ygg - Git Worktree Helper

A simple CLI tool for managing git worktrees. Create feature branches in isolated directories, switch between them easily, and clean up when done.

Watch the demo video

Installation

Homebrew

brew tap joch/ygg
brew install ygg

Go

go install github.com/joch/ygg/cmd/ygg@latest

From source

go build -o ygg ./cmd/ygg

Usage

Create a new worktree

ygg new my-feature

This will:

1. Fetch latest from origin
2. Create a new worktree with branch my-feature based on the default branch
3. Enter a subshell in the new worktree directory

Worktrees are created at .worktrees/<feature-name> inside the repository root.

List worktrees

ygg list

Shows all worktrees. Current worktree is marked with *, modified ones show [modified].

Switch to a worktree

ygg switch my-feature

Enters a subshell in the specified worktree.

Remove a worktree

ygg remove my-feature  # remove by name
ygg remove             # remove current worktree
ygg rm my-feature      # alias

Use --force to remove even with uncommitted changes or unmerged branches.

Clean up merged worktrees

ygg clean           # prompts for confirmation
ygg clean --dry-run # show what would be removed
ygg clean --force   # no confirmation

Removes worktrees whose branches have been merged to main.

Commands

Command	Description
ygg new <name>	Create a new worktree and enter it
ygg list	List all worktrees
ygg switch <name>	Switch to a worktree
ygg remove [name]	Remove a worktree
ygg clean	Remove merged worktrees

Shell Completion

# Bash
source <(ygg completion bash)

# Zsh
source <(ygg completion zsh)

# Fish
ygg completion fish | source

Add to your shell rc file for persistent completion.

Prompt Integration

When inside a ygg shell, $YGG_WORKTREE is set to the current worktree name. Add to your prompt:

# Bash/Zsh
PS1='${YGG_WORKTREE:+[$YGG_WORKTREE] }'$PS1

Zellij Integration

When running inside a zellij session, ygg automatically creates named tabs instead of spawning subshells. No configuration needed — it detects zellij via the ZELLIJ environment variable.

• ygg new my-feature creates a tab named <repo>/my-feature with the worktree as the working directory
• ygg switch my-feature focuses the existing tab, or creates one if it doesn't exist

If zellij commands fail for any reason, ygg falls back to the normal subshell behavior.

Agent Skills

ygg includes a skill file for AI coding agents that teaches them how to use ygg for worktree management.

Supported agents

• Claude Code
• Codex

Install

ygg skill install

Uninstall

ygg skill uninstall

How it works

ygg spawns subshells in worktree directories. When you're done, exit to return to where you started.

Inside a ygg shell, ygg switch changes directory directly instead of nesting shells.

Requirements

• Go 1.22+
• Git

License

MIT