How to Check If a Git Repository Has a Worktree

Introduction

In this lab, you will learn how to check if a Git repository has a worktree. We will explore the concept of Git worktrees, which are additional working directories connected to the same repository, allowing you to manage multiple branches simultaneously.

You will use the git worktree list command to identify the worktrees associated with your repository. Initially, you will see only the main worktree. By running the command again, you will confirm the absence of additional worktrees, laying the groundwork for understanding how to manage multiple lines of development within a single repository.

Skills Graph

Run git worktree list

In this step, we will explore the concept of Git worktrees and how to list them. A worktree is an additional working directory connected to the same repository. This allows you to have multiple branches checked out at the same time, which can be very useful for multitasking or testing different features simultaneously.

First, let's navigate to our project directory if you are not already there. Open your terminal and type:

cd ~/project/my-time-machine

Now, let's use the git worktree list command to see the current worktrees associated with our repository. Since we haven't created any additional worktrees yet, this command will show us the main worktree.

git worktree list

You should see output similar to this:

/home/labex/project/my-time-machine  a1b2c3d [master]

This output tells us that our main worktree is located at /home/labex/project/my-time-machine, it's currently on the master branch, and it's pointing to a specific commit (represented by the commit hash, which will be different in your case).

Understanding worktrees is important because they provide a flexible way to manage multiple lines of development within a single repository. In the following steps, we will learn how to create and manage these additional worktrees.

Check for Additional Worktrees

In the previous step, we used git worktree list and saw only one entry, which is our main worktree. This is because we haven't created any additional worktrees yet.

Let's confirm this by running the command again and observing the output. Make sure you are still in the ~/project/my-time-machine directory.

cd ~/project/my-time-machine
git worktree list

The output should still show only one line, representing your main worktree:

/home/labex/project/my-time-machine  a1b2c3d [master]

This confirms that there are currently no additional worktrees associated with this repository. The git worktree list command is a simple yet powerful way to see all the active worktrees at a glance. As you create more worktrees in the future, this command will become increasingly useful for managing your different development environments.

In the next steps, we will learn how to create a new worktree and see how the output of git worktree list changes.

Verify Main Worktree Status

In this step, we will use the git status command within our main worktree to see its current state. This command is essential for understanding what changes are present in your current working directory and staging area.

Make sure you are still in the main worktree directory:

cd ~/project/my-time-machine

Now, run the git status command:

git status

Since we haven't made any changes since our last commit in the "Your First Git Lab", the output should indicate that the working tree is clean:

On branch master
nothing to commit, working tree clean

This output confirms that there are no pending changes to be committed in our main worktree. The git status command is your go-to tool for getting a summary of the current state of your repository. It tells you which branch you are on, whether there are any changes to be committed, and if there are any untracked files.

In the upcoming steps, we will introduce changes and create new worktrees, and you will see how the output of git status and git worktree list reflects these actions.

Summary

In this lab, we learned how to check for Git worktrees using the git worktree list command. We navigated to our project directory and executed the command, observing that initially, only the main worktree was listed, confirming the absence of additional worktrees. This command is essential for identifying and managing multiple working directories linked to a single Git repository.