portree - Git Worktree Server Manager

Overview

When working on multiple feature branches simultaneously using git worktrees, managing separate dev servers for each branch becomes tedious. You need to manually track ports, configure environment variables, and remember which server is running where.

portree solves this by automatically managing multiple dev servers per git worktree—with hash-based port allocation, environment variable injection, and *.localhost subdomain routing via a built-in reverse proxy.

portree workflow demo

The Problem

In a typical monorepo setup with frontend and backend services:

Each worktree needs its own set of running services
Port conflicts are common when running multiple branches
Environment variables need to be configured for each instance
Switching between branches means remembering which ports are allocated where

Features

Multi-service support — Define frontend, backend, and any number of services per worktree
Automatic port allocation — Hash-based port assignment (FNV32) ensures consistent, conflict-free ports across worktrees
Subdomain reverse proxy — Access any worktree via branch-name.localhost:<port> without editing /etc/hosts
Environment variable injection — $PORT, $PT_BRANCH, $PT_BACKEND_URL, etc. are injected automatically
TUI dashboard — Interactive terminal UI to start, stop, restart, and monitor all services
Process lifecycle management — Graceful shutdown, log files, and stale PID cleanup
Per-worktree overrides — Customize commands, ports, and env vars per branch

Tech Stack

Language: Go
CLI Framework: Cobra
TUI Framework: Bubble Tea + Lip Gloss
Configuration: TOML
Distribution: Homebrew, Go install, GitHub Releases (via GoReleaser)

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  git repository                                             │
│                                                             │
│  main worktree          feature/auth worktree               │
│  ┌───────────────┐      ┌───────────────┐                   │
│  │ frontend :3100│      │ frontend :3117│                   │
│  │ backend  :8100│      │ backend  :8104│                   │
│  └───────────────┘      └───────────────┘                   │
│         │                      │                            │
└─────────┼──────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┘
          │                      │
    ┌─────▼──────────────────────▼─────┐
    │     portree reverse proxy        │
    │                                  │
    │  :3000  ←  *.localhost:3000      │
    │  :8000  ←  *.localhost:8000      │
    └──────────────────────────────────┘
          │                      │
          ▼                      ▼
  main.localhost:3000    feature-auth.localhost:3000
  main.localhost:8000    feature-auth.localhost:8000

Port allocation — Each service gets a port via FNV32(branch:service) % range. Stable across restarts.
Process management — Services run as child processes with process groups. Logs go to .portree/logs/.
Reverse proxy — One HTTP listener per proxy_port. Routes based on Host header subdomain.
*.localhost — Modern browsers resolve *.localhost to 127.0.0.1 automatically per RFC 6761.

Usage

portree init demo

# Initialize in your project
portree init

# Start services for current worktree
portree up

# Start services for ALL worktrees
portree up --all

# Start the reverse proxy
portree proxy start

# Open the TUI dashboard
portree dash

# Check status
portree ls

TUI Dashboard

Manage all your services from an interactive terminal UI:

portree TUI dashboard

Development Highlights

Hash-based port allocation ensures the same branch always gets the same port, making URLs predictable and bookmarkable
Automatic service discovery via environment variables (PT_BACKEND_URL, etc.) allows services to find each other without hardcoded ports
File-level locking on the state file allows multiple portree instances to run safely
Cross-platform support for macOS, Linux, and experimental Windows support