Introduction to Workareas

What is wa?

wa (CaseMgr Worktree Manager) combines Git worktrees, VS Code workspaces, and shell aliases into one unified developer workflow. Built with Elixir, it stores worktree metadata in CaseMgr, enabling cross-machine tracking, file management, case integration, and direct MCP access to 150+ tools.

The Problem

Developers face friction when context-switching: remembering complex git worktree commands, managing multiple VS Code windows, navigating nested directories, tracking branch locations, and syncing environments across devices.

The Solution

Five core capabilities work together:

Worktrees — Git worktrees allow multiple branches checked out simultaneously in different directories
Workspaces — VS Code workspace files preserve editor state, open files, and settings per worktree
Aliases — Short names for instant navigation to any worktree via fuzzy matching
File Operations — Upload, download, and move files to/from CaseMgr cases with SHA-256 verification
MCP Passthrough — Direct access to all CaseMgr MCP tools from the command line

Install

curl -fsSL https://casemgr.systems/cli/install.sh | bash

Requires Erlang/OTP runtime. Linux and macOS supported. See the CLI download page for manual installation and full command reference.

Quick Start

# Authenticate
wa login

# List worktrees
wa ls wt

# Create a worktree with branch and alias
wa add --bn=feature-x --alias=fx

# Navigate by alias, open VS Code
cdwa fx
wa code

# Upload a file to a case
wa upload report.pdf

# Call any MCP tool
wa mcp cases.list status=active

Configuration

wa uses environment variables for per-machine customization. See the Configuration page for details.

Variable	Default	Purpose
`CASEMGR_URL`	`https://casemgr.systems/mcp`	MCP server URL
`WORKAREAS_DIR`	`~/.workareas`	Base data directory
`WORKAREAS_WORKSPACE_DIR`	`~/.workareas/workspaces`	VS Code workspace files