finishing-a-development-branch

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 (applying verification-before-completion discipline — evidence, not assumption):

# 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

Environment note: Determine workspace state first:

GIT_DIR=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-dir 2>/dev/null)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
GIT_COMMON=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir 2>/dev/null)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)

If GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON and HEAD is detached (externally-managed workspace), present the reduced 3-option menu (no local merge):

Implementation complete. You're on a detached HEAD (externally managed workspace).

1. Push as new branch and create a Pull Request
2. Keep as-is (I'll handle it later)
3. Discard this work

Which option?

Otherwise (normal repo or named-branch worktree), 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

# Operate in the MAIN repo, not inside the feature worktree
MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"
git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>
<test command>     # verify tests on merged result BEFORE removing anything
# Then tear down the worktree (Step 5): native ExitWorktree(remove), or manual worktree remove
# Only AFTER the worktree is gone:
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Tear down the worktree (Step 5) first; the git branch -d shown above runs only after the worktree is gone.

Option 2: Push and Create PR

Note: Keep the worktree after creating the PR (the branch is still active).

# 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: Keep worktree (branch is still active for PR updates).

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: "Keeping branch . Worktree preserved at ."

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, switch to the base branch, tear down the worktree FIRST, then force-delete the branch:

git checkout <base-branch>
# Tear down the worktree (Step 5): native ExitWorktree(remove, discard_changes), or manual worktree remove
# Only AFTER the worktree is gone:
git branch -D <feature-branch>

Tear down the worktree (Step 5) first; the git branch -D shown above runs only after the worktree is gone.

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

Native teardown (preferred). If the worktree was created with EnterWorktree this session, use ExitWorktree — it returns the session to the original directory and removes or keeps the worktree safely (it only ever touches worktrees this session created):

• Option 1 (merge locally): after merge + verify in the main repo, ExitWorktree(action: "remove").
• Option 4 (discard): after typed confirmation, ExitWorktree(action: "remove", discard_changes: true).
• Options 2 (PR) and 3 (keep): ExitWorktree(action: "keep") (or leave in place) — branch stays active.

If ExitWorktree reports no active worktree session (e.g., the worktree was created manually or in a different session), fall back to the manual cleanup below.

Manual fallback (non-native worktrees):

For Options 1 and 4:

Check if in worktree (match on the worktree's root path — git branch --show-current is empty on a detached HEAD and would make grep match every line):

WORKTREE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
git worktree list | grep -F "$WORKTREE_ROOT"

If yes — change directory to the main repo BEFORE removing the worktree:

# CRITICAL: cd to main repo first. If your shell CWD is inside the worktree,
# removing it destroys the CWD and every subsequent Bash call will fail.
cd "$(git worktree list | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')"

# Now safe to remove
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)

For Options 1 and 4, remove the worktree before deleting the branch (a branch backing an active worktree can't be cleanly deleted).

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

Removing worktree while CWD is inside it

• Problem: Shell CWD becomes invalid; every subsequent Bash call fails
• Fix: Always cd to main repo root BEFORE git worktree remove

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

Hard Rules

These guardrails exist because the stakes — someone else's code, history, or work — don't forgive mistakes:

• Don't proceed with failing tests
• Don't merge without re-verifying tests on the merged result
• Don't delete work without typed confirmation
• Don't force-push without an explicit request

Always:

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

Integration

Called by:

• subagent-driven-development (Step 7) - After all tasks complete
• team-driven-development (Step 6) - After lead consolidates team results
• executing-plans (Step 3) - After all tasks complete

Pairs with:

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