_env)
+{
+ const char *src_wt = the_repository->worktree;
+ char *src_index = NULL, *dst_index = NULL;
+ struct stat dst_st;
+ int ret = 0;
+
+ if (!src_wt)
+ return error(_("--reflink needs a source working tree, but this "
+ "repository does not have one"));
+
+ if (!reflink_supported(path)) {
+ /* In auto mode the fallback is expected, so stay quiet. */
+ if (!opts->quiet && opts->reflink != REFLINK_AUTO)
+ warning(_("the filesystem at '%s' does not support reflinks; "
+ "falling back to a regular checkout"), path);
+ return 1;
+ }
+
+ if (stat(path, &dst_st))
+ return error_errno(_("could not stat '%s'"), path);
+
+ if ((ret = reflink_tree(src_wt, path, dst_st.st_dev, dst_st.st_ino, 1)))
+ return ret;
+
+ /*
+ * Clone the source index so the following reset sees the source's
+ * state and only materializes the differences to <commit-ish>.
+ */
+ src_index = repo_git_path(the_repository, "index");
+ dst_index = xstrfmt("%s/index", wt_git_dir);
+ if (!access(src_index, F_OK) &&
+ reflink_or_copy(dst_index, src_index, 0666)) {
+ ret = error_errno(_("could not copy index to '%s'"), dst_index);
+ goto out;
+ }
+
+ /*
+ * The cloned index still carries the source files' stat information.
+ * Refresh it against the freshly reflinked files so that "git reset"
+ * recognizes unchanged paths as up to date and leaves them sharing
+ * storage instead of rewriting (and thus un-sharing) them.
+ */
+ if (!access(dst_index, F_OK)) {
+ struct child_process cp = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
+ cp.git_cmd = 1;
+ strvec_pushl(&cp.args, "update-index", "-q", "--refresh", NULL);
+ strvec_pushv(&cp.env, child_env->v);
+ /* a dirty working tree is not an error here */
+ run_command(&cp);
+ }
+
+out:
+ free(src_index);
+ free(dst_index);
+ return ret;
+}
+
static int checkout_worktree(const struct add_opts *opts,
struct strvec *child_env)
{
@@ -589,6 +779,20 @@ static int add_worktree(const char *path, const char *refname,
(ret = make_worktree_orphan(refname, opts, &child_env)))
goto done;
+ /*
+ * When --reflink is requested and the filesystem supports it, copy the
+ * current worktree (and its index) into the new one using copy-on-write
+ * clones. checkout_worktree() then only rewrites the paths that differ
+ * from <commit-ish>. reflink_worktree() returns 1 when reflinks are not
+ * available, in which case we just do an ordinary checkout below.
+ */
+ if (opts->checkout && opts->reflink) {
+ ret = reflink_worktree(path, sb_repo.buf, opts, &child_env);
+ if (ret < 0)
+ goto done;
+ ret = 0;
+ }
+
if (opts->checkout &&
(ret = checkout_worktree(opts, &child_env)))
goto done;
@@ -801,6 +1005,7 @@ static int add(int ac, const char **av, const char *prefix,
const char *lock_reason = NULL;
int keep_locked = 0;
int used_new_branch_options;
+ int reflink_cli = -1;
struct option options[] = {
OPT__FORCE(&opts.force,
N_("checkout <branch> even if already checked out in other worktree"),
@@ -823,6 +1028,8 @@ static int add(int ac, const char **av, const char *prefix,
N_("try to match the new branch name with a remote-tracking branch")),
OPT_BOOL(0, "relative-paths", &opts.relative_paths,
N_("use relative paths for worktrees")),
+ OPT_BOOL(0, "reflink", &reflink_cli,
+ N_("populate the worktree using copy-on-write clones when supported")),
OPT_END()
};
int ret;
@@ -842,6 +1049,24 @@ static int add(int ac, const char **av, const char *prefix,
if (opts.orphan && !opts.checkout)
die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"),
"--orphan", "--no-checkout");
+
+ /*
+ * Resolve whether to reflink: an explicit --reflink/--no-reflink on
+ * the command line wins, otherwise fall back to the worktree.reflink
+ * configuration (which may select the "auto" mode).
+ */
+ opts.reflink = (reflink_cli != -1) ? reflink_cli : reflink_config;
+ if (opts.reflink && (opts.orphan || !opts.checkout)) {
+ /*
+ * Reflinking is incompatible with these; only complain when it
+ * was explicitly requested, otherwise quietly do a plain
+ * checkout so a configured default does not break these modes.
