Templates are pre-configured settings for creating worktrees tailored to specific workflows. They save time by automatically setting the right AI tool, base branch, and AI instructions for common tasks.

Why Use Templates?

Instead of manually specifying options every time:

# Without templates (verbose)
owt new "Fix login bug" --ai-tool claude --base main

Use a template:

# With templates (concise)
owt new "Fix login bug" -t bugfix

Benefits:

• Consistent workflows across your team
• Automatic AI tool and branch selection
• Pre-configured AI instructions for each workflow
• Faster worktree creation

Built-in Templates

Open Orchestrator includes 3 built-in templates:

feature

New feature development with planning phase.

owt new "Add user authentication" -t feature

• AI Instructions: Plan mode first, then TDD, then develop
• Base Branch: develop (or current branch)
• Plan Mode: Enabled
• Best For: New features, medium-to-complex work

bugfix

Bug investigation and root cause analysis.

owt new "Fix login timeout" -t bugfix

• AI Instructions: Root cause analysis first, then fix
• Base Branch: main
• Plan Mode: Disabled (direct investigation)
• Best For: Bug fixes, production issues

hotfix

Production emergency fixes with minimal changes.

owt new "Fix critical auth bypass" -t hotfix

• AI Instructions: Minimal change, fix only the issue
• Base Branch: main
• Plan Mode: Disabled (immediate action)
• Best For: Production emergencies, critical bugs

Template Usage

Using Built-in Templates

# Use the feature template
owt new "Build payment module" -t feature

# Use the bugfix template
owt new "Fix cart calculation" -t bugfix

# Use the hotfix template
owt new "Patch security vulnerability" -t hotfix

Templates with AI Tool Override

You can override the AI tool even when using a template:

owt new "Build REST API" -t feature --ai-tool opencode

Custom Templates

Create custom templates in your .worktreerc file using TOML table syntax:

[templates.tdd-feature]
name = "tdd-feature"
description = "Feature development with TDD workflow"
base_branch = "develop"
ai_tool = "claude"
plan_mode = true
ai_instructions = """
Follow test-driven development:
1. Write failing test
2. Make it pass
3. Refactor
"""

[templates.security-audit]
name = "security-audit"
description = "Security review and vulnerability assessment"
base_branch = "main"
ai_tool = "claude"
plan_mode = true
ai_instructions = """
Perform a security audit:
1. Review authentication and authorization
2. Check input validation
3. Look for injection vulnerabilities
4. Review secrets handling
"""

Template Options

Option	Type	Description
name	string	Unique template identifier
description	string	Short description
base_branch	string	Branch to create from (e.g., main, develop)
ai_tool	string	AI tool: claude, opencode, droid
plan_mode	boolean	Start AI in plan mode
ai_instructions	string	Instructions to provide to the AI tool

Using Custom Templates

# Use your custom template
owt new "Add OAuth login" -t tdd-feature

# Use another custom template
owt new "Review auth module" -t security-audit

Team Workflow Examples

Backend Team Template

[templates.api-feature]
name = "api-feature"
description = "Backend API feature with testing"
base_branch = "develop"
ai_tool = "claude"
plan_mode = true
ai_instructions = """
Follow these standards:
- RESTful API design
- OpenAPI documentation
- Integration tests required
- Error handling with proper status codes
"""

Frontend Team Template

[templates.ui-feature]
name = "ui-feature"
description = "Frontend UI feature with component tests"
base_branch = "develop"
ai_tool = "claude"
plan_mode = true
ai_instructions = """
Follow these standards:
- Component-based architecture
- Tailwind CSS for styling
- Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1)
- Unit tests for components
"""

Task-Type Prompt Protocols

In addition to templates, Open Orchestrator includes a prompt builder that automatically classifies tasks and applies structured protocols. When an agent session is created (via owt new), the task description is classified into one of five types:

Task Type	Protocol
bugfix	Reproduce → Diagnose → Fix → Verify → Regression → Commit
feature	Orient → Explore → Implement → Test → Verify → Commit
refactor	Baseline → Plan → Refactor → Verify → Cleanup → Commit
test	Survey → Identify → Write → Run → Coverage → Commit
docs	Read → Draft → Review → Commit

Each protocol includes DO / DON'T guidance and parallel execution hints based on Anthropic's prompt engineering research. Cross-cutting sections for commit safety and turn efficiency are included in all protocols.

Task Classification

Classification is deterministic and keyword-based -- no LLM call required. The prompt builder scans the task description for keywords:

• bugfix: "fix", "bug", "broken", "error", "crash", "regression"
• refactor: "refactor", "restructure", "reorganize", "clean up"
• test: "test", "coverage", "spec", "assert"
• docs: "document", "readme", "docs", "docstring"
• feature: everything else (default)

Failure Classification and Retry Context

When an agent fails, the prompt builder classifies the failure and structures a retry prompt with targeted guidance:

Failure Type	Detection	Retry Guidance
syntax	Parse/syntax errors	Fix the syntax error before proceeding
test_failure	Test assertion failures	Read the failing test, understand the assertion, fix the implementation
timeout	Exceeded time limit	Reduce scope, focus on the critical path
dependency	Import/module errors	Check dependencies and install commands
runtime	Runtime exceptions	Add error handling, check edge cases
logic	Other failures	Re-read the requirements, verify approach

This ensures retried agents receive targeted context rather than starting from scratch.

Tips

1. Start with built-in templates -- They cover the most common workflows
2. Create team-specific templates -- Enforce team standards automatically
3. Use meaningful names -- api-feature is clearer than template1
4. Version control .worktreerc -- Share templates with the team
5. Keep AI instructions focused -- Clear instructions produce better results

Next Steps

• Learn about Branch Naming
• Learn about AI Tool Settings
• See .worktreerc Reference
• Read about Parallel Features Workflow