CLI output formatting standards for worktrunk. Use when writing user-facing messages, error handling, progress output, hints, warnings, or working with the output system.
npxskills add max-sixty/worktrunk--skill writing-user-outputsLoading…
Worktrunk uses split file-based directive passing for shell integration:
mktemp (cd and exec)WORKTRUNK_DIRECTIVE_CD_FILE and WORKTRUNK_DIRECTIVE_EXEC_FILE--execute)cd -- "$(< file)" (no shell parsing)When neither directive env var is set (direct binary call), commands execute directly and shell integration hints are shown.
The output system handles shell integration automatically. Just call output functions — they do the right thing regardless of whether shell integration is active.
// NEVER DO THIS - don't check mode in command code
if is_shell_integration_active() {
// different behavior
}
// ALWAYS DO THIS - just call output functions
eprintln!("{}", success_message("Created worktree"));
output::change_directory(&path)?; // Writes to directive file if set, else no-op
Printing output:
Use eprintln! and println! from worktrunk::styling (re-exported from
anstream for automatic color support and TTY detection):
use worktrunk::styling::{eprintln, println, stderr};
// Status messages to stderr
eprintln!("{}", success_message("Created worktree"));
// Primary output to stdout (tables, JSON, pipeable)
println!("{}", table_output);
// Flush before interactive prompts
stderr().flush()?;
Shell integration functions (src/output/global.rs):
| Function | Purpose |
|---|---|
change_directory(path) | Shell cd after wt exits (writes to directive file if set) |
execute(command) | Shell command after wt exits |
terminate_output() | Reset ANSI state on stderr |
is_shell_integration_active() | Check if directive file set (rarely needed) |
pre_hook_display_path(path) | Compute display path for pre-hooks |
post_hook_display_path(path) | Compute display path for post-hooks |
Message formatting functions (worktrunk::styling):
| Function | Symbol | Color |
|---|---|---|
success_message() | ✓ | green |
progress_message() | ◎ | cyan |
info_message() | ○ | symbol dim, text plain |
warning_message() | ▲ | yellow |
hint_message() | ↳ | dim |
error_message() | ✗ | red |
prompt_message() | ❯ | cyan |
Section headings (worktrunk::styling):
use worktrunk::styling::format_heading;
// Plain heading
format_heading("BINARIES", None) // => "BINARIES" (cyan)
// Heading with suffix
format_heading("USER CONFIG", Some("@ ~/.config/wt.toml"))
// => "USER CONFIG @ ~/.config/wt.toml" (title cyan, suffix plain)
Decision principle: stdout carries the command's answer; stderr carries narration about producing it. The discriminating question is answer-vs-narration, not audience — wt list is "for the user" yet belongs on stdout because it is the answer. "Is this a message to the user?" doesn't discriminate, because nearly all output is.
--dry-run previews both qualify: a preview is the whole answer when nothing mutates. Human-formatted output belongs here too. Color strips automatically on a pipe (anstream), so wt list | grep stays safe.-v/-vv diagnostics.The same line can flip streams between modes. wt config shell uninstall deletes the file, so ✓ Removed … @ ~/.zshrc only narrates a side effect that already happened → stderr (the edited file is the answer; stdout is empty). wt config shell uninstall --dry-run mutates nothing, so ○ Will remove … @ ~/.zshrc is the only answer there is → stdout. What flips isn't the wording, it's whether a side effect exists to be the answer.
For a split preview, the --format=json payload is the arbiter: a line json would carry goes to stdout, narration json omits stays on stderr. wt step prune --dry-run puts the removal plan on stdout (the same plan json emits) but keeps "Skipped young-branch (younger than 1d)" and "nothing to remove" on stderr. One case ignores all this: a preview shown inside an interactive prompt, such as the ? re-preview during wt config shell install, is mid-prompt narration → stderr.