+ */
+ if (reflink_cli == REFLINK_ON)
+ die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"),
+ "--reflink", opts.orphan ? "--orphan" : "--no-checkout");
+ opts.reflink = REFLINK_OFF;
+ }
if (opts.orphan && ac == 2)
die(_("option '%s' and commit-ish cannot be used together"),
"--orphan");
diff --git a/copy.c b/copy.c
index b668209b6c..d2c8ce5209 100644
--- a/copy.c
+++ b/copy.c
@@ -7,6 +7,21 @@
#include "strbuf.h"
#include "abspath.h"
+#if defined(__linux__)
+#include <sys/ioctl.h>
+/*
+ * FICLONE lives in <linux/fs.h>, but including that header tends to clash
+ * with the libc headers git already pulls in, so define it ourselves if it
+ * is missing. The value is part of the stable kernel uapi.
+ */
+#ifndef FICLONE
+#define FICLONE _IOW(0x94, 9, int)
+#endif
+#elif defined(__APPLE__)
+#include <sys/attr.h>
+#include <sys/clonefile.h>
+#endif
+
int copy_fd(int ifd, int ofd)
{
while (1) {
@@ -72,3 +87,53 @@ int copy_file_with_time(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode)
return copy_times(dst, src);
return status;
}
+
+int reflink_file(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode)
+{
+#if defined(__APPLE__)
+ /*
+ * clonefile() refuses to operate when the destination exists and
+ * copies the source's permissions for us, so "mode" is unused here.
+ */
+ (void)mode;
+ if (clonefile(src, dst, 0) < 0)
+ return -1;
+ if (adjust_shared_perm(the_repository, dst))
+ return -1;
+ return 0;
+#elif defined(__linux__)
+ int fdi, fdo, status;
+
+ mode = (mode & 0111) ? 0777 : 0666;
+ if ((fdi = open(src, O_RDONLY)) < 0)
+ return -1;
+ if ((fdo = open(dst, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_EXCL, mode)) < 0) {
+ int saved = errno;
+ close(fdi);
+ errno = saved;
+ return -1;
+ }
+ status = ioctl(fdo, FICLONE, fdi);
+ close(fdi);
+ if (status < 0) {
+ int saved = errno;
+ close(fdo);
+ /* we created an empty file above; do not leave it behind */
+ unlink(dst);
+ errno = saved;
+ return -1;
+ }
+ if (close(fdo) != 0)
+ return -1;
+ if (adjust_shared_perm(the_repository, dst))
+ return -1;
+ return 0;
+#else
+ /* No reflink support on this platform (e.g. Windows). */
+ (void)dst;
+ (void)src;
+ (void)mode;
+ errno = ENOSYS;
+ return -1;
+#endif
+}
diff --git a/copy.h b/copy.h
index 2af77cba86..a8646f7ff5 100644
--- a/copy.h
+++ b/copy.h
@@ -7,4 +7,17 @@ int copy_fd(int ifd, int ofd);
int copy_file(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode);
int copy_file_with_time(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode);
+/*
+ * Create "dst" as a copy-on-write (reflink) clone of the regular file
+ * "src", so that the two files share their data blocks until one of
+ * them is modified. "dst" must not already exist.
+ *
+ * This only succeeds on filesystems that support block cloning (e.g.
+ * btrfs, XFS or bcachefs on Linux, APFS on macOS). When the platform or
+ * filesystem does not support reflinks, -1 is returned with errno set to
+ * ENOSYS (or the underlying error). Callers are expected to fall back to
+ * copy_file() in that case. Returns 0 on success.
+ */
+int reflink_file(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode);
+
#endif /* COPY_H */
diff --git a/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh b/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
index 58b4445cc4..56fb79179a 100755
--- a/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
+++ b/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
@@ -1248,4 +1248,92 @@ test_expect_success 'relative worktree sets extension config' '
test_cmp_config -C repo true extensions.relativeworktrees
'
+test_expect_success '--reflink produces a correct checkout on any filesystem' '
+ test_when_finished "rm -rf reflinkrepo" &&
+ git init reflinkrepo &&
+ (
+ cd reflinkrepo &&
+ test_commit base file.txt base &&
+ test_commit next file.txt next &&
+ git worktree add --reflink wt -b reflinkbr base &&
+ echo base >expect &&
+ test_cmp expect wt/file.txt &&
+ git -C wt status --porcelain >status &&
+ test_must_be_empty status
+ )
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--reflink rejects incompatible options' '
+ test_must_fail git worktree add --reflink --no-checkout wt-bad HEAD 2>err &&
+ test_grep "cannot be used together" err &&
+ test_must_fail git worktree add --reflink --orphan wt-bad2 2>err &&
+ test_grep "cannot be used together" err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'worktree.reflink config drives a correct checkout' '
+ test_when_finished "rm -rf reflinkcfg" &&
+ git init reflinkcfg &&
+ (
+ cd reflinkcfg &&
+ test_commit cfg file.txt value &&
+ git -c worktree.reflink=true worktree add wt HEAD &&
+ echo value >expect &&
+ test_cmp expect wt/file.txt
+ )
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'worktree.reflink=auto does not break --orphan' '
+ test_when_finished "rm -rf reflinkorphan" &&
+ git init reflinkorphan &&
+ (
+ cd reflinkorphan &&
+ test_commit base file.txt value &&
+ git -c worktree.reflink=auto worktree add --orphan wt &&
+ git -C wt symbolic-ref --short HEAD >actual &&
+ echo wt >expect &&
+ test_cmp expect actual
+ )
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--no-reflink overrides worktree.reflink' '
+ test_when_finished "rm -rf reflinkoff" &&
+ git init reflinkoff &&
+ (
+ cd reflinkoff &&
+ test_commit base file.txt value &&
+ git -c worktree.reflink=true worktree add --no-reflink wt HEAD &&
+ echo value >expect &&
+ test_cmp expect wt/file.txt
+ )
+'
+
+# Reflinks are only available on copy-on-write filesystems (btrfs, XFS,
+# bcachefs, APFS, ...). Where they are unavailable, --reflink transparently
+# falls back to a regular checkout, which the test above already covers.
