Date: 2026-09-14

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Isolate sessions with worktrees

A worktree lets Nova work on a separate branch and directory without changing the project directory where you started. It is useful for a risky experiment, a focused fix, or parallel changes.

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Start an isolated session

The worktree name is optional:
Nova asks for approval before it creates the worktree. After approval, it shows the original project root, the new session root, and the branch name, then runs the session from that new root.

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Review and integrate the work

  1. Inspect the worktree’s status, diff, and validation output.
  2. Commit or transfer only the changes you intend to keep.
  3. Use nova worktrees --help to inspect the supported management operations.
A worktree separates files and branches; it does not remove the need for code review, testing, or commit approval.

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Requirements and failure cases

The starting directory must be a Git repository. Creation can fail if Git cannot create the path, a requested name conflicts, or the repository state prevents the operation. If Nova exits early, inspect the reported paths before manually removing anything.

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Safety boundary

Do not use an isolated worktree as a reason to relax credentials, production-access controls, or external-action approvals. It isolates Git work, not the rest of the environment.