Examples:
wt list, wt config show → human table/dump or --format=json, both to stdoutwt step prune --dry-run → the removal plan to stdout (human or json); "nothing to remove" and skipped-young caveats to stderrwt config shell init → shell code to stdout (for eval)wt switch → status messages only (nothing to pipe)Route long, human-oriented stdout through crate::help_pager::show_help_in_pager. The helper TTY-detects internally, so piping (wt … | grep) keeps working.
Page when output is human-oriented (headings, gutters, structure) and plausibly exceeds one screen. Don't page pipe-first data (tables, JSON, shell code), short output, or output already paged by a delegated tool (git diff).
Examples that page: --help, wt config show, wt hook show, wt step {commit,squash} --dry-run. Examples that don't: wt list, wt step diff, wt step eval, --show-prompt (pipe-first by design).
Build the whole output into a String first (don't stream), then:
crate::help_pager::show_help_in_pager(&out, true);
The helper is infallible from the caller's perspective — it falls back to plain stdout itself when no pager is configured, stdout isn't a TTY, or the pager fails.
The split-trust design enforces two trust levels:
WORKTRUNK_DIRECTIVE_CD_FILE holds a raw path (no shell parsing), so it's
safe to pass through to alias/hook child processes — a body that writes to it
can at worst redirect cd.WORKTRUNK_DIRECTIVE_EXEC_FILE holds arbitrary shell that the wrapper
sources verbatim, so wt scrubs this env var from alias/hook child processes.
A hook body writing to it would inject shell into the parent session.All directive env vars are removed from spawned subprocesses by default via
shell_exec::scrub_directive_env_vars(). DirectivePassthrough::inherit_from_env()
re-adds only the CD file (and legacy compat file) for trusted contexts.
On Windows with Git Bash, mktemp returns POSIX-style paths like /tmp/tmp.xxx.
The native Windows binary (wt.exe) needs a Windows path to write to the
directive file.
No explicit path conversion is needed. MSYS2 automatically converts POSIX
paths in environment variables when spawning native Windows binaries — shell
wrappers can use $directive_file directly. See:
https://www.msys2.org/docs/filesystem-paths/
Output messages should acknowledge user-supplied arguments (flags, options, values) by reflecting those choices in the message text.
// User runs: wt switch --create feature --base=main
// GOOD - acknowledges the base branch
"Created new worktree for feature from main @ /path/to/worktree"
// BAD - ignores the base argument
"Created new worktree for feature @ /path/to/worktree"
Avoid "you/your" pronouns: Messages should refer to things directly, not address the user. Imperatives like "Run", "Use", "Add" are fine — they're concise CLI idiom.
// BAD - "Use 'wt merge' to rebase your changes onto main"
// GOOD - "Use 'wt merge' to rebase onto main"
Avoid redundant parenthesized content: Parenthesized text should add new information, not restate what's already said.
// BAD - parentheses restate "no changes"
"No changes after squashing 3 commits (commits resulted in no net changes)"
// GOOD - clear and concise
"No changes after squashing 3 commits"
// GOOD - parentheses add supplementary info
"Committing with default message... (3 files, +45, -12)"
Two types of parenthesized content with different styling:
Stats parentheses → Gray ([90m bright-black): Supplementary numerical
info that could be omitted without losing meaning.
✓ Merged to main (1 commit, 1 file, +1)
◎ Squashing 2 commits into a single commit (2 files, +2)...
Reason parentheses → Message color: Explains WHY an action is happening; integral to understanding.
◎ Removing feature worktree & branch in background (same commit as main, _)
Stats are truly optional context. Reasons answer "why is this safe/happening?" and belong with the main message. Symbols within reason parentheses still render in their native styling (see "Symbol styling" below).
Show path when hooks run in a different directory: When hooks run in a worktree other than the user's current (or eventual) location, show the path. Use the appropriate helper function:
Pre-hooks and manual wt hook — User is at cwd, no cd happens.
Use output::pre_hook_display_path(hooks_run_at).
Examples: pre-commit, pre-merge, pre-remove, manual wt hook post-merge.
Post-hooks — User will cd to destination if shell integration is active.
Use output::post_hook_display_path(destination).
Examples: pre-start, post-switch, post-start, post-merge (after removal).
