Riftri provides copy-on-write Git worktrees that let multiple workspaces share unchanged files at the filesystem level instead of duplicating a full checkout for each branch or agent. Each worktree behaves like a real Git worktree and accepts the same Git commands, while edits remain private to the worktree and shared content stays deduplicated. The argument is that parallel development, CI agents, or multi-branch workflows can spin up many worktrees cheaply without wrappers or virtual filesystems, reducing disk overhead and operational complexity for agents that need isolated checkouts.
Implementation details emphasize native filesystem cloning and reflink features rather than emulation: it uses APFS clones on macOS, Linux reflinks on Btrfs/XFS, ReFS block cloning on Windows, and OverlayFS where applicable, with a durable layer on top to manage private edits. Reported results show a 10-worktree run shrinking from 774 MiB to 101 MiB (~87% less disk used). It’s open source (assistant-ui/riftri on GitHub) and claims no special agent-side setup, making it plug-and-play for teams that want lightweight, parallel Git workspaces.
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