Setup Script Should Support Git Worktrees
The article advocates for updating development setup scripts to support Git worktrees, which allow for multiple parallel branches. This is increasingly necessary as automated coding agents frequently work on multiple tasks simultaneously.
Why it matters
As AI agents become more integrated into software development workflows, infrastructure must evolve to handle the increased demand for parallel environment management.
A worktree-aware setup script can diagnose missing tools, share one Docker stack, and isolate ports, databases, and state for safe parallel development.
On one production app I work on, a fresh Git worktree becomes runnable with one setup script:
bin/setup Setup prepares the environment and exits, then the normal development command runs. I'll use bin/dev here as shorthand for whatever command the repository already uses. Setup doesn't hide the server inside a clever process manager.
bin/setup is a repo-owned executable that turns a checkout into a working development environment. Call it make setup or script/bootstrap if that fits your project. The interface matters more than the name: one command returns either a ready repository or exact repair instructions.
The same command should work from every Git worktree. Parallel coding agents made this important enough to treat as ordinary development infrastructure.
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