// Pre-hooks: user is at cwd, no cd happens
run_hook_with_filter(..., crate::output::pre_hook_display_path(ctx.worktree_path))?;
// Post-hooks: user will cd to destination if shell integration active
ctx.spawn_post_create_commands(crate::output::post_hook_display_path(&destination))?;
Avoid pronouns with cross-message referents: Hints appear as separate messages from errors. Don't use pronouns like "it" that refer to something mentioned in the error message.
// BAD - "it" refers to branch name in error message
// Error: "Branch 'feature' not found"
// Hint: "Use --create to create it"
// GOOD - self-contained hint
// Error: "Branch 'feature' not found"
// Hint: "Use --create to create a new branch"
Use sentence case for help text headings: "Configuration files", "JSON output", "LLM commit messages".
Use consistent punctuation and structure for related messages.
Ampersand for combined actions: Use & when a single operation does
multiple things:
"Removing feature worktree & branch in background"
"Commands approved & saved to config"
Semicolon for joining clauses: Use semicolons to connect related information:
"Removing feature worktree in background; retaining branch (--no-delete-branch)"
"Branch unmerged; to delete, run <underline>wt remove -D</>" // hint uses underline
"{tool} not authenticated; run <bold>{tool} auth login</>" // warning uses bold
Explicit flag acknowledgment: Show flags in parentheses when they change behavior:
// GOOD - shows the flag explicitly
"Removing feature worktree in background; retaining branch (--no-delete-branch)"
// BAD - doesn't acknowledge user's explicit choice
"Removing feature worktree in background; retaining branch"
Flag locality: Place flag indicators adjacent to the concept they modify. Flags should appear immediately after the noun/action they affect, not at the end of the message:
// GOOD - (--force) is adjacent to "worktree" which it modifies
"Removing feature worktree (--force) & branch in background (same commit as main, _)"
// BAD - (--force) at end, disconnected from the worktree removal it enables
"Removing feature worktree & branch in background (same commit as main, _) (--force)"
This principle ensures readers can immediately understand what each annotation modifies.
Parallel structure: Related messages should follow the same pattern:
// GOOD - parallel structure with integration reason explaining branch deletion
// Target branch is bold; symbol uses its standard styling (dim for _ and ⊂)
"Removing feature worktree & branch in background (same commit as <bold>main</>, <dim>_</>)" // Integrated
"Removing feature worktree in background; retaining unmerged branch" // Unmerged
"Removing feature worktree in background; retaining branch (--no-delete-branch)" // User flag
Symbol styling: Symbols are atomic with their color — the styling is part of the symbol's identity, not a presentation choice. Each symbol has a defined appearance that must be preserved in all contexts:
_ and ⊂ — dim (integration/safe-to-delete indicators)+N and -N — green/red (diff indicators)When a symbol appears in a colored message (cyan progress, green success), close
the message color before the symbol so it renders in its native styling. This
requires breaking out of the message color and reopening it after the symbol.
See FlagNote in src/output/handlers.rs for an example — it handles flag
acknowledgment notes (like integration reasons) with proper color transitions
via its after(color) method, which reopens the message color after the symbol.
Comma + "but" + em-dash for limitations: When stating an outcome with a limitation and its reason:
// Outcome, but limitation — reason
"Worktree for feature @ ~/repo.feature, but cannot change directory — shell integration not installed"
This pattern:
See compute_shell_warning_reason() in src/output/shell_integration.rs for the
complete spec of shell integration warning messages and hints
Compute decisions once: For background operations, check conditions upfront, show the message, then pass the decision explicitly rather than re-checking in background scripts:
// GOOD - check once, pass decision
let should_delete = check_if_merged();
show_message_based_on(should_delete);
spawn_background(build_command(should_delete));
// BAD - check twice (once for message, again in background script)
let is_merged = check_if_merged();
show_message_based_on(is_merged);
spawn_background(build_command_that_checks_merge_again()); // Duplicate check!
Core principle: Messages about state discovered during evaluation (warnings, info notices) appear before the action message that follows from that evaluation.
