gwt remove

Remove worktrees interactively with search

Syntax

gwt remove
gwt rm

Description

Interactively remove worktrees for the current repository. Provides a searchable interface to select and remove worktrees one at a time.

The command continues to prompt for worktrees to remove until you cancel (Ctrl+C or ESC).

Aliases

• rm - Short alias for remove

Interactive Flow

The command provides an interactive search interface:

┌  Remove Worktree
│
◇  Search worktree:
│  feature-
│  
│  Results:
│  • feature-auth myapp-feature-auth
│  • feature-payment myapp-payment
│
◇  Remove myapp-feature-auth?
│  Yes
│
│  ◆  Removed myapp-feature-auth
│  └  /Users/john/projects/myapp-feature-auth
│
◇  Search worktree:
│  [continuing...]

Examples

Remove worktrees interactively

gwt remove

Using the short alias

gwt rm

Search Functionality

The search is case-insensitive and matches against:

• Branch name (e.g., feature-auth)
• Worktree directory name (e.g., myapp-feature-auth)
• Full path (e.g., /Users/john/projects/myapp-feature-auth)

Example searches:

• Type feat - Shows all worktrees with “feat” in branch or path
• Type auth - Shows worktrees containing “auth”
• Type projects/ - Shows worktrees in a specific directory

Confirmation

Before removing each worktree, you’ll see a confirmation prompt:

◇  Remove myapp-feature-auth?
│  ● Yes
│  ○ No

• Select “Yes” to remove the worktree
• Select “No” to skip and continue searching
• Press ESC or Ctrl+C to exit

Removal Process

For each confirmed removal:

1. Git Command - Executes git worktree remove "<path>" --force
2. Fallback - If git command fails, uses filesystem removal (rm -rf)
3. Registry Update - Removes entry from ~/.gwtree/worktrees.json
4. Confirmation - Shows success or error message

Success output:

│  ◆  Removed myapp-feature-auth
│  └  /Users/john/projects/myapp-feature-auth

Error output:

│  ◆  Failed to remove myapp-feature-auth
│  └  /Users/john/projects/myapp-feature-auth

Continuous Mode

After removing a worktree, the search prompt appears again, allowing you to remove multiple worktrees in one session:

gwt remove
# Remove first worktree
# Search prompt appears again
# Remove second worktree
# Search prompt appears again
# Press ESC to exit

Exiting

To exit the remove command:

• Press ESC during search
• Press Ctrl+C at any time

You’ll see:

│
└  Done

When No Worktrees Exist

If no worktrees are found:

│
└  No worktrees found for myrepo

Force Removal

The command always uses --force flag with git worktree remove to handle:

• Worktrees with uncommitted changes
• Worktrees with untracked files
• Modified worktrees

Safety Features

1. Confirmation Required - Never removes without explicit confirmation
2. Search First - See what you’re removing before confirming
3. One at a Time - Removes worktrees sequentially, not in batch
4. Registry Cleanup - Automatically updates internal tracking

Branch Handling

The remove command only removes the worktree directory and registry entry. The git branch remains intact.

To remove the branch as well, use:

# After removing the worktree
git branch -d branch-name

Or use gwt merge which removes both worktree and branch.

Comparison with Other Commands

Command	Purpose	Confirmation	Batch
gwt remove	Interactive removal	Per worktree	No
gwt clean	Remove merged	Once	Yes
gwt merge	Merge & remove	Per operation	No

Exit Codes

• 0 - Success (worktrees removed or operation cancelled)
• 1 - Error (not in a git repository)

Related Commands

• gwt clean - Remove merged worktrees in batch
• gwt merge - Merge branch to main and remove worktree
• gwt list - List all worktrees