# [RFC] worktree: add lifecycle hooks

2 messages from 2026-09-20 to 2026-09-20. Participants: Maciej Ciemborowicz, Kristoffer Haugsbakk.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/66357

## Maciej Ciemborowicz, 2026-09-20 17:33

Subject: [RFC] worktree: add lifecycle hooks
Message-ID: <20260920173333.1606-1-maciej.ciemborowicz@gmail.com>

```
Hello,

I'd like to discuss adding native hooks for worktree lifecycle events.

Git currently invokes `post-checkout` after `git worktree add` when a
checkout is performed. This makes it possible to detect some worktree
creation cases indirectly. There does not appear to be a native hook for
other worktree lifecycle operations such as:

    git worktree add
    git worktree remove
    git worktree move
    git worktree lock
    git worktree unlock
    git worktree prune

As a result, tools which want to react to these operations have to wrap
`git worktree` or compare the worktree state before and after a command.
They cannot observe an invocation which bypasses their wrapper.

One concrete use case is git-hooks-ext, which provides higher-level events
for Git operations. It currently has to implement worktree events by
wrapping `git worktree` and comparing the output of `git worktree list
--porcelain` before and after the command.

Would it make sense for Git to expose worktree lifecycle events directly?

One possibility would be separate post-operation hooks such as:

    post-worktree-add
    post-worktree-remove
    post-worktree-move
    post-worktree-lock
    post-worktree-unlock

Another possibility would be a single hook, similar in spirit to
`reference-transaction`, which reports worktree lifecycle changes. An
illustrative payload could look like:

    add    <path>
    remove <path>
    move   <old-path> <new-path>
    lock   <path>
    unlock <path>
    prune  <path>

A single hook may be useful for operations such as `git worktree prune`,
where one command can remove multiple administrative entries. It could
also leave room for `git worktree repair`, although I am unsure whether
repair belongs to the same interface.

For the use case I have in mind, these hooks would only need to notify
observers after a successful operation. They would not need to veto the
operation.

Before attempting an implementation, I'd like to know whether this would
fit Git's hook model, and whether a single lifecycle hook or individual
operation hooks would be preferable. I would also appreciate guidance on
whether a stable worktree identifier should be exposed in addition to the
path.

Thanks,
Maciej Ciemborowicz

```

## Kristoffer Haugsbakk, 2026-09-20 18:25

Subject: Re: [RFC] worktree: add lifecycle hooks
Message-ID: <dd6815f4-30ac-4cc6-882e-e8c4eb0936cf@app.fastmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <20260920173333.1606-1-maciej.ciemborowicz@gmail.com>

```
On Sun, Sep 20, 2026, at 19:33, Maciej Ciemborowicz wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'd like to discuss adding native hooks for worktree lifecycle events.
>
> Git currently invokes `post-checkout` after `git worktree add` when a
> checkout is performed. This makes it possible to detect some worktree
> creation cases indirectly. There does not appear to be a native hook for
> other worktree lifecycle operations such as:
>
>     git worktree add
>     git worktree remove
>     git worktree move
>     git worktree lock
>     git worktree unlock
>     git worktree prune
>[snip]

See https://lore.kernel.org/git/7c8b4673-37ac-45fa-ad8c-a1dc09afe5fe@mtasv.net/

```