When a command evaluates state, discovers something unexpected, and proceeds anyway, that message comes first:
▲ Auto-staging 1 untracked path:
┃ notes.md
◎ Generating commit message...
Not:
◎ Generating commit message...
▲ Auto-staging 1 untracked path:
┃ notes.md
Warnings that result from the action itself (something failed during execution) naturally come after the action.
Success vs Info: Success (✓) means something was created or changed. Info (○) acknowledges state without changing anything.
| Success ✓ | Info ○ |
|---|---|
| "Created worktree for feature" | "Switched to worktree for feature" |
| "Created new worktree for feature" | "Already on worktree for feature" |
| "Commands approved & saved" | "All commands already approved" |
The same rule governs standalone symbols used as per-row markers in listings:
✓ marks a completed action, never a state. A listing that reports per-item
status marks it with ○ (state acknowledged) or ❯ (awaiting approval/user
input) — the shared vocabulary of wt hook show and wt config approvals list. Reserve a per-row ✓ for outcomes of work the command just performed
(shell-install action lines, -v subprocess trace glyphs).
Hint vs Info: Hints suggest user action or provide additional non-essential context (supplementary details the user doesn't need but may find useful). Info acknowledges state without changing anything.
| Hint ↳ | Info ○ |
|---|---|
"To continue, run wt merge" | "Already up to date with main" |
| "Commit or stash changes first" | "Skipping hooks (--no-hooks)" |
| "Branch can be deleted" | "Worktree preserved (main worktree)" |
| "Failed command, exit code 128:" |
Warning placement: When something unexpected happens, warn somewhere. Where depends on the nature of the issue:
Is it unexpected?
├── No → Silent (e.g., gh not installed when no GitHub remote)
└── Yes → Warn somewhere:
├── Immediate impact OR temporary → Inline (warning_message or in-band indicator)
├── Persists until user action → wt config show (can be checked later)
└── Not user-fixable → log::warn! (developer diagnostics)
Inline warnings for issues affecting the current command:
| Issue | Why inline |
|---|---|
| Rate limit during CI fetch | Temporary — won't be there next time |
| Network timeout | Temporary — retry might work |
| Hook failed during operation | Immediate impact on this command |
wt config show for issues that persist until the user fixes them. These
don't need to interrupt every command — users can check diagnostics when
investigating:
| Issue | Why config show |
|---|---|
gh not authenticated | User runs gh auth login |
| Shell integration misconfigured | User updates shell config |
| Config syntax errors | User fixes config file |
log::warn!() for issues users cannot fix. These help developers debug but
shouldn't clutter user output:
| Issue | Why log::warn! |
|---|---|
| JSON parse error (API changed) | Requires code fix |
| Internal invariant violated | Developer bug |
Command suggestions in hints: When a hint includes a runnable command, use "To X, run Y" pattern. End with the command for easy copying:
// GOOD - command at end for easy copying
"To delete the unmerged branch, run wt remove feature -D"
"To rebase onto main, run wt step rebase or wt merge"
// GOOD - recovery command after shadowing a remote branch
"To switch to the remote branch, delete this branch and run without --create: wt remove --foreground feature && wt switch feature"
// BAD - command without context
"wt remove feature -D deletes unmerged branches"
// BAD - command not at end (hard to copy)
"Run wt switch feature (without --create) to switch to the remote branch"
For general action guidance without a specific command, direct imperatives are clearer:
// GOOD - direct imperative for general guidance
"Commit or stash changes first"
"Run from inside a worktree, or specify a branch name"
// VERBOSE - "To proceed" adds nothing
"To proceed, commit or stash changes first"
Description + command in single message: For warnings/errors that include a
recovery command, join with semicolon. Use <bold> for commands in
warnings/errors (only hints use <underline>):
// Warning with inline recovery command (bold for commands)
warning_message("Failed to restore stash; run <bold>git stash pop {ref}</> to restore manually")
warning_message("{tool} not authenticated; run <bold>{tool} auth login</>")
// For longer suggestions, use separate hint message (underline for commands)
warning_message("Failed to restore stash")
hint_message("To restore manually, run <underline>git stash pop {ref}</>")
Multiple suggestions in one hint: When combining suggestions with semicolons, put the more commonly needed command last for easy terminal copying:
// GOOD - common action (create) last, easy to select and copy
"To list branches, run wt list --branches; to create a new branch, run wt switch feature --create"
// BAD - common action buried, harder to copy
"To create a new branch, run wt switch feature --create; to list branches, run wt list --branches"
Use suggest_command() from worktrunk::styling for proper shell escaping.
