# Run tasks in parallel with worktrees

> Give each local task an isolated checkout and branch so agents can work safely at the same time.

Canonical URL: https://docs.zuse.sh/how-to/local-parallel-worktrees



## Goal [#goal]

Run two or more local tasks at the same time without mixing their files, terminals, branches, or changes.

## Applicability [#applicability]

Use this workflow in the **desktop app** with a Git repository. Worktree creation applies to any provider that can run in the selected project.

## Prerequisites [#prerequisites]

* Open a project backed by a Git repository.
* Commit or stash important changes in the checkout you will use as the base.
* If the repository needs dependencies or generated files, configure its [setup script](/projects/scripts.md).

## Steps [#steps]

1. Start a new chat in the project.
2. In the workspace picker, choose a fresh worktree and the branch or revision it should start from. If automatic worktrees are enabled, a fresh worktree is already selected; choose **Current checkout** only when isolation is unnecessary.
3. Send the first task. Zuse creates a checkout under `~/.zuse/<project-name>-<project-id>/<worktree-name>/`, creates its branch, links configured local files, and runs repository setup.
4. Watch **Creating a worktree and running setup**. Wait for **Environment setup complete** before relying on dependencies or generated files.
5. Start another chat for the second task and repeat the process. Each chat should show a different worktree and branch.
6. To explore an alternative from an existing conversation, open its fork menu and choose **Fork into a new worktree**. The new chat gets an isolated checkout instead of sharing the current files.

All session tabs inside one chat share that chat's worktree. Create a separate chat—not merely another session tab—when the work needs a separate checkout.

## Verify the isolation [#verify-the-isolation]

1. Open each chat and check its workspace indicator. It should show the worktree name, not **Main checkout**.
2. Open the terminal in each chat and run:

```sh
git branch --show-current
git status --short
```

3. Confirm that the branch names and working directories differ.
4. Make a small change in one chat and verify that it appears only in that chat's **Changes** view.

## Troubleshooting and recovery [#troubleshooting-and-recovery]

* **Setup failed:** read the output in the setup card, fix the repository command or local dependency, then choose **Rerun setup**. The worktree remains available after setup failure.
* **The chat says Main checkout:** the first message was started without a worktree. Start a new chat with a fresh worktree before asking two agents to edit the same repository concurrently.
* **The wrong base was selected:** create another worktree from the intended branch. Zuse does not silently merge later updates from the original base.
* **A branch or pull request already has a worktree:** use &#x2A;*Create from…** to select that branch or pull request; Zuse can reuse its checkout instead of creating a conflicting copy.
* **A worktree directory was removed outside Zuse:** recover the branch with Git or create a new worktree. Zuse cannot restore files that were never committed and whose checkout has been deleted.

Continue with [Add files and context](/how-to/local-add-context.md), then [review the resulting changes](/how-to/local-review-changes.md).