finish-branch

name	finish-branch
description	Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work - guides completion of development work by presenting structured options for merge, PR, or cleanup

Finishing a Development Branch

Verify tests, present the integration options, execute the chosen one, then clean up.

Step 1: Verify Tests

Verify the test suite passes before presenting options — the options are all ways of shipping the work, and none of them are available for work that does not pass.

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

If tests fail, report and stop here:

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

[Show failures]

Cannot proceed with merge/PR until tests pass.

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 four options, with no added explanation — an open-ended "what next?" produces an ambiguous answer:

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?

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>

The merged result gets its own test run: two branches that each pass can still conflict semantically. Then clean up the 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
)"

Keep the worktree: review feedback usually lands back on this branch. Force-push only when the user explicitly asks for it.

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: "Keeping branch . Worktree preserved at ." Keep the worktree.

Option 4: Discard

Discarding is irreversible, so it takes a typed confirmation naming what will be lost — an accidental "yes" cannot recover the commits:

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

Type 'discard' to confirm.

Wait for that exact word. Anything else is not a confirmation. Once confirmed:

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

Then clean up the worktree (Step 5).

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1 and 4, check whether you are in a worktree and remove it:

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

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Options 2 and 3, keep the worktree.

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

Integration

Called by:

• develop - After all tasks complete and holistic review has run

Pairs with:

• worktrees - Cleans up worktree created by that skill