willow

A git worktree manager built for AI agent workflows.

Spin up isolated worktrees for Claude Code sessions.
Switch between them instantly with fzf.
See which agents are busy, waiting, or idle.

Documentation

Why willow?

Running multiple Claude Code sessions on the same repo means constant context-switching, stashing, and branch juggling. Willow fixes this by giving every task its own isolated directory via git worktrees, then adding fzf-based switching and live agent status tracking on top.

~/.willow/
├── repos/
│   └── myrepo.git/              # bare clone (shared git database)
├── worktrees/
│   └── myrepo/
│       ├── main/                 # each branch = isolated directory
│       ├── auth-refactor/        # Claude Code running here
│       └── payments/             # another agent running here
└── status/
    └── myrepo/
        ├── auth-refactor/
        │   └── <session_id>.json   # {"status": "BUSY", ...}
        └── payments/
            └── <session_id>.json   # {"status": "WAIT", ...}

Install

Homebrew

brew install iamrajjoshi/tap/willow

From source

go install github.com/iamrajjoshi/willow/cmd/willow@latest

Requirements

git
tmux — optional, for the ww tmux picker popup
gh — optional, required for ww new --pr and ww stack status

Setup

1. Shell integration

# Add to .bashrc / .zshrc
eval "$(willow shell-init)"

# fish
willow shell-init | source

This gives you:

Command	Description
`ww <cmd>`	Alias for `willow`
`ww sw`	fzf worktree switcher (cd's into selection)
`ww new <branch>`	Create worktree + cd into it (tmux-aware)
`ww checkout <branch>`	Smart checkout + cd (switch or create, tmux-aware)
`wwn <branch>`	Shorthand for `ww new`
`wwc <branch>`	Shorthand for `ww checkout`
`www`	cd to `~/.willow/worktrees/`

Optional: Set terminal tab title to the current worktree name:

eval "$(willow shell-init --tab-title)"

2. Claude Code skill (optional)

Teach Claude Code how to use willow automatically. The repo ships a skill at skills/willow/SKILL.md that the skills CLI can install:

# Global (available across all projects)
npx skills add iamrajjoshi/willow --skill willow -g -a claude-code

# Project-local (only inside the current project)
npx skills add iamrajjoshi/willow --skill willow -a claude-code

# Or clone directly
git clone https://github.com/iamrajjoshi/willow ~/.claude/skills/willow

-g installs to ~/.claude/skills/, -a claude-code targets Claude Code specifically, and --skill willow avoids installing everything in the repo. Once installed, Claude Code will reach for ww checkout, ww sync, ww dispatch, and other willow commands automatically when you ask it to work on branches, PRs, or parallel tasks.

3. Claude Code status tracking (optional)

ww cc-setup

Installs hooks into ~/.claude/settings.json that write per-session agent status (BUSY / DONE / WAIT / IDLE) to ~/.willow/status/. Supports multiple Claude sessions per worktree. This powers the status column in ww ls, ww sw, ww status, and ww dashboard.

Quick start

# Clone a repo (one-time)
ww clone git@github.com:org/myrepo.git

# Create a worktree and cd into it
ww new auth-refactor

# Start Claude Code
claude

# In another terminal — create a second worktree
ww new payments-fix
claude

# Switch between worktrees (fzf picker with agent status)
ww sw

# Check on all agents
ww status

# Clean up when done
ww rm auth-refactor

Commands

`ww clone <url> [name]`

Bare-clone a repo and create an initial worktree on the default branch. Required entry point.

ww clone git@github.com:org/repo.git
ww clone git@github.com:org/repo.git myrepo    # custom name
ww clone git@github.com:org/repo.git --force    # re-clone from scratch

`ww new <branch> [flags]`

Create a new worktree with a new branch, an existing branch, or a GitHub PR.

ww new feature/auth                    # create worktree
ww new feature/auth -b develop         # fork from specific branch
ww new -e existing-branch              # use existing branch
ww new -e                              # pick from remote branches (fzf)
ww new --pr 123                        # checkout PR #123
ww new https://github.com/org/repo/pull/123  # checkout a PR by URL
ww new feature/auth -r myrepo          # target a specific repo
ww new feature/auth                    # auto-cd via shell integration (tmux-aware)

Flag	Description
`-b, --base`	Base branch to fork from
`-r, --repo`	Target repo by name
`-e, --existing`	Use an existing branch (or pick from fzf if no branch given)
`--pr`	GitHub PR number or URL
`--no-fetch`	Skip fetching from remote
`--cd`	Print only the path (for scripting)

`ww checkout <branch-or-pr-url>` (alias: `co`)

Smart switch-or-create. If a worktree exists for the branch, switch to it. If the branch exists on the remote, create a worktree for it. Otherwise, create a new branch and worktree. Merged worktrees show a [merged] indicator in ww ls and the tmux picker.

