vibe rename

The rename command renames the current worktree’s branch and moves its directory. It is primarily used to promote a scratch worktree (created by vibe scratch) to a proper name once the work has taken shape.

Usage

vibe rename <new-name> [options]

Options

Option	Description
`-n`, `--dry-run`	Preview operations without executing
`-V`, `--verbose`	Show detailed output
`-q`, `--quiet`	Suppress non-essential output

Examples

# Promote the current scratch to a real name
vibe rename my-feature

# Preview without applying
vibe rename my-feature --dry-run

# Rename any (non-pushed) worktree
cd /path/to/scratch-20260427-143052
vibe rename feat/login

Output:

$ vibe rename my-feature
Renamed scratch/20260427-143052 -> my-feature
Directory: /path/to/scratch-20260427-143052 -> /path/to/repo-my-feature
# → cd '/path/to/repo-my-feature'

Behavior

vibe rename performs two operations:

git worktree move <old-path> <new-path> — rename the directory
git branch -m <old-name> <new-name> — rename the branch

After both succeed, vibe updates its internal MRU bookkeeping and emits a cd command for the shell wrapper, dropping you into the renamed worktree.

Pushed branches are not supported

If the current branch has a remote upstream (i.e. it has been pushed), vibe rename aborts and prints the exact git commands you would need to run manually:

$ vibe rename my-feature
Error: branch 'scratch/20260427-143052' is pushed to 'origin'
vibe rename does not handle pushed branches to avoid remote divergence.
To rename manually:
  git branch -m scratch/20260427-143052 my-feature
  git push origin -u my-feature
  git push origin --delete scratch/20260427-143052
  # then move the worktree directory yourself

This keeps vibe’s behavior simple and predictable. Renaming a remote-tracking branch is something users should do consciously with git directly.

A local-tracking branch (where branch.<name>.remote = ".") is not treated as pushed and renaming proceeds normally.

Conflict detection

vibe rename aborts if the target name is already in use:

A branch with the new name exists
A worktree with the new directory path exists

Main worktree is rejected

vibe rename cannot be run from the main worktree (the repository’s primary checkout). The directory move would relocate the entire repository, which is unsafe. Use git directly if you really need to do this.

Same-name no-op

Running vibe rename with a name that matches the current branch is a no-op: vibe prints Already named '<name>' and emits a cd command for the current path.

Failure recovery

If git worktree move succeeds but git branch -m fails, vibe attempts to roll back the directory move. If rollback also fails, vibe prints a manual recovery command and exits with code 1.

MRU update

If your worktree was tracked in the MRU list (used by vibe jump for ordering), the entry is updated to the new path and branch name. Its timestamp is preserved so MRU ordering does not change.

Exit Codes

Code	Condition
`0`	Successful rename, or same-name no-op
`1`	Error (empty name, main worktree, pushed branch, collision, git failure)

scratch - Create an auto-named worktree
start - Create a worktree with an explicit name
jump - Navigate between worktrees