diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView+Launch.swift b/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView+Launch.swift
index 29323cd9..647f55f7 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView+Launch.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView+Launch.swift
@@ -153,9 +153,20 @@ extension ContentView {
                     )
                 }
 
+                // For agents without native --worktree support, create the worktree manually
+                var launchPath = projectPath
+                var manualWorktreeLink: WorktreeLink?
+                if let wtName = worktreeName, !wtName.isEmpty, !assistant.supportsWorktree {
+                    let adapter = GitWorktreeAdapter()
+                    let wt = try await adapter.createWorktree(repoRoot: projectPath, name: wtName)
+                    launchPath = wt.path
+                    manualWorktreeLink = WorktreeLink(path: wt.path, branch: wt.branch ?? wtName, isManual: true)
+                    KanbanCodeLog.info("launch", "Created manual worktree for \(assistant.displayName): \(wt.path)")
+                }
+
                 let tmuxName = try await launcher.launch(
                     sessionName: predictedTmuxName,
-                    projectPath: projectPath,
+                    projectPath: launchPath,
                     prompt: prompt,
                     worktreeName: assistant.supportsWorktree ? worktreeName : nil,
                     shellOverride: shellOverride,
@@ -263,9 +274,12 @@ extension ContentView {
                     if sessionLink != nil { break }
                 }
 
-                // If worktree launch, try to extract branch from the session file immediately
+                // Resolve worktreeLink: manual worktrees are known immediately,
+                // native worktrees need extraction from the session file metadata
                 var worktreeLink: WorktreeLink?
-                if worktreeName != nil, let sl = sessionLink, let sp = sl.sessionPath {
+                if let mwl = manualWorktreeLink {
+                    worktreeLink = mwl
+                } else if worktreeName != nil, let sl = sessionLink, let sp = sl.sessionPath {
                     worktreeLink = Self.extractWorktreeLink(sessionPath: sp, projectPath: projectPath)
                 }
 
@@ -463,7 +477,7 @@ extension ContentView {
                 if !keepWorktree {
                     // Extract parent project if projectPath is a worktree path
                     if let pp = forkProjectPath,
-                       let range = pp.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") {
+                       let range = pp.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") ?? pp.range(of: "/.worktrees/") {
                         forkProjectPath = String(pp[..<range.lowerBound])
                     }
                     // Always place the forked session in the correct project dir
diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView+Worktree.swift b/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView+Worktree.swift
index e22717a4..6451491c 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView+Worktree.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView+Worktree.swift
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ extension ContentView {
             let repoRoot: String
             if let range = info.remotePath.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") {
                 repoRoot = String(info.remotePath[..<range.lowerBound])
+            } else if let range = info.remotePath.range(of: "/.worktrees/") {
+                repoRoot = String(info.remotePath[..<range.lowerBound])
             } else {
                 repoRoot = (info.remotePath as NSString).deletingLastPathComponent
             }
diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView.swift b/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView.swift
index 17df90bd..7759f7bb 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCode/ContentView.swift
@@ -1048,7 +1048,7 @@ struct ContentView: View {
     /// Offer worktree cleanup after archive/delete if applicable.
     private func offerWorktreeCleanupIfNeeded(card: KanbanCodeCard?) {
         guard let card, let wt = card.link.worktreeLink,
-              !wt.path.isEmpty, wt.path.contains("/.claude/worktrees/"),
+              !wt.path.isEmpty, wt.path.contains("/.claude/worktrees/") || wt.path.contains("/.worktrees/"),
               canCleanupWorktree(for: card) else { return }
         Task { @MainActor in
             try? await Task.sleep(for: .milliseconds(300))
diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCode/LaunchConfirmationDialog.swift b/Sources/KanbanCode/LaunchConfirmationDialog.swift
index 6f318926..3273779c 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCode/LaunchConfirmationDialog.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCode/LaunchConfirmationDialog.swift
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ struct LaunchConfirmationDialog: View {
 
                     // Checkboxes
                     VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 6) {
-                        if !isResume && !hasExistingWorktree && assistant.supportsWorktree {
+                        if !isResume && !hasExistingWorktree {
                             Toggle("Create worktree", isOn: isGitRepo ? $createWorktree : .constant(false))
                                 .font(.app(.callout))
                                 .disabled(!isGitRepo)
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ struct LaunchConfirmationDialog: View {
     // MARK: - Computed
 
     private var effectiveCreateWorktree: Bool {
-        !isResume && !hasExistingWorktree && createWorktree && isGitRepo && assistant.supportsWorktree
+        !isResume && !hasExistingWorktree && createWorktree && isGitRepo
     }
 
     private var effectiveRunRemotely: Bool {
diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Adapters/ClaudeCode/JsonlParser.swift b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Adapters/ClaudeCode/JsonlParser.swift
index db494d7c..b73dc660 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Adapters/ClaudeCode/JsonlParser.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Adapters/ClaudeCode/JsonlParser.swift
@@ -286,8 +286,8 @@ public enum JsonlParser {
     /// Resolve a path to its likely git root.
     /// Strips `.claude/worktrees/<name>` suffix since worktrees are inside the repo.
     private static func resolveGitRoot(_ path: String) -> String {
-        // Pattern: /repo/.claude/worktrees/<name> → /repo
-        if let range = path.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") {
+        // Pattern: /repo/.claude/worktrees/<name> or /repo/.worktrees/<name> → /repo
+        if let range = path.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") ?? path.range(of: "/.worktrees/") {
             return String(path[path.startIndex..<range.lowerBound])
         }
         return path
diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Adapters/Git/GitWorktreeAdapter.swift b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Adapters/Git/GitWorktreeAdapter.swift
index 82d3976f..fdbdd984 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Adapters/Git/GitWorktreeAdapter.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Adapters/Git/GitWorktreeAdapter.swift
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ public final class GitWorktreeAdapter: WorktreeManagerPort, @unchecked Sendable
             effectiveRoot = repoRoot
         } else if let range = path.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") {
             effectiveRoot = String(path[..<range.lowerBound])
+        } else if let range = path.range(of: "/.worktrees/") {
+            effectiveRoot = String(path[..<range.lowerBound])
         } else {
             effectiveRoot = (path as NSString).deletingLastPathComponent
         }
diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Domain/Entities/Link.swift b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Domain/Entities/Link.swift
index 898395d2..16f06d58 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Domain/Entities/Link.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/Domain/Entities/Link.swift
@@ -45,10 +45,13 @@ public struct TmuxLink: Codable, Sendable, Equatable {
 public struct WorktreeLink: Codable, Sendable, Equatable {
     public var path: String
     public var branch: String?
+    /// True when Kanban Code created this worktree manually (for agents without native --worktree support).
+    public var isManual: Bool?
 
-    public init(path: String, branch: String? = nil) {
+    public init(path: String, branch: String? = nil, isManual: Bool = false) {
         self.path = path
         self.branch = branch
+        self.isManual = isManual ? true : nil
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/UseCases/BoardState.swift b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/UseCases/BoardState.swift
index 3a4fadb6..fb4cd189 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/UseCases/BoardState.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/UseCases/BoardState.swift
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public final class BoardState: @unchecked Sendable {
 