Every user-facing message requires either a symbol or a gutter.
Section titles: For sectioned output (wt hook show, wt config show), use
format_heading() from worktrunk::styling (documented above).
Prompts and hints serve different purposes and have different --yes behavior.
Prompts are expected steps in a workflow — the user ran a command knowing
it would ask for confirmation. Hook approval during wt merge, config update
confirmation, shell install confirmation. --yes bypasses these because the
user anticipated the question and wants to pre-answer it (e.g., in CI).
Setup prompts are unexpected — the user ran wt merge and got asked about
LLM config or shell integration they didn't know about. --yes must NOT
bypass these. A user passing --yes to skip hook approval did not consent to
auto-configuring their shell. In non-interactive mode (no TTY), these should
degrade to a hint or be skipped silently — never error.
| Type | Example | --yes | Non-TTY behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workflow prompt | Hook approval, config update | Bypasses | Error (NotInteractive) |
| Setup prompt | LLM config, shell integration | No effect | Hint or silent skip |
Non-TTY degradation patterns:
↳ To enable automatic cd, run wt config shell installemit_hint_if_needed)
already covers the unconfigured case on every commit.↳ To skip prompts in CI/CD, add --yesKey invariants:
--yes means "I anticipated this prompt" — it applies to workflow prompts
the user chose to invoke, not to setup/config discovery promptsCore principle: When presenting the user with text to read and consider, add spacing for readability. When piping output (stdout), keep output dense for parsing.
Specific rules:
No leading/trailing blanks — Start immediately, end cleanly
Blank before prompts, not after — Signal "pause, something interactive is happening" before the prompt; once the user responds, output flows continuously
One blank between phases — When a sub-operation completes and a different operation begins, add a blank line to visually separate them
Never double blanks — One blank line maximum between elements
Hints attach to their subject — Never put a blank line between a hint and the message it elaborates on. Hints (↳) are subordinate — they belong directly below their parent message with no gap.
// GOOD - hint directly follows its subject
↳ fish: Not configured shell extension
↳ To configure, run wt config shell install
// BAD - blank line detaches hint from subject
↳ fish: Not configured shell extension
↳ To configure, run wt config shell install
Prompt spacing: A blank line before the prompt signals "something different is about to happen" and gives the user's eye a natural stopping point before they need to read and respond. No blank line after — the user's input ends the interactive moment and subsequent output flows naturally from that decision.
◎ Detecting available LLM tools...
❯ Configure claude for commit messages? [y/N/?] y
✓ Added to user config:
┃ [commit.generation]
┃ command = "..."
↳ View config: wt config show
▲ Auto-staging 1 untracked path:
┃ a
◎ Generating commit message...
Phase separation: A "phase" is a logically distinct operation. The blank line between the hint and warning above signals "config setup is done, now we're doing the main command workflow."
Interactive prompts must flush stderr before blocking on stdin:
eprint!("❯ Allow and remember? [y/N] ");
stderr().flush()?;
io::stdin().read_line(&mut response)?;
Output should appear immediately adjacent to the operations it describes. Progress messages apply only to slow operations (>400ms): git operations, network requests, builds.
Sequential operations should show immediate feedback:
for item in items {
eprintln!("{}", progress_message(format!("Removing {item}...")));
perform_operation(item)?;
eprintln!("{}", success_message(format!("Removed {item}"))); // Immediate feedback
}
Bad example (output decoupled from operations):
◎ Removing worktree for feature...