+test_lazy_prereq REFLINK '
+ echo probe >reflink-src &&
+ cp --reflink=always reflink-src reflink-dst 2>/dev/null
+'
+
+test_expect_success REFLINK '--reflink carries untracked files and reconciles changes' '
+ test_when_finished "rm -rf cowrepo" &&
+ git init cowrepo &&
+ (
+ cd cowrepo &&
+ test_commit same same.txt content &&
+ test_commit old change.txt old-value &&
+ test_commit new change.txt new-value &&
+ echo artifact >untracked.bin &&
+ git worktree add --reflink wt -b cowbr old &&
+ echo content >expect &&
+ test_cmp expect wt/same.txt &&
+ echo old-value >expect &&
+ test_cmp expect wt/change.txt &&
+ echo artifact >expect &&
+ test_cmp expect wt/untracked.bin &&
+ git -C wt status --porcelain >status &&
+ grep "?? untracked.bin" status
+ )
+'
+
test_done
--
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^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 4+ messages in thread* [PATCH 2/2] worktree: allow sharing a checked-out branch across worktrees
2026-06-05 18:49 [PATCH 0/2] worktree: copy-on-write creation and shared-branch worktrees Jason Newton via GitGitGadget
2026-06-05 18:49 ` [PATCH 1/2] worktree: add --reflink for copy-on-write worktree creation Jason Newton via GitGitGadget
@ 2026-06-05 18:49 ` Jason Newton via GitGitGadget
2026-06-05 19:59 ` [PATCH 0/2] worktree: copy-on-write creation and shared-branch worktrees brian m. carlson
2 siblings, 0 replies; 4+ messages in thread
From: Jason Newton via GitGitGadget @ 2026-06-05 18:49 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: git; +Cc: Jason Newton, Jason Newton
From: Jason Newton <nevion@gmail.com>
When spinning up several worktrees on the same checkout for parallel
work (for example a fleet of agents working from one branch), git's
refusal to check out a branch that is already checked out elsewhere is
just in the way. The restriction exists to stop two worktrees from
moving the same branch underneath each other, but plain parallel
checkouts do not need that protection.
Drop the restriction: "git worktree add <branch>" now checks out a
branch even if it is in use by another worktree. The genuinely
dangerous case is kept -- a branch that another worktree is in the
middle of rebasing or bisecting is still refused, because a second
checkout could corrupt that operation. die_if_branch_busy() performs
that narrower check in place of the old die_if_checked_out(). The
separate guard against force-updating (e.g. with -B) a branch in use
elsewhere is left untouched.
Signed-off-by: Jason Newton <nevion@gmail.com>
---
Documentation/git-worktree.adoc | 17 +++++++++--------
builtin/worktree.c | 30 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
t/t2400-worktree-add.sh | 31 ++++++++++++++++++++++++-------
3 files changed, 62 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/git-worktree.adoc b/Documentation/git-worktree.adoc
index 1ca81718b7..cc4c91b787 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-worktree.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-worktree.adoc
@@ -93,8 +93,9 @@ then, as a convenience, the new worktree is associated with a branch (call
it _<branch>_) named after `$(basename <path>)`. If _<branch>_ doesn't
exist, a new branch based on `HEAD` is automatically created as if
`-b <branch>` was given. If _<branch>_ does exist, it will be checked out
-in the new worktree, if it's not checked out anywhere else, otherwise the
-command will refuse to create the worktree (unless `--force` is used).
+in the new worktree, even if it is already checked out in another worktree.
+(A branch that another worktree is in the middle of rebasing or bisecting is
+refused unless `--force` is used.)
