Git Worktree Command•Step #2

git worktree list: View and Inspect Git Worktrees

The git worktree list command displays all active and linked worktrees associated with the current repository, along with their checked-out commit, branch, and status annotations.

Standard Output

Terminal

# List all linked worktrees

$git worktree list

Terminal Output

/home/developer/projects/my-app          9a8b7c6 [main]
/home/developer/projects/feature-auth    1d2e3f4 [feature/auth]
/home/developer/projects/hotfix-login    5c6d7e8 [hotfix/login] (locked: "Testing migration")
/home/developer/projects/inspect-v1      4b3a2c1 (detached HEAD)

Anatomy of git worktree list Output

/home/user/project•9a8b7c6•[main]•(locked: "reason")

1. Absolute Path: Directory on filesystem

2. Commit Hash: Current HEAD of tree

3. Branch: Checked-out branch

4. Status: Locked, detached, or pruneable

Machine-Readable Output: --porcelain

For automation, scripts, and CI/CD pipelines, use the --porcelain flag. This provides a guaranteed stable multi-line block format:

Terminal

# Stable machine-readable format

$git worktree list --porcelain

Porcelain Output Structure

worktree /home/developer/projects/my-app
HEAD 9a8b7c65d4e3f2109876543210abcdef01234567
branch refs/heads/main

worktree /home/developer/projects/feature-auth
HEAD 1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0123456789abcdef012345
branch refs/heads/feature/auth

worktree /home/developer/projects/hotfix-login
HEAD 5c6d7e8f9a0b1c2d3e4f5a6b7c8d9e0f1a2b3c4d
branch refs/heads/hotfix/login
locked Testing migration

Scripting Example: Extracting Worktree Paths

You can easily parse worktrees in bash or node scripts:

Terminal

# List only the absolute folder paths of all worktrees

$git worktree list --porcelain | grep '^worktree ' | cut -d' ' -f2-

Status Indicators Explained

[branch-name]

Standard active branch attached to the worktree.

(detached HEAD)

Worktree checked out directly to a commit or tag without a branch.

(locked: "reason")

Protected from deletion. See git worktree lock.

WorktreeWise

Worktree List & Overview

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Inspect all Git worktrees in the WorktreeWise dashboard

Related commands

If an entry in your list shows a path that no longer exists on disk, run git worktree prune to clean up stale metadata. If a directory was moved, use git worktree repair.