◎ Removing worktree for bugfix...
← Long delay, no feedback
Removed worktree for feature ← All output at the end
Removed worktree for bugfix
Signs of poor temporal locality: collecting messages in a buffer, single success message for batch operations, no progress before slow operations.
When per-item progress_messages don't fit — recursive copy of thousands of
files, a long subprocess with no useful streaming output — a stderr spinner
keeps the user oriented. See src/progress.rs (Progress) for the pattern:
the verb ("Copying", "Removing") is fixed at Progress::start(verb),
TTY-gate, skip when verbosity() >= 1 or --dry-run, ≥300 ms startup delay
so fast ops stay silent, IEC bytes (KiB/MiB), clear the line before printing
the summary, and have the summary repeat any counters the spinner displayed
(use format_stats_paren for the gray (N files · X MiB) suffix).
Fire-and-forget cleanup and cache sweeps run after the command's final user-visible message — never before. Placing them at the start delays time-to-first-output with work the user didn't ask for.
Worktrunk marks the boundary with WORKTRUNK_FIRST_OUTPUT: handlers
early-return where output begins, so work before that return is on the hot
path, work after it is not. See handle_remove_command —
sweep_stale_trash runs after handle_remove_output.
Progress messages should include all relevant details (what's being done, counts, stats, context). Success messages should be minimal, confirming completion with reference info (hash, path).
// GOOD - detailed progress, minimal success
eprintln!("{}", progress_message("Squashing 3 commits & working tree changes into a single commit (5 files, +60)..."));
perform_squash()?;
eprintln!("{}", success_message("Squashed @ a1b2c3d"));
When composing tightly-packed output where adjacent pieces carry distinct
meaning (the statusline segments, prefix-char indicators like @+1, ↓1,
?^|), pack sections flush — no separating space. The marker and its value
read as one unit, and visual density keeps the line short.
The one exception is emoji: leave a trailing space after an emoji glyph.
Most terminals render emoji as double-width and bleed the glyph into the cell
to its right, so a flush 🌔65% collides the moon with the digits. A space
(🌔 65%) keeps them legible. ASCII and narrow Unicode markers (@, ↓, ●,
⊂) don't have this problem and stay flush.
// GOOD - ASCII marker flush with its value
format!("@{added}"); // @+1
// GOOD - emoji gets a trailing space to clear the next cell
format!("{moon} {pct:.0}%"); // 🌔 65%
// BAD - emoji runs into the digits; terminals overlap the glyph
format!("{moon}{pct:.0}%"); // 🌔65%
Only three anstyle constants exist for table rendering (src/styling/constants.rs):
ADDITION: Green (diffs)DELETION: Red (diffs)GUTTER: BrightWhite backgroundFor everything else, use cformat! tags.
Use eprintln! with formatting functions. Use cformat! for inner styling:
eprintln!("{}", success_message(cformat!("Created <bold>{branch}</> from <bold>{base}</>")));
eprintln!("{}", hint_message(cformat!("Run <underline>wt merge</> to continue")));
color-print tags: <bold>, <dim>, <underline>, <bright-black>, <red>,
<green>, <yellow>, <cyan>, <magenta>
Branch names and status values should be bolded in messages.