ww checkout auth-refactor                # switch if exists, create if not
ww checkout --pr 123                     # checkout PR #123
ww checkout https://github.com/org/repo/pull/123  # checkout a PR by URL
ww checkout brand-new-feature            # creates new branch + worktree
ww checkout brand-new -b develop         # new branch from develop
ww checkout auth-refactor                # auto-cd via shell integration (tmux-aware)

Flag	Description
`-r, --repo`	Target repo by name
`-b, --base`	Base branch (only when creating a new branch)
`--pr`	GitHub PR number or URL
`--no-fetch`	Skip fetching from remote
`--cd`	Print only the path (for scripting)

Stacked PRs

Create stacked branches with --base:

ww new feature-a -b main              # start a stack
ww new feature-b -b feature-a         # stack on top
ww new feature-c -b feature-b         # third layer

Stacked branches are shown as a tree in ww ls and the tmux picker. Parent relationships are tracked in branches.json per repo.

`ww stack status` (alias: `ww stack s`)

Show CI, review, and merge status for every PR in a stack at a glance. Fetches all PR data in a single gh pr list call.

ww stack status                    # current repo
ww stack status -r myrepo          # target a specific repo
ww stack status --json             # JSON output

  feature-a              #42  ✓ CI  ✓ Review  MERGEABLE  +100 -20
  └─ feature-b           #43  ✗ CI  ◯ Review  CONFLICTING  +50 -10
     └─ feature-c        (no PR)

Flag	Description
`-r, --repo`	Target repo by name
`--json`	JSON output

Requires the GitHub CLI (gh).

`ww sync [branch]`

Rebase stacked worktrees onto their parents in topological order.

ww sync                    # sync all stacks in current repo
ww sync feature-b          # sync feature-b and its descendants only
ww sync --abort            # abort any in-progress rebases

Flag	Description
`-r, --repo`	Target repo by name
`--no-fetch`	Skip fetching from remote
`--abort`	Abort in-progress rebases

`ww sw`

Switch worktrees via fzf. Shows Claude Code agent status per worktree, sorted by activity.

🤖 BUSY   auth-refactor        ~/.willow/worktrees/repo/auth-refactor
✅ DONE   api-cleanup          ~/.willow/worktrees/repo/api-cleanup
⏳ WAIT   payments             ~/.willow/worktrees/repo/payments
🟡 IDLE   main                 ~/.willow/worktrees/repo/main
   --     old-feature          ~/.willow/worktrees/repo/old-feature

`ww rm [branch] [flags]`

Remove a worktree. Without arguments, opens fzf picker with multi-select (TAB to toggle, Ctrl-A to select all).

ww rm auth-refactor              # direct removal
ww rm                            # fzf picker
ww rm auth-refactor --force      # skip safety checks
ww rm auth-refactor --prune      # also run git worktree prune

Flag	Description
`-f, --force`	Skip safety checks
`--keep-branch`	Keep the local branch
`--prune`	Run `git worktree prune` after

`ww ls [repo]`

List worktrees with status.

Flag	Description
`--json`	JSON output
`--path-only`	Paths only (one per line)

`ww status`

Rich view of Claude Code agent status. Shows per-session rows when multiple agents run in the same worktree, with unread indicators (●) for completed sessions you haven't reviewed.

Flag	Description
`--json`	JSON output
`--cost`	Show estimated token cost per session

`ww dashboard` (alias: `dash`, `d`)

Live-refreshing TUI showing all Claude Code sessions across all repos. Includes diff stats, unread counts, per-session activity, a timeline sparkline showing agent status transitions over the last 60 minutes, and estimated token cost. Press c to toggle the cost column.

ww dashboard              # default 2s refresh
ww dash -i 5              # 5s refresh interval
ww dash --no-timeline     # hide the timeline column
ww dash --no-cost         # hide cost column

Key	Action
`j/k`	Navigate rows
`Enter`	Switch to tmux session
`t`	Toggle timeline column
`r`	Refresh
`q`	Quit

`ww log`

Show activity log of worktree events (creates, removes, syncs).

ww log                          # last 20 events
ww log --branch auth-refactor   # filter by branch
ww log --repo myrepo            # filter by repo
ww log --since 7d               # events from last 7 days
ww log -n 50                    # last 50 events
ww log --json                   # raw JSON output

Flag	Description
`--branch`	Filter by branch name
`-r, --repo`	Filter by repo name
`--since`	Show events after duration (e.g. `7d`, `24h`)
`-n, --limit`	Max events to show (default 20)
`--json`	JSON output

Desktop notifications

Desktop notifications fire directly from Claude Code's hook system — no daemon, no polling. Run ww cc-setup once; whenever an agent transitions from BUSY to DONE or WAIT, a macOS Notification Center alert appears within ~200ms.

