finishing-a-development-branch

name	finishing-a-development-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

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 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 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

CRITICAL: Only merge after ALL tests pass. Never merge broken code to main/master.

IMPORTANT: Clean up commit history before merging to keep main/master readable.

# Switch to base branch
git checkout <base-branch>

# Pull latest
git pull

# STEP 1: Rebase and clean up commits
# Rebase feature branch onto latest base to create linear history
git checkout <feature-branch>
git rebase <base-branch>

# Interactive rebase to clean up commit history
# This creates atomic, clear commits and hides:
# - Invalid attempts during development
# - Repeated modifications
# - Timeline chaos (commits out of logical order)
git rebase -i <base-branch>

# In the editor:
# - Squash/fixup related commits
# - Reorder commits to be logical
# - Reword commit messages to be clear (follow 50/72 rule: subject ≤50 chars, body lines ≤72 chars)
# - Result: Clean, atomic commits that tell a story

# STEP 2: Verify tests on rebased branch
<test command>

# If tests FAIL after rebase:
# - Fix issues on feature branch
# - Commit fixes
# - Re-run rebase cleanup if needed
# - Re-test until passing

# STEP 3: Merge rebased feature branch
git checkout <base-branch>
git merge <feature-branch>

# REQUIRED: Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

# If tests FAIL - DO NOT PROCEED
# Checkout back to feature branch and fix
git checkout <feature-branch>
# Fix issues, commit, push
# Start over from STEP 1

# If tests PASS - safe to finalize
# Mark branch as merged but KEEP it (don't delete yet)
# User will clean up old branches periodically based on their own policy
git branch --edit-description <feature-branch> "Merged to <base-branch> on $(date +%Y-%m-%d)"

# Push merged result to remote
git push origin <base-branch>

Why rebase before merging:

• Creates linear, readable history
• Removes development noise (failed attempts, debug commits)
• Makes commits atomic and logical
• Main/master stays clean and easy to understand

Red flag: If tests fail after rebase or merge, fix on feature branch first.

Branch retention: Merged branches are kept (not deleted) so user can review and clean up old branches on their own schedule.

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Option 2: Push and Create PR

CRITICAL: Always create PR from a separate branch, NEVER from main/master.

# Verify you're on feature branch (not main/master)
current_branch=$(git branch --show-current)
if [[ "$current_branch" == "main" || "$current_branch" == "master" ]]; then
    echo "ERROR: Cannot create PR from main/master. Create feature branch first."
    exit 1
fi

# Push branch (if not already pushed)
git push -u origin <feature-branch>

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

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

Why mandatory separate branch:

• Later commits to main/master won't pollute this PR's changes
• PR shows only the feature changes, not subsequent work
• Clean separation between work items

After PR created:

• Continue work on main/master for other tasks
• This PR remains clean with only feature-related commits
• Merge PR when approved (via GitHub UI or gh pr merge)

PR HYGIENE - CRITICAL:

While PR is open and awaiting merge:

• ONLY push commits related to this PR to the feature branch
• NEVER push unrelated work to the feature branch
• If you need to work on other features:
  • Switch to main/master
  • Create a NEW branch for the new feature
  • Keep work isolated

Why this matters:

• Unrelated commits pollute the PR diff
• Reviewers see irrelevant changes
• PR loses focus and becomes harder to review
• Merge becomes complicated

Correct workflow:

# PR is open, need to work on something else
git checkout main
git checkout -b feature/other-work

# Work on other feature...
# This keeps PR branch clean

After PR is merged by maintainer:

• Mark branch as merged but KEEP it (don't delete yet)
• User will clean up old branches periodically based on their own policy

git branch --edit-description <feature-branch> "PR merged on $(date +%Y-%m-%d)"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

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:

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

Option	Rebase	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Branch Retention	Tests Required
1. Merge locally	✓	✓	✓	-	✓ (keep, mark as merged)	✅ Before & after rebase & after merge
2. Create PR	-	-	✓	✓	✓ (keep, mark when merged)	✅ Before PR
3. Keep as-is	-	-	-	✓	✓	-
4. Discard	-	-	-	-	- (delete)	-

Common Mistakes

Skipping test verification

• Problem: Merge broken code, create failing PR
• Fix: Always verify tests before offering options AND after rebase AND after merging

Merging with failing tests

• Problem: Broken code in main/master breaks production
• Fix: If tests fail after rebase or merge, checkout feature branch, fix, try again

Skipping rebase cleanup before merge

• Problem: Main/master history filled with "fix typo", "WIP", "oops" commits
• Fix: Always use git rebase -i to clean up commits before merging to main/master

Creating PR from main/master branch

• Problem: Later commits to main/master pollute the PR changes
• Fix: Always create PR from separate feature branch (never main/master)

Pushing unrelated commits to PR branch

• Problem: PR diff includes unrelated changes, confuses reviewers
• Fix: While PR is open, ONLY push commits related to that PR. Create new branch for other work.

Deleting merged branches immediately

• Problem: Can't review what was merged, no record of branch purpose
• Fix: Keep merged branches, mark them with description. User decides cleanup schedule.

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
• Merge to main/master with failing tests (fix first, then merge)
• Merge to main/master without rebase cleanup (clean up commits first)
• Create PR from main/master branch (use feature branch)
• Push unrelated commits to PR branch (keep PR focused on single feature)
• Delete merged branches immediately (mark as merged, keep for user to clean up)
• Skip post-merge test verification (Option 1 requires tests after merge)
• Skip post-rebase test verification (Option 1 requires tests after rebase)

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Rebase and clean commits before merging to main/master (Option 1)
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only
• Run tests AFTER rebasing (Option 1 - verify rebase didn't break anything)
• Run tests AFTER merging (Option 1 - verify merge didn't break anything)
• Verify on feature branch before creating PR (Option 2 - branch must be used)
• Keep PR branch focused (Option 2 - only PR-related commits)
• Mark merged branches but keep them (let user decide cleanup schedule)
• Push merged main/master to remote (Option 1 - backup changes)

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