Symbol constants in cformat!: For messages that bypass output:: functions
(e.g., GitError Display impl), use symbol constants directly:
cformat!("{ERROR_SYMBOL} <red>Branch <bold>{branch}</> not found</>")
Never quote commands or branch names. Use styling to make them stand out:
<bold> for commands and branches<underline> for commands and data values (paths,
branches). Underline is safe inside <dim> — closing [24m only resets
underline, preserving dim. Avoid <bold> inside hints — the closing [22m
resets both bold AND dim, so text after </bold> loses dim styling.// GOOD - bold in normal context
eprintln!("{}", info_message(cformat!("Use <bold>wt merge</> to continue")));
// GOOD - underline for commands in hints
eprintln!("{}", hint_message(cformat!("Run <underline>wt list</> to see worktrees")));
// BAD - quoted commands
eprintln!("{}", hint_message("Run 'wt list' to see worktrees"));
cformat! for styling — Never manual escape codes (\x1b[...)cformat! variables are safe — Tags like <bold> are processed at compile
time only. Runtime variable values are NOT interpreted as markup, so user
content (branch names, commit messages, paths, shell commands with </>
redirects) can be interpolated directly without escaping. Do NOT escape
</> in variables — it adds extra chars.StyledLine)StyledLine for table rendering with proper width calculations:
use worktrunk::styling::StyledLine;
use anstyle::{AnsiColor, Color, Style};
let mut line = StyledLine::new();
line.push_styled("Branch", Style::new().dimmed());
line.push_raw(" ");
line.push_styled("main", Style::new().fg_color(Some(Color::Ansi(AnsiColor::Cyan))));
println!("{}", line.render());
See src/commands/list/render.rs for advanced usage.
Use consistent examples throughout all documentation, help text, and config templates.
| Element | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Repo directory | myproject | Generic placeholder |
| Repo path | ~/code/myproject | Realistic dev path |
| Branch | feature/auth | Shows sanitize filter |
| Worktree path | ~/code/myproject.feature-auth | Result of default template |
Use the canonical values from the table above in all examples:
{{ repo }} — Repository directory name (e.g., `myproject`)
{{ branch }} — Branch name (e.g., `feature/auth`)
{{ worktree_path }} — Absolute path to worktree (e.g., `/path/to/myproject.feature-auth`)
In TOML comments:
# {{ repo }} - Repository directory name (e.g., "myproject")
# {{ branch }} - Raw branch name (e.g., "feature/auth")
# {{ worktree_name }} - Worktree directory name (e.g., "myproject.feature-auth")
When showing worktree-path template examples:
# Default — siblings in parent directory
# Creates: ~/code/myproject.feature-auth
worktree-path = "../{{ repo }}.{{ branch | sanitize }}"
# Inside the repository
# Creates: ~/code/myproject/.worktrees/feature-auth
worktree-path = ".worktrees/{{ branch | sanitize }}"
Use gutter for quoted content (git output, commit messages, config to copy, hook commands being displayed):
format_bash_with_gutter() — shell commands (dimmed + syntax highlighting)format_with_gutter() — other contentGutter vs Table: Tables for structured app data; gutter for quoting external content.
Gutter vs Hints: Command suggestions in hints use inline <underline>,
not gutter. Gutter is for displaying content (what will execute, config to
copy); hints suggest what the user should run.
Core principle: All formatting functions return content WITHOUT trailing newlines. Callers handle element separation.
This applies to:
error_message(), success_message(), hint_message(), etc.format_with_gutter(), format_bash_with_gutter()With eprintln!: Adds trailing newline automatically.
eprintln!("{}", progress_message("Merging..."));
eprintln!("{}", format_with_gutter(&log, None));
In Display impls: Use explicit newlines for element separation.
// Pattern: leading \n separates from previous element
write!(f, "{}", error_message(...))?; // first element, no leading \n
write!(f, "\n{}", format_with_gutter(...))?; // gutter, separated by \n
write!(f, "\n{}", hint_message(...)) // hint, separated by \n
// For blank line between elements, add extra \n
write!(f, "\n{}\n", format_with_gutter(...))?; // trailing \n creates blank line
write!(f, "\n{}", hint_message(...)) // hint after blank line
Don't add trailing \n to content:
// GOOD - eprintln! adds newline
eprintln!("{}", progress_message("Merging..."));
// BAD - double newline
eprintln!("{}", progress_message("Merging...\n"));
Avoid bullets — use gutter instead. Instead of "\n - {}: {}" bullet
formatting, use format_with_gutter() to present lists.
Error and warning messages should communicate four things:
// GOOD - states actual, expected, and impact in main message
"Shell probe: wt is binary at /path, not function — won't auto-cd"
// ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
// actual expected impact
// Resolution in separate hint: "Restart shell to activate"
// GOOD - actual vs expected with resolution inline
"Config file has 3 errors, expected valid TOML; run wt config validate for details"
// ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
// actual expected resolution
// BAD - only states actual, no expected or impact
"Shell probe: wt resolves to binary at /path"
// Missing: what should it be instead? why does it matter?