Enable with "notify": {"desktop": true} in config. Set "notify": {"command": "..."} to run a custom shell command instead (it receives WILLOW_NOTIFY_TITLE and WILLOW_NOTIFY_BODY env vars). The tmux status bar widget uses a separate sound-only channel and is unaffected.

`ww dispatch <prompt> [flags]`

Create a worktree and launch Claude Code with a prompt. From the terminal, Claude runs interactively in the foreground. From the tmux picker (Ctrl-G), it launches in a background session.

ww dispatch "Fix the login validation bug"                  # auto-name branch
ww dispatch "Add retry logic" --name add-retries             # explicit branch name
ww dispatch "Write tests for auth" --base feature/auth       # stacked on a branch
ww dispatch "Refactor payments" --repo myrepo                # target specific repo

Flag	Description
`--name`	Worktree/branch name (default: auto-generated from prompt)
`-r, --repo`	Target repo by name
`-b, --base`	Base branch to fork from
`--no-fetch`	Skip fetching from remote
`--yolo`	Run Claude with `--dangerously-skip-permissions`

`ww cc-setup`

One-time hook installation for Claude Code status tracking.

`ww doctor`

Check your willow setup for common issues. Verifies git version, optional tools (gh, tmux), Claude Code hooks, willow directories, stale sessions, and config validity. Flags unmarked legacy willow hooks left over from older releases.

ww doctor          # report issues only
ww doctor --fix    # prompt to remove legacy willow hooks from ~/.claude/settings.json

`ww config`

View, edit, and initialize willow configuration.

ww config show               # show merged config with sources
ww config show --json        # raw JSON output
ww config edit               # open global config in $EDITOR
ww config edit --local       # open local (per-repo) config
ww config init               # create default global config
ww config init --local       # create default local config

`ww shell-init [flags]`

Print shell integration script.

Flag	Description
`--tab-title`	Include terminal tab title hook (sets tab to `repo/branch`)

Agent status

After running ww cc-setup, Claude Code automatically reports its state:

Icon	Status	Meaning
🤖	`BUSY`	Agent is actively working
✅	`DONE`	Agent finished its turn
⏳	`WAIT`	Agent is waiting for user input
🟡	`IDLE`	Agent session ended
	`--`	No activity detected

Status appears in ww ls, ww sw, ww status, and ww dashboard. Stale BUSY/DONE status (>5 min) automatically degrades to IDLE. Completed sessions show a ● unread indicator until you switch to that worktree via ww sw.

Configuration

Config merges two tiers (local wins):

Priority	Path	Scope
1	`~/.config/willow/config.json`	Global defaults
2	`~/.willow/repos/<repo>.git/willow.json`	Per-repo

{
  "baseBranch": "main",
  "branchPrefix": "alice",
  "postCheckoutHook": ".husky/post-checkout",
  "setup": ["npm install"],
  "teardown": [],
  "defaults": {
    "fetch": true,
    "autoSetupRemote": true
  },
  "tmux": {
    "layout": ["split-window -h", "select-layout even-horizontal"],
    "panes": [
      { "command": "cd website" },
      { "command": "cd website" }
    ]
  },
  "cost": {
    "inputRate": 3.0,   // $/M tokens (default: Sonnet 4)
    "outputRate": 15.0  // $/M tokens (default: Sonnet 4)
  }
}

Telemetry

Willow collects anonymous usage telemetry via Sentry to help improve the tool. This includes command names, execution times, and error reports. No repo contents, branch names, file paths, or personally identifiable information is sent. Each machine is identified by a hashed hostname only.

Opt out:

# Environment variable
export WILLOW_TELEMETRY=off

# Or in config (persistent)
# ~/.config/willow/config.json
{ "telemetry": false }

See the configuration docs for all options.

Terminal setup (Ghostty / iTerm / etc.)

Use --tab-title to automatically set your terminal tab to the worktree name:

eval "$(willow shell-init --tab-title)"

Each tab shows repo/branch (e.g. myrepo/auth-refactor) when inside a willow worktree.

Recommended Ghostty layout per worktree:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Tab: myrepo/auth-refactor           │
├──────────────────┬──────────────────┤
│  claude          │  claude          │
│  (agent 1)       │  (agent 2)       │
├──────────────────┴──────────────────┤
│  shell (git diff, tests, etc.)      │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Contributing

# Build
go build -o bin/willow ./cmd/willow

# Test
go test ./...

Requires Go 1.26+. fzf is bundled into the binary — no external fzf install needed.

Website

The docs site is built with Next.js using MDX.

cd website
pnpm install
pnpm dev       # localhost:3000
pnpm build     # production build

Deployed automatically to GitHub Pages on push to main when website/ changes.

Releasing

Releases are automated via GoReleaser and GitHub Actions.

License

MIT

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