# s12: Worktree + Task Isolation

`s01 > s02 > s03 > s04 > s05 > s06 | s07 > s08 > s09 > s10 > s11 > [ s12 ]`

> *"Each works in its own directory, no interference"* -- tasks manage goals, worktrees manage directories, bound by ID.
>
> **Harness layer**: Directory isolation -- parallel execution lanes that never collide.

## Problem

By s11, agents can claim and complete tasks autonomously. But every task runs in one shared directory. Two agents refactoring different modules at the same time will collide: agent A edits `config.py`, agent B edits `config.py`, unstaged changes mix, and neither can roll back cleanly.

The task board tracks *what to do* but has no opinion about *where to do it*. The fix: give each task its own git worktree directory. Tasks manage goals, worktrees manage execution context. Bind them by task ID.

## Solution

```
Control plane (.tasks/)             Execution plane (.worktrees/)
+------------------+                +------------------------+
| task_1.json      |                | auth-refactor/         |
|   status: in_progress  <------>   branch: wt/auth-refactor
|   worktree: "auth-refactor"   |   task_id: 1             |
+------------------+                +------------------------+
| task_2.json      |                | ui-login/              |
|   status: pending    <------>     branch: wt/ui-login
|   worktree: "ui-login"       |   task_id: 2             |
+------------------+                +------------------------+
                                    |
                          index.json (worktree registry)
                          events.jsonl (lifecycle log)

State machines:
  Task:     pending -> in_progress -> completed
  Worktree: absent  -> active      -> removed | kept
```

## How It Works

1. **Create a task.** Persist the goal first.

```python
TASKS.create("Implement auth refactor")
# -> .tasks/task_1.json  status=pending  worktree=""
```

2. **Create a worktree and bind to the task.** Passing `task_id` auto-advances the task to `in_progress`.

```python
WORKTREES.create("auth-refactor", task_id=1)
# -> git worktree add -b wt/auth-refactor .worktrees/auth-refactor HEAD
# -> index.json gets new entry, task_1.json gets worktree="auth-refactor"
```

The binding writes state to both sides:

```python
def bind_worktree(self, task_id, worktree):
    task = self._load(task_id)
    task["worktree"] = worktree
    if task["status"] == "pending":
        task["status"] = "in_progress"
    self._save(task)
```

3. **Run commands in the worktree.** `cwd` points to the isolated directory.

```python
subprocess.run(command, shell=True, cwd=worktree_path,
               capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=300)
```

4. **Close out.** Two choices:
   - `worktree_keep(name)` -- preserve the directory for later.
   - `worktree_remove(name, complete_task=True)` -- remove directory, complete the bound task, emit event. One call handles teardown + completion.

```python
def remove(self, name, force=False, complete_task=False):
    self._run_git(["worktree", "remove", wt["path"]])
    if complete_task and wt.get("task_id") is not None:
        self.tasks.update(wt["task_id"], status="completed")
        self.tasks.unbind_worktree(wt["task_id"])
        self.events.emit("task.completed", ...)
```

5. **Event stream.** Every lifecycle step emits to `.worktrees/events.jsonl`:

```json
{
  "event": "worktree.remove.after",
  "task": {"id": 1, "status": "completed"},
  "worktree": {"name": "auth-refactor", "status": "removed"},
  "ts": 1730000000
}
```

Events emitted: `worktree.create.before/after/failed`, `worktree.remove.before/after/failed`, `worktree.keep`, `task.completed`.

After a crash, state reconstructs from `.tasks/` + `.worktrees/index.json` on disk. Conversation memory is volatile; file state is durable.

## What Changed From s11

| Component          | Before (s11)               | After (s12)                                  |
|--------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| Coordination       | Task board (owner/status)  | Task board + explicit worktree binding       |
| Execution scope    | Shared directory           | Task-scoped isolated directory               |
| Recoverability     | Task status only           | Task status + worktree index                 |
| Teardown           | Task completion            | Task completion + explicit keep/remove       |
| Lifecycle visibility | Implicit in logs         | Explicit events in `.worktrees/events.jsonl` |

## Try It

```sh
cd learn-claude-code
python agents/s12_worktree_task_isolation.py
```

1. `Create tasks for backend auth and frontend login page, then list tasks.`
2. `Create worktree "auth-refactor" for task 1, then bind task 2 to a new worktree "ui-login".`
3. `Run "git status --short" in worktree "auth-refactor".`
4. `Keep worktree "ui-login", then list worktrees and inspect events.`
5. `Remove worktree "auth-refactor" with complete_task=true, then list tasks/worktrees/events.`