// BAD - vague, no actionable information
"Shell integration problem detected"
// Missing: what's wrong? what should it be? what to do?
When the expected state is obvious from context, it can be implied:
// OK - expected state (file should exist) is obvious
"Config file not found at ~/.config/wt/config.toml"
// OK - expected state (should succeed) is obvious
"Failed to read config: permission denied"
Diagnostic messages (like wt config show) should follow this pattern
especially carefully — users read diagnostics to understand what's wrong.
Single-line errors with variables are fine:
// GOOD - single-line with path variable
.map_err(|e| format!("Failed to read {}: {}", format_path_for_display(path), e))?
// GOOD - using .context() for simple errors
std::fs::read_to_string(&path).context("Failed to read config")?
Multi-line external output (git, hooks, LLM) needs gutter:
✗ Commit generation command 'llm --model claude' failed
┃ Error: [Errno 8] nodename nor servname provided
// NOT: ✗ ... failed: LLM command failed: Error: [Errno 8]...
See src/git/error.rs for examples of this pattern in GitError Display impls.
-v and -vv)-v (verbose): User-facing diagnostic output. Must follow these guidelines.
Shows template expansions and other details users might need for debugging config.
Template expansion shows the source template and the rendered result as two
labeled blocks. Each block is a bash gutter (dim + syntax highlighting via
format_bash_with_gutter) under its own info header (○ symbol, bold name,
then source or result):
○ name source
┃ template
○ name result
┃ result
The two headers carry the input/output distinction, so both blocks share the same gutter and the content always starts at the gutter's column 2 (no marker glyph or extra indent inside the gutter). Multi-line templates and results follow the same shape, one gutter line per source line.
expand_template emits no trailing blank, so a standalone caller adds one to
separate the block from what follows (wt step eval does this after the view).
In a command pipeline the executor already separates the block from the next
output, so the expansion adds nothing.
-vv (debug): Developer-facing logging output. MAY violate these guidelines.
Uses log::debug!() with structured format for deep debugging. Not intended for
regular users.
All user-facing paths must use format_path_for_display() from
worktrunk::path. This function replaces home directory prefixes with ~ for
readability (e.g., /Users/alex/projects/repo → ~/projects/repo).
Use @ (not "at") before paths in all user-facing output. This is the
codebase convention for associating an entity with a location — in status
messages, section headings, hints, and everywhere else:
// GOOD - @ before path
"Created worktree for feature @ ~/code/repo.feature"
"Squashed @ a1b2c3d"
"Worktree for feature @ ~/repo.feature, but cannot change directory..."
format_heading("USER HOOKS", Some(&format!("@ {}", format_path_for_display(p))))
// BAD - "at" before path
"Created worktree for feature at ~/code/repo.feature"
// BAD - heading without @
format_heading("USER HOOKS", Some(&format_path_for_display(p)))
Exception: Prose contexts (doc comments, help text) use "at" — @ is for
terse output only.
use worktrunk::path::format_path_for_display;
// GOOD - uses format_path_for_display
eprintln!("{}", success_message(cformat!(
"Created worktree @ {}",
format_path_for_display(&worktree_path)
)));
// GOOD - error messages too
.map_err(|e| format!("Failed to read {}: {}", format_path_for_display(path), e))?
// BAD - raw path.display()
eprintln!("{}", success_message(format!(
"Created worktree @ {}",
worktree_path.display() // Shows /Users/alex/... instead of ~/...
)));
Applies to:
format_heading with path suffix)Exceptions:
log::debug!) — full paths help debuggingEvery command output must have snapshot tests (tests/integration_tests/).
See tests/integration_tests/remove.rs for the standard pattern using
setup_snapshot_settings(), make_snapshot_cmd(), and assert_cmd_snapshot!().
Cover success/error states, with/without data, and flag variations.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).