Workspaces & Worktrees

Verne organizes everything around two ideas. A workspace is a project you’re working on. A worktree is an isolated branch of that project where an agent can work without touching your main checkout.

Workspaces

A workspace is a local directory, usually the root of a git repository, that Verne tracks. Open one with ⌘O or the + button in the Workspaces panel. Workspaces persist across restarts, so your setup is exactly as you left it when you reopen Verne.

You can keep several workspaces open at once. They’re listed in the Workspaces panel on the left, each showing its current git branch. From the panel you can:

  • Reorder workspaces by dragging.
  • Rename a workspace, or remove it from Verne through the right-click menu. Removing a workspace stops Verne from tracking it and leaves your files alone.

Each workspace carries its own terminals, file explorer, source control, notes, and browser tabs. Switching workspaces switches all of that context at once.

Worktrees

A worktree is a second working copy of a repository checked out to a different branch, backed by git’s worktree feature. Worktrees let an agent change code on a separate branch (a new feature, a risky refactor, an experiment) while your primary checkout stays clean. Each worktree is a real directory on disk, so agents in different worktrees never collide.

Creating a worktree

Use File › New Worktree… or the command palette (⌘K → New Worktree…). Verne creates the worktree in a managed location and adds it to the Workspaces panel as a child of its parent repository. A terminal tab opens in the new worktree, ready for an agent.

Set where worktrees are created in Settings › Workspace › Worktrees root. You can also set a default base branch for new worktrees per repository in Settings › Directories.

Working in a worktree

A worktree behaves like any other workspace: terminals, editor, source control, and diffs all scope to it. The branch name shows in the header’s branch pill. Verne tracks each worktree’s changes on its own, which is what makes it safe to run several agents in parallel.

Removing a worktree

Right-click the worktree in the Workspaces panel and remove it. Verne detaches the worktree and cleans it up.

When to reach for a worktree

For a quick agent run on your current branch, skip the worktree: open a terminal in the workspace and go.

Next steps