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source-control:pull-request merge: --delete-branch fails from a worktree when the default branch is checked out elsewhere #5207
Description
Problem
reference/merge.md §4.2 always runs gh pr merge <N> --squash --delete-branch. When run from a linked worktree whose repository has the default branch checked out in another worktree, gh completes the merge on GitHub, then tries to check out the default branch locally and fails:
failed to run git: fatal: 'main' is already used by worktree at '/home/kyle/repos/github.com/melodic-software/.github'
The command exits 1 even though the merge succeeded, so the agent has to confirm the merge with gh pr view before it can continue. §4.3's worktree path already expects the default branch to be unavailable locally ("checkout of the default branch — that's blocked in a worktree"), so §4.2 contradicts it.
Repro
- Keep
mainchecked out in the primary checkout. - From a linked worktree on a PR branch, run
/source-control:pull-request merge. gh pr merge <N> --squash --delete-branchexits 1 with the error above; the PR showsMERGED.
Seen on melodic-software/.github#153, 2026-09-29, source-control 0.58.4.
Suggested fix
In a linked worktree, drop --delete-branch. Delete the remote branch with git push origin --delete <branch> unless the repo reports deleteBranchOnMerge: true, in which case GitHub deletes it already. §4.3 already deletes the local branch. The same flag appears in templates/checklist.md.
Activity
kyle-sexton commentedon Sep 29, 2026
This was generated by AI during triage.
Agent Brief
Type: Bug
Summary: pull-request merge from a linked worktree deletes the remote branch without
--delete-branch.Current behavior:
merge passes
--delete-branch, which tries to check out the default branch; that fails in a linked worktree when the default branch is checked out elsewhere. The merge reference already notes default checkout is blocked in a worktree.Desired behavior:
In a linked worktree, merge omits
--delete-branchand deletes the remote branch withgit push origin --delete <branch>unless the repo's deleteBranchOnMerge is true. The PR checklist template matches.Acceptance criteria: