Finishing a Development Branch

Complete development work by presenting structured options for merge, PR, or cleanup

Guide the completion of development work by verifying tests, presenting clear options, and handling the chosen workflow. This skill ensures work is production-ready before integration.

Core Principle

Verify tests → Present options → Execute choice → Clean up

Never merge untested code. Always give clear options. Always clean up when appropriate.

Always announce at start: “I’m using the finishing-a-development-branch skill to complete this work.”

The Process

Step 1: Verify Tests

Before presenting options, verify tests pass:

# Run project's test suite
npm test
cargo test
pytest
go test ./...

If tests fail:

Tests failing (<N> failures). Must fix before completing:

[Show failures]

Cannot proceed with merge/PR until tests pass.

Stop. Don’t proceed to Step 2.

If tests pass: Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Determine Base Branch

# Try common base branches
git merge-base HEAD main 2>/dev/null || git merge-base HEAD master 2>/dev/null

Or ask: “This branch split from main - is that correct?”

Step 3: Present Options

Present exactly these 4 options:

Implementation complete. What would you like to do?

1. Merge back to <base-branch> locally
2. Push and create a Pull Request
3. Keep the branch as-is (I'll handle it later)
4. Discard this work

Which option?

Don’t add explanations - keep options concise. The user knows what they mean.

Step 4: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

# Switch to base branch
git checkout <base-branch>

# Pull latest
git pull

# Merge feature branch
git merge <feature-branch>

# Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

# If tests pass
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Option 2: Push and Create PR

# Push branch
git push -u origin <feature-branch>

# Create PR
gh pr create --title "<title>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<2-3 bullets of what changed>

## Test Plan
- [ ] <verification steps>
EOF
)"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: “Keeping branch <name>. Worktree preserved at <path>.”

Don’t cleanup worktree.

Option 4: Discard

Confirm first:

This will permanently delete:
- Branch <name>
- All commits: <commit-list>
- Worktree at <path>

Type 'discard' to confirm.

Wait for exact confirmation.

If confirmed:

git checkout <base-branch>
git branch -D <feature-branch>

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1, 2, 4:

Check if in worktree:

git worktree list | grep $(git branch --show-current)

If yes:

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Cleanup Branch
1. Merge locally	✓	-	-	✓
2. Create PR	-	✓	✓	-
3. Keep as-is	-	-	✓	-
4. Discard	-	-	-	✓ (force)

Common Pitfalls

Skipping test verification

Problem: Merge broken code, create failing PR

Fix: Always verify tests before offering options

Open-ended questions

Problem: “What should I do next?” → ambiguous

Fix: Present exactly 4 structured options

Automatic worktree cleanup

Problem: Remove worktree when might need it (Option 2, 3)

Fix: Only cleanup for Options 1 and 4

No confirmation for discard

Problem: Accidentally delete work

Fix: Require typed “discard” confirmation

Decision Tree

Tests pass?
├─ No → Fix tests first
└─ Yes → Present 4 options
    ├─ 1. Merge locally → Merge + verify + cleanup worktree
    ├─ 2. Create PR → Push + create PR + cleanup worktree
    ├─ 3. Keep as-is → Report + keep worktree
    └─ 4. Discard → Confirm → delete branch + cleanup worktree

Red Flags

Never:

• Proceed with failing tests
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only

Integration with Other Skills

Called by

• subagent-driven-development (Step 7) - After all tasks complete
• executing-plans (Step 5) - After all batches complete

Pairs with

• using-git-worktrees - Cleans up worktree created by that skill

Related Skills

• Using Git Worktrees - Create isolated workspaces
• Verification Before Completion - Verify work before claiming complete