fix: don't name shell variables "path" - zsh ties it to $PATH

[stilliard]

The bug

wt merged --rm fails partway through under zsh, leaving the worktree in place:

wt: remove 1 worktree(s) and their Claude Code sessions? [y/N] y
git: command not found
awk: command not found
wt: no worktree matching 'worktree-unchat-nudges'

In zsh the path array is tied to PATH. A local path (or a bare read -r path) empties PATH for that function's scope and every function it calls, so git/awk stop resolving mid-run.

This explains the failure ordering exactly: in _wt_merged the awk/grep/confirm prompt all run before local main_wt path branch failed=0; the first command after it is git worktree list | awk — the first error seen. _wt_rm → _wt_resolve then fail for the same reason, producing the "no worktree matching" tail. PATH is restored when the function returns, which is why the shell keeps working afterwards.

zsh -c 'f() { local path; echo "PATH=[$PATH]"; }; f'   # → PATH=[]

The fix

Rename to wt_path at all four sites — declaration and every use:

• _wt_claude_table and _wt_merged — the two reachable from the reported failure
• _wt_claude_rm_sessions, _wt_run_adhoc_hook — same latent bug

Renaming only the declaration would be worse: the leftover read -r path would then write straight into zsh's tied array and clobber PATH permanently rather than for the function's scope.

WT_PATH, the hook env var, is not a special name and is unchanged — the hook contract is untouched.

Also drops the comment claiming the claude CLI mutates the caller's PATH. That was a misdiagnosis of this same bug (a subprocess cannot alter its parent's environment); the real reason the jq/column lookups had to happen early was local path in _wt_claude_table. The up-front binary resolution stays — the one-shot session fetch is still worth it.

Tests

The suite runs under bash, where this bug class is completely invisible, so test/zsh.bats adds:

1. a behavioural wt merged --rm run under a real zsh (skips when zsh is absent)
2. a static grep guard against any local/read naming a variable path, covering functions with no zsh coverage

Both fail against the pre-fix wt.sh and pass after. Full suite: 55/55 green.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[stilliard]

👍

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Fixes a zsh-specific failure mode where naming a shell variable path (via local path or read -r path) can clobber PATH due to zsh’s tied path array, causing downstream commands like git/awk to stop resolving during wt merged --rm.

Changes:

• Renames shell variables previously named path to wt_path in affected functions to avoid zsh’s path/PATH coupling.
• Removes an incorrect comment about the claude CLI mutating the caller’s PATH.
• Adds zsh-focused tests: a behavioral wt merged --rm run under real zsh (skipped if absent) plus a static guard to prevent reintroducing path as a shell variable name.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 3 out of 3 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

File	Description
wt.sh	Renames shell variable path usages to wt_path and updates related comments to prevent zsh PATH clobbering.
test/zsh.bats	Adds a zsh behavioral regression test and a static grep-based guard against path shell variables.
test/helpers.bash	Exposes WT_SH path for tests so zsh can source the same script location reliably.

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