Worktrunk (`wt`) is a Rust CLI that makes git worktrees as easy as branches so you can run many coding agents in parallel, with lifecycle hooks, LLM commit messages, and a one-command merge pipeline. **Worktrunk wins by staying out of the way: no TUI to learn, no daemon to run, just worktrees addressed by branch name plus hooks that automate the boring 80 percent of the parallel-agent workflow.** ## What it is A single native binary around five verbs: `wt switch` (create a branch, worktree, and launch an agent in one command, `-x claude -c feature-a -- 'prompt'`), `wt list` (a status table with staged files, ahead/behind, CI status, and LLM summaries), `wt merge` (squash, rebase, fast-forward, and clean up in one pipeline), `wt remove`, and `wt config`. Ten hook types (pre/post across switch, start, commit, merge, remove) are defined in a project `.config/wt.toml` or your user config, with pre-hooks blocking on failure and post-hooks running in background; a first-run approval prompt guards project hooks. Extras include `pr:123` checkout, an interactive picker with diff previews, cache sharing between worktrees for `node_modules`-style directories, and LLM-generated commit messages. Dual MIT or Apache-2.0 license, Homebrew, cargo, winget, and Arch (pacman) distribution, by Maximilian Roos as the dominant maintainer. ## Status The leading worktree manager of the agent wave: about 8.7k stars, 307 forks, 57 open issues and PRs as of 2026-10-03, created 2025-10-17, more than 5,000 commits on main, latest release v0.80.0 on 2026-09-27. About 150 releases in eleven months; still pre-1.0 with breaking changes per release, and effectively a single-maintainer project. ## Strengths - Purpose-built loop for parallel agents: the `-x` flag plus hooks covers dev servers, dependency installs, and per-worktree databases, not just worktree creation. - Exceptional documentation, including agent-integration guides, and a status surface (`wt list`) that answers what all my agents are doing at a glance. - Polished cross-platform distribution with signed Windows binaries and an answer to the Windows Terminal `wt` collision (`git-wt`). - Fast cadence with community bug reports fixed within days. ## Cautions - Bus factor approximately one: nearly all human commits are from the maintainer. - Pre-1.0 churn is real; v0.75 raised the git minimum and broke both the list JSON schema and the library API, v0.76 changed `-x` from a shell string to a single program name, v0.78 renamed the hook context keys, v0.79 changed what `wt switch --no-cd -x` does (the launched program now starts in the worktree, so scripts that relied on the invoking directory need an explicit `cd`), and v0.80 made squash-time git commit hooks run on a detached HEAD and changed the hook-log JSON's `branch` field to hold the unsanitized branch name, so scripts that read the hook JSON or wrap `-x` need updating (config templates migrate on load, raw scripts do not). - Hooks execute arbitrary shell from project config; the approval system mitigates it, but review `.config/wt.toml` in unfamiliar repos. - No independent critical review exists yet, and the tool assumes you are comfortable in your own shell and editor. ## Pricing Free and open source, dual MIT or Apache-2.0, no paid tiers and no hosted component. ## Compared to - [Claude Squad](../claude-squad/index.md): a TUI that hosts agents inside tmux with a review surface; choose it for one app that supervises agents, Worktrunk to keep your own shell and editor with hooks automating the lifecycle. - [dmux](../dmux/index.md): a tmux pane per task with AI-named worktrees; choose it for an opinionated tmux flow, Worktrunk for a lighter native binary and deeper git plumbing. - Plain `git worktree`: zero dependencies and fully standard; fine for occasional use, Worktrunk pays off once you juggle several agents and branches at once. ## Bottom line **Recommended for terminal-first engineers running two or more parallel agents in one repo who want the worktree lifecycle automated without adopting a dashboard.** Not for GUI-first workflows, and not for anyone who needs a project to promise stability before 1.0. ## Changes - 2026-08-30 - Created as an Orchestration note with the single-maintainer risk flagged. - 2026-09-02 - Recorded the v0.76.0 release with its breaking -x flag change. - 2026-09-18 - Recorded v0.78.0 (September 16) and its breaking hook-context-key rename. - 2026-09-20 - Corrected the release count to about 150 (the earlier 78 was an undercount) and refreshed stars and tracker counts; v0.78.0 remains latest. - 2026-09-21 - Recorded v0.79.0 (September 21) and its breaking `--no-cd -x` semantics change, and refreshed stars and tracker counts. - 2026-09-29 - Recorded v0.80.0 (September 27), a performance-and-fixes release with breaking changes to squash-time commit hooks and the hook-log JSON `branch` field. ## See also - [Orchestration Feature Matrix](../orchestration-feature-matrix/index.md) - the category comparison this note joins - [Claude Squad](../claude-squad/index.md) - the TUI-supervisor alternative - [dmux](../dmux/index.md) - the tmux-centric alternative - [OpenChamber](../../surfaces/openchamber/index.md) - the session-cockpit layer above the same worktrees ## References - https://github.com/max-sixty/worktrunk - repository, README, commands, license - https://worktrunk.dev - documentation and agent-integration guides - https://worktrunk.dev/hook/ - hook types, blocking semantics, and the approval security model - https://github.com/max-sixty/worktrunk/releases/tag/v0.80.0 - latest release, cadence, and breaking changes - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/max-sixty/worktrunk/HEAD/README.md - quick start and the maintainer's own positioning - https://github.com/smtg-ai/claude-squad - comparison data for the TUI alternative