         // Worktree match: card's worktree is at the git root (e.g. repo/.claude/worktrees/name)
         // but the selected project is a subfolder of that repo (monorepo layout).
-        if let range = normalizedCard.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") {
+        if let range = normalizedCard.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") ?? normalizedCard.range(of: "/.worktrees/") {
             let repoRoot = String(normalizedCard[..<range.lowerBound])
             if normalizedSelected == repoRoot || normalizedSelected.hasPrefix(repoRoot + "/") {
                 return true
diff --git a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/UseCases/CardReconciler.swift b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/UseCases/CardReconciler.swift
index ed96de23..4e261ff1 100644
--- a/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/UseCases/CardReconciler.swift
+++ b/Sources/KanbanCodeCore/UseCases/CardReconciler.swift
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ public enum CardReconciler {
                 // Handles both initial launch (worktreeLink == nil) and worktree switches
                 // (Claude called EnterWorktree → session moved to a different worktree).
                 if let pp = session.projectPath,
-                   pp.contains("/.claude/worktrees/") {
+                   pp.contains("/.claude/worktrees/") || pp.contains("/.worktrees/") {
                     let needsUpdate = link.worktreeLink == nil
                         || (link.worktreeLink?.path != pp && link.sessionLink?.sessionId == session.id)
                     let shouldUpdate = needsUpdate && (link.isLaunching == true || link.worktreeLink != nil)
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ public enum CardReconciler {
                             }
                         }
                         // Fallback: extract from path if worktree not in snapshot yet
-                        if branchName == nil, let range = pp.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") {
+                        if branchName == nil, let range = pp.range(of: "/.claude/worktrees/") ?? pp.range(of: "/.worktrees/") {
                             let afterPrefix = String(pp[range.upperBound...])
                             branchName = afterPrefix.components(separatedBy: "/").first
                         }
@@ -585,5 +585,6 @@ public enum CardReconciler {
     private static func isWorktreeUnder(sessionPath: String, projectRoot: String?) -> Bool {
         guard let projectRoot else { return false }
         return sessionPath.hasPrefix(projectRoot + "/.claude/worktrees/")
+            || sessionPath.hasPrefix(projectRoot + "/.worktrees/")
     }
 }
diff --git a/specs/sessions/manual-worktree-for-codex.feature b/specs/sessions/manual-worktree-for-codex.feature
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..665da6b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/specs/sessions/manual-worktree-for-codex.feature
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+Feature: Manual worktree creation for agents without native worktree support
+
+  Agents like Codex CLI and Gemini CLI don't have a `--worktree` flag.
+  Kanban Code should create git worktrees manually before launching these agents,
+  launch them cd'd into the worktree directory, track the worktree as "manual",
+  and clean it up when the card is archived/deleted.
+
+  Background:
+    Given a project at "/tmp/my-app" that is a git repository
+    And the user has Codex enabled as a coding assistant
+    And the project has a clean working tree on branch "main"
+
+  @unit
+  Scenario: Launch dialog shows "Create worktree" for Codex
+    Given a card with assistant "codex" and no existing worktree
+    When the launch confirmation dialog is shown
+    Then the "Create worktree" checkbox is visible
+    And the "Branch name" text field appears when the checkbox is enabled
+
+  @unit
+  Scenario: Launch dialog shows "Create worktree" for Gemini
+    Given a card with assistant "gemini" and no existing worktree
+    When the launch confirmation dialog is shown
+    Then the "Create worktree" checkbox is visible
+
+  @unit
+  Scenario: WorktreeLink tracks manual worktrees
+    Given a WorktreeLink with path "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth" and branch "feature-auth"
+    When isManual is set to true
+    Then encoding and decoding preserves the isManual flag
+
+  @integration
+  Scenario: Codex card launches in a manually-created worktree
+    Given a card with assistant "codex" and worktreeName "feature-auth"
+    And the user has "Create worktree" enabled
+    When the card is launched
+    Then a git worktree is created at "<projectPath>/.worktrees/feature-auth" on branch "feature-auth"
+    And the tmux session is launched with cd to the worktree directory
+    And the card's worktreeLink has path "<projectPath>/.worktrees/feature-auth"
+    And the card's worktreeLink has branch "feature-auth"
+    And the card's worktreeLink has isManual = true
+
+  @integration
+  Scenario: Codex card launches without worktree when checkbox is disabled
+    Given a card with assistant "codex" and worktreeName nil
+    And the user has "Create worktree" disabled
+    When the card is launched
+    Then no git worktree is created
+    And the tmux session is launched with cd to the project root
+    And the card's worktreeLink is nil
+
+  @integration
+  Scenario: Manual worktree is cleaned up on card archive
+    Given a card with assistant "codex" and a manual worktreeLink at "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth"
+    When the card is archived
+    Then the git worktree at "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth" is removed
+    And the worktreeLink is cleared from the card
+
+  @integration
+  Scenario: Manual worktree is cleaned up on card delete
+    Given a card with assistant "codex" and a manual worktreeLink at "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth"
+    When the card is deleted
+    Then the git worktree at "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth" is removed
+
+  @integration
+  Scenario: Codex resumes inside the worktree directory
+    Given a card with assistant "codex" and worktreeLink at "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth"
+    When the card is resumed
+    Then the resume command cd's into "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth"
+
+  @unit
+  Scenario: GitWorktreeAdapter creates worktree with custom base directory
+    Given a repo root at "/tmp/my-app"
+    When createWorktree is called with name "feature-auth"
+    Then the worktree is created at "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth"
+    And the branch is "feature-auth"
+
+  @unit
+  Scenario: Worktree cleanup handles both .worktrees/ and .claude/worktrees/ paths
+    Given a worktree path "/tmp/my-app/.worktrees/feature-auth"
+    When removeWorktree is called
+    Then the repo root is derived as "/tmp/my-app"
+    And git worktree remove is executed successfully
+
+  @unit
+  Scenario: effectiveCreateWorktree is true for Codex when conditions are met
+    Given assistant is "codex"
+    And isGitRepo is true
+    And createWorktree checkbox is true
+    And isResume is false
+    And hasExistingWorktree is false
+    Then effectiveCreateWorktree returns true