+
If _<commit-ish>_ is omitted, neither `--detach`, or `--orphan` is
used, and there are no valid local branches (or remote branches if
@@ -177,12 +178,12 @@ OPTIONS
`-f`::
`--force`::
- By default, `add` refuses to create a new worktree when
- _<commit-ish>_ is a branch name and is already checked out by
- another worktree, or if _<path>_ is already assigned to some
- worktree but is missing (for instance, if _<path>_ was deleted
- manually). This option overrides these safeguards. To add a missing but
- locked worktree path, specify `--force` twice.
+ `add` refuses to create a new worktree when _<commit-ish>_ is a
+ branch that another worktree is in the middle of rebasing or
+ bisecting, or if _<path>_ is already assigned to some worktree but
+ is missing (for instance, if _<path>_ was deleted manually). This
+ option overrides these safeguards. To add a missing but locked
+ worktree path, specify `--force` twice.
+
`move` refuses to move a locked worktree unless `--force` is specified
twice. If the destination is already assigned to some other worktree but is
diff --git a/builtin/worktree.c b/builtin/worktree.c
index 973da33051..b457b015d1 100644
--- a/builtin/worktree.c
+++ b/builtin/worktree.c
@@ -648,6 +648,34 @@ static void setup_alternate_ref_dir(struct worktree *wt, const char *wt_git_path
strbuf_release(&sb);
}
+/*
+ * Checking out a branch that is already checked out in another worktree is
+ * fine -- it is exactly what you want when spinning up several worktrees on
+ * the same checkout for parallel work. The one case that is still unsafe is a
+ * branch that another worktree is in the middle of rebasing or bisecting,
+ * since a second checkout could corrupt that operation, so refuse only that.
+ */
+static void die_if_branch_busy(const char *branch)
+{
+ struct worktree **worktrees = get_worktrees();
+ int i;
+
+ for (i = 0; worktrees[i]; i++) {
+ const struct worktree *wt = worktrees[i];
+
+ if (is_worktree_being_rebased(wt, branch) ||
+ is_worktree_being_bisected(wt, branch)) {
+ const char *shortname = branch;
+
+ skip_prefix(branch, "refs/heads/", &shortname);
+ die(_("'%s' is already used by worktree at '%s'"),
+ shortname, wt->path);
+ }
+ }
+
+ free_worktrees(worktrees);
+}
+
static int add_worktree(const char *path, const char *refname,
const struct add_opts *opts)
{
@@ -675,7 +703,7 @@ static int add_worktree(const char *path, const char *refname,
refs_ref_exists(get_main_ref_store(the_repository), symref.buf)) {
is_branch = 1;
if (!opts->force)
- die_if_checked_out(symref.buf, 0);
+ die_if_branch_busy(symref.buf);
}
commit = lookup_commit_reference_by_name(refname);
if (!commit && !opts->orphan)
diff --git a/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh b/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
index 56fb79179a..6a1eb72ac7 100755
--- a/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
+++ b/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
@@ -40,10 +40,24 @@ test_expect_success '"add" using - shorthand' '
test_cmp expect actual
'
-test_expect_success '"add" refuses to checkout locked branch' '
- test_must_fail git worktree add zere main &&
- test_path_is_missing zere &&
- test_path_is_missing .git/worktrees/zere
+test_expect_success '"add" can check out a branch in use by another worktree' '
+ test_when_finished "git worktree remove -f zere || :" &&
+ git worktree add zere main &&
+ echo refs/heads/main >expect &&
+ git -C zere symbolic-ref HEAD >actual &&
+ test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'the same branch can be checked out in several worktrees' '
+ test_when_finished "git worktree remove -f shared1 || :; git worktree remove -f shared2 || :" &&
+ git branch -f sharedbr main &&
+ git worktree add shared1 sharedbr &&
+ git worktree add shared2 sharedbr &&
+ echo refs/heads/sharedbr >expect &&
+ git -C shared1 symbolic-ref HEAD >actual &&
+ test_cmp expect actual &&
+ git -C shared2 symbolic-ref HEAD >actual &&
+ test_cmp expect actual
'
test_expect_success 'checking out paths not complaining about linked checkouts' '
@@ -304,10 +318,13 @@ test_expect_success '"add" checks out existing branch of dwimd name' '
)
'
-test_expect_success '"add <path>" dwim fails with checked out branch' '
+test_expect_success '"add <path>" dwim shares a checked out branch' '
git checkout -b test-branch &&
- test_must_fail git worktree add test-branch &&
- test_path_is_missing test-branch
+ git worktree add test-branch &&
+ echo refs/heads/test-branch >expect &&
+ git -C test-branch symbolic-ref HEAD >actual &&
+ test_cmp expect actual &&
+ git worktree remove test-branch
'
test_expect_success '"add --force" with existing dwimd name doesnt die' '
--
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