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 → Detect environment → 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 1b.

Step 1b: Surface Deferred Refactor Items

If subagent-driven-development ran, its whole-branch refactor reviewer may have left design-opinion findings for triage:

cat "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.superpowers/sdd/refactor-report.md" 2>/dev/null

If the file exists and is non-empty, present each Refactor-Advisory item to your human partner before presenting the completion options, and get a decision per item — fix now (do it, re-run tests, then continue), ticket (record it — e.g. a TODO or issue — and note where), or accept (leave as-is, on the record). Do not merge or open a PR while unaddressed advisory items sit unseen; a report nobody reads is a silent discard. If the file is absent, this skill was reached by another path — continue.

Step 2: Detect Environment

Determine workspace state before presenting options:

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

This determines which menu to show and how cleanup works:

State	Menu	Cleanup
GIT_DIR == GIT_COMMON (normal repo)	Standard 4 options	No worktree to clean up
GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON, named branch	Standard 4 options	Provenance-based (see Step 6)
GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON, detached HEAD	Reduced 3 options (no merge)	No cleanup (externally managed)

Step 3: 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 4: Present Options

Normal repo and 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?

Detached HEAD — present exactly these 3 options:

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?

Don't add explanation - keep options concise.

Step 5: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

# Get main repo root for CWD safety
MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"

# Merge first — verify success before removing anything
git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>

# Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

# Only after merge succeeds: cleanup worktree (Step 6), then delete branch

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 6), then delete branch:

git branch -d <feature-branch>

Option 2: Push and Create PR

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

Build the PR body from the repo's template, then create with --body-file.

1. If .github/pull_request_template.md (or .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md, or docs/pull_request_template.md) exists, base the body on it. Fill every section and tick every required checklist item (- [ ] → - [x]). Required-checklist CI jobs fail an un-ticked box, so leaving the template default unchecked will block the PR. Leave items tagged (optional) unchecked only when they genuinely don't apply. Delete any template callout that instructs the author to delete it (e.g. a title-format warning). If no template exists, fall back to a ## Summary + ## Test Plan body.

2. Write the finished body to a file, then pass it with --body-file — never inline via --body "..." or a heredoc. Inline bodies break on apostrophes, backticks, and $() in shell, and silently drop the template's checklist.

# Write the filled-in body to a scratch file (use the Write tool, not echo)
gh pr create --title "<title>" --body-file <path-to-body-file>

The title must satisfy the repo's PR-title rule (Conventional Commits where enforced). After creating, delete the scratch body file.

Then: wait 3 minutes to monitor CI jobs completion (use gh CLI to access results) and Copilot + Code Quality comments. Assess comments for relevance, and fix+resolve them, or answer why they aren't relevant+resolve them. To resolve Copilot comments: gh cli. To resolve Code Quality comments: GH GraphQL API via CLI.

Do NOT clean up worktree — user needs it alive to iterate on PR feedback.

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:

MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 6), then force-delete branch:

git branch -D <feature-branch>

Step 6: Cleanup Workspace

Only runs for Options 1 and 4. Options 2 and 3 always preserve the worktree.

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

If GIT_DIR == GIT_COMMON: Normal repo, no worktree to clean up. Done.

If worktree path is under .worktrees/ or worktrees/: Superpowers created this worktree — we own cleanup.

MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"
git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_PATH"
git worktree prune  # Self-healing: clean up any stale registrations

Otherwise: The host environment (harness) owns this workspace. Do NOT remove it. If your platform provides a workspace-exit tool, use it. Otherwise, leave the workspace in place.

Quick Reference

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

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?" is ambiguous
• Fix: Present exactly 4 structured options (or 3 for detached HEAD)

Cleaning up worktree for Option 2

• Problem: Remove worktree user needs for PR iteration
• Fix: Only cleanup for Options 1 and 4

Deleting branch before removing worktree

• Problem: git branch -d fails because worktree still references the branch
• Fix: Merge first, remove worktree, then delete branch

Running git worktree remove from inside the worktree

• Problem: Command fails silently when CWD is inside the worktree being removed
• Fix: Always cd to main repo root before git worktree remove

Cleaning up harness-owned worktrees

• Problem: Removing a worktree the harness created causes phantom state
• Fix: Only clean up worktrees under .worktrees/ or worktrees/

No confirmation for discard

• Problem: Accidentally delete work
• Fix: Require typed "discard" confirmation

Red Flags

Never:

• Create a PR with an inline --body/heredoc, or ignore the repo's PR template (breaks on shell metacharacters; drops the required checklist → CI fails)
• Proceed with failing tests
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request
• Remove a worktree before confirming merge success
• Clean up worktrees you didn't create (