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Schaltwerk revolves around isolated git worktrees and the lifecycle of each AI-driven session. This page covers how sessions and specs move between states, how the orchestrator supports planning, and how to reuse specs as a backlog.

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Sessions

What is a Session?

Every running session is a dedicated git worktree branching from your repository. Two terminals come with each session so agents and humans can work side-by-side.

Isolated Worktrees

Each session gets its own git worktree and branch

Dual Terminals

Top terminal for the agent, bottom terminal for manual commands

Instant Switching

Switch between sessions instantly—terminals stay alive in the background

Sidebar Organization

Sessions appear in the left sidebar under Agents
Every worktree is its own copy of the repository on disk. Keep sessions short-lived and clean up finished work so the .schaltwerk/worktrees/ folder doesn’t grow without bound.

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Session Filters

Use the tabs at the top of the session list to filter what you see:
  • All
  • Specs
  • Running
  • Reviewed
Shows all sessions regardless of state

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Specs

Specs workflow

Markdown Planning

Specs are markdown documents that live in the orchestrator

Capture Intent

Capture the desired outcome before any code is written

Agent Prompts

When started, the spec becomes the agent’s first prompt

Amber Badge

Specs carry an amber badge until you start them
Think of specs as reusable backlog cards. Start them when you’re ready, and if a session isn’t working out, press ⌘S to discard the worktree, keep the spec intact, and retry later with new instructions.

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Spec Lifecycle

1

Draft the spec

Write a markdown document describing the desired outcome
2

Start the session

Convert the spec into a running session with worktree and terminals
3

Agent receives prompt

The spec content becomes the agent’s initial instructions

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Orchestrator

The Control Panel

The orchestrator runs directly on your primary branch—typically main, but it can be a long-lived feature branch too—giving you a stable workspace for planning and coordination.

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Orchestrator Features

Draft multiple specs before launching sessions. Perfect for planning parallel work streams.
The orchestrator powers automation through the MCP REST API, enabling external tools to create and manage sessions.
Like regular sessions, the orchestrator has an agent terminal on top and your shell below.
Because the orchestrator operates inside your primary branch (no separate worktree), any commands you run there change that branch immediately. Use specs and sessions when you need isolation.

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Accessing the Orchestrator

⌘1

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Session States

Spec

Drafting the work. No worktree yet.
  • Markdown document in the orchestrator
  • Amber badge in sidebar
  • Can be edited or deleted without affecting git

Running

Active session. The session owns a worktree and active terminals.
  • Git worktree created under .schaltwerk/worktrees/
  • Two PTY terminals spawned
  • Agent process can run in top terminal
  • Magenta badge in sidebar

Reviewed

Ready for merge. The worktree is ready for integration.
  • Code has been tested locally
  • Green badge in sidebar
  • Can still make manual edits in worktree
  • Integration options:
    • ⌘⇧M - Direct merge to main
    • ⌘⇧P - Create GitHub pull request

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State Transitions

Transitions are explicit and user-controlled. The app never automatically changes session states.
  • Spec → Running
  • Running → Reviewed
  • Running → Spec
Keyboard: ⌘NAction: Start AgentResult: Creates worktree, branch, and terminals

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Lifecycle Scenarios

Lifecycle diagram showing three scenarios: green flow for a successful PDF Generation spec moving from Specs → Running → Reviewed → Merged; blue flow for a Fix Bug spec that returns to Specs; red flow for an Implement Email experiment that is archived with recovery available from settings.
1

Ship it (green)

PDF Generation represents the happy path: draft the spec, run the session, review the work, then merge via PR or ⌘⇧M.
2

Retry later (blue)

Fix Bug shows how to convert a running session back into a spec when the change is deferred—the worktree and session branch are deleted (uncommitted work is lost) but the plan stays in the backlog for another attempt.
3

Archive experiments (red)

Implement Email demonstrates cancelling a session you no longer need. The worktree is removed and the session moves to the archive, which you can recover from Settings → Archive if you change your mind.
Next: Worktrees & Terminals