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:

# 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 1.5.

Step 1.5: Check for Epic Reference

Check if this work relates to an epic:

# Check commits for epic references
EPIC_NUM=$(git log --oneline -20 | grep -oP '(?:epic|Epic)[- ]#?\K\d+' | head -1)

# Check for plan file with epic reference
if [ -z "$EPIC_NUM" ]; then
  PLAN_FILE=$(git log --oneline -20 | grep -oP 'docs/plans/[^\s]+\.md' | head -1)
  if [ -n "$PLAN_FILE" ] && [ -f "$PLAN_FILE" ]; then
    EPIC_NUM=$(grep -oP 'Epic Issue.*#\K\d+' "$PLAN_FILE" | head -1)
  fi
fi

# Verify it's an epic
if [ -n "$EPIC_NUM" ]; then
  if gh issue view "$EPIC_NUM" --json labels --jq '.labels[].name' | grep -q "epic"; then
    echo "✅ Found epic: #$EPIC_NUM"
  else
    EPIC_NUM=""
  fi
fi

Store $EPIC_NUM for later steps.

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 explanation - keep options concise.

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>

If epic detected in Step 1.5:

Use epic-journey-update skill to document implementation journey.

Provide:

• Epic number: $EPIC_NUM
• Branch: <feature-branch>
• Base: <base-branch>

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Option 2: Push and Create PR

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

# Include epic reference if found
EPIC_REF=""
if [ -n "$EPIC_NUM" ]; then
  EPIC_REF="

## Related Epic
Closes #$EPIC_NUM"
fi

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

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

Note: Epic journey updated when PR merges (use epic-journey-update skill at that time).

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

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