go-merge

name	go-merge
description	Use when the user asks to merge a completed local worktree branch back to develop without a PR, mark an associated Linear issue done, and clean up the worktree and branch. Also use when the user says "go-merge".

Go Merge

Merge a completed local worktree branch back to local develop, then remove the worktree and merged branch without losing work.

Scope

Use this when the user wants a local merge instead of a PR. It is for feature or bugfix worktrees, not the main repo worktree.

The expected main worktree for this repo is /Users/dwitt/Workspace/braket-tickets, and it should be on develop. If it is not on develop, stop and report the mismatch before merging.

Non-Negotiables

• Do not push, rebase, reset, stash, force-delete, or checkout files.
• Do not merge from a dirty source branch. Commit owned work first, preferably with go-commit.
• Do not merge into a dirty develop worktree. Stop and report the blocking files.
• Use git merge --no-verify <branch> when merging into develop.
• Mark a Linear issue Done only after the merge succeeds. If no Linear issue was provided or discoverable, skip Linear silently.
• Remove the source worktree only after the merge succeeds and the source branch is fully merged.
• Delete the source branch only with normal git branch -d, never git branch -D.
• Do not use git worktree remove --force. If cleanup is blocked by untracked files, inspect them first.

Workflow

1. Record the starting point:
   • git rev-parse --show-toplevel
   • git branch --show-current
   • git status --short
   • git rev-parse HEAD
   • git worktree list --porcelain
2. Confirm source branch:
   • It must not be develop, main, or empty.
   • It should be checked out in a non-main worktree.
   • If git status --short is not clean, commit owned changes first or ask if ownership is ambiguous.
3. Find target develop worktree:
   • Prefer /Users/dwitt/Workspace/braket-tickets when it is part of this repo.
   • Otherwise use the worktree listed for branch refs/heads/develop.
   • If no local develop worktree exists, stop and ask.
4. Check target safety:
   • In the target worktree, verify git branch --show-current is develop.
   • Verify git status --short is clean.
   • Verify the source branch exists and points to the expected source commit.
5. Merge locally:
   • git merge --no-verify <source-branch>
   • If conflicts occur, resolve them carefully in the target develop worktree.
   • After resolving, run targeted validation for conflicted areas when practical, then complete the merge commit with git commit --no-verify.
   • If conflicts are unclear or risk dropping work, stop and report the conflicted files and why they need user input.
6. Verify merge:
   • git status --short in develop is clean.
   • git branch --merged develop includes the source branch.
   • git log --oneline --decorate -n 5 shows the merge or fast-forward result.
7. Mark Linear Done:
   • If a Linear issue identifier was provided by the user or clearly present in the branch/task context, mark it Done with the available Linear tool.
   • If no issue is known, do nothing. Do not ask only for Linear.
8. Cleanup:
   • Return to a safe directory outside the source worktree, usually the target develop worktree.
   • Remove the source worktree: git worktree remove <source-worktree-path>.
   • If removal fails, inspect git -C <source-worktree-path> status --short --ignored.
   • Delete only clearly generated or dependency artifacts, such as node_modules/, .angular/cache/, dist/, coverage/, or reports/, then retry worktree removal.
   • If unknown untracked files remain, stop and report them instead of forcing removal.
   • Delete the source branch only after worktree removal succeeds: git branch -d <source-branch>.
   • Run git worktree list and git branch --list <source-branch> to confirm cleanup.

Conflict Handling

Merge conflicts are allowed, but work loss is not.

• Inspect each conflicted file with git status --short and the conflict markers.
• Keep both sides unless the correct resolution is obvious from tests, types, or surrounding code.
• Do not choose ours/theirs wholesale for convenience.
• Do not clean up the source worktree or delete the branch while the merge is unresolved.
• If the merge cannot be completed safely, leave the source worktree and branch intact and report exact next steps.

Red Flags

• The current directory is /Users/dwitt/Workspace/braket-tickets and the current branch is not develop.
• The target develop worktree has unrelated changes.
• The source worktree has uncommitted changes that have not gone through go-commit.
• The source worktree has unknown untracked files during cleanup.
• git branch --merged develop does not list the source branch after merge.
• You are tempted to use git branch -D, git reset, git stash, or git worktree remove --force.
• Linear is marked Done before the merge succeeds.
• Cleanup is skipped because the merge was the main goal.

Common Rationalizations

Excuse	Reality
"The branch merged, cleanup can wait."	Cleanup is part of the task. Verify safety, then remove the worktree and delete the merged branch.
"The worktree remove failed, so I'll force it."	A failed removal may mean uncommitted or untracked work. Stop and inspect.
"Untracked files are probably generated."	Verify them. Only remove known generated or dependency artifacts; preserve unknown files.
"The main worktree is probably develop."	Verify it. Merging into the wrong branch is worse than stopping.
"Conflicts are small, choose ours/theirs."	Conflict resolution needs file-level reasoning. Escalate when the correct result is unclear.
"The user mentioned a Linear bug, mark it done now."	Mark Done only after the local merge succeeds.

Report Back

Report the source branch, source worktree path, target develop path, merge commit or fast-forward commit, Linear update if any, cleanup results, and any validation run. If cleanup was blocked, report exactly what remains and why.