Rather than switching between branches and losing build state, Git Worktrees let you check out multiple branches into separate directories — all sharing a single .git history.

• How Worktrees differ from standard git checkout branch switching
• Why they shine for projects with build artifacts (compiled code, minified JS) — no recompile on directory switch
• Working with PHP’s multi-version release branches (8.1 → 8.2 → 8.3 → 8.4 → 8.5 → master) simultaneously
• Merging a fix up through all active PHP release branches in a live demo
• Pushing all branches at once from a single shared .git directory
• Cleaning up with git worktree prune — just deleting the folder isn’t enough!

git worktree add <path> <branch>
git worktree list
git worktree prune
git branch -d <branch>   # Only works after pruning

The hosts explored how Worktrees fit into a typical PHP web dev workflow with Docker.

• Run multiple Docker Compose environments simultaneously — one per Worktree/branch
• Port clashing is real; solutions include scripted aliases and Lando (handles conflicts automatically)
• Sara’s Git alias new from Facebook/Meta automated Worktree creation and assigned unique IPs per ticket
• composer install only needs to run once per Worktree — not on every branch switch