Finishing a Development Branch

Overview

Guide completion of development work by presenting clear options and handling chosen workflow.

Core principle: Verify tests -> Present options -> Execute choice -> Clean up.

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:

bash

# 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

bash

# 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 explanation - keep options concise.

Step 4: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

bash

# 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

bash

# 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:

bash

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:

bash

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

If yes:

bash

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

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

Common Mistakes

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

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

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

Iron Laws

ALWAYS run the full test suite and verify it passes before offering any merge/PR option — presenting merge options with failing tests leads to broken main branches and failed CI pipelines.
NEVER force-push to main/master or squash commits without explicit user request — these operations rewrite history and can permanently destroy teammates' work.
ALWAYS present exactly the 4 structured options (merge, PR, keep, discard) — open-ended "what next?" questions cause confusion and missed cleanup steps.
NEVER delete a branch or discard work without typed confirmation from the user — accidental deletion of uncommitted work is irreversible.
ALWAYS clean up the worktree for Options 1 and 4 but preserve it for Options 2 and 3 — orphaned worktrees accumulate and confuse future git operations.

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Skipping test verification before merge	Broken code lands on main; CI fails after the fact	Always run test suite first; gate options on passing tests
Presenting open-ended completion questions	Developer doesn't know available paths; worktrees left orphaned	Present exactly 4 numbered options with clear labels
Deleting branch without confirmation	Developer loses in-progress work permanently	Require typed "discard" confirmation for Option 4
Cleaning up worktree for Option 2 (PR)	Kills local context before PR review is complete	Only remove worktree for Options 1 and 4
Merging directly without pulling latest base	Merge conflicts or stale base; CI detects drift	`git pull` on base branch before `git merge`

Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)

Before starting: Read

.claude/context/memory/learnings.md

After completing:

New pattern ->
```
.claude/context/memory/learnings.md
```
Issue found ->
```
.claude/context/memory/issues.md
```
Decision made ->
```
.claude/context/memory/decisions.md
```

ASSUME INTERRUPTION: If it's not in memory, it didn't happen.

finishing-a-development-branch

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Finishing a Development Branch

Overview

The Process

Step 1: Verify Tests

Step 2: Determine Base Branch

Step 3: Present Options

Step 4: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

Option 2: Push and Create PR

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Option 4: Discard

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

Quick Reference

Common Mistakes

Red Flags

Integration

Iron Laws

Anti-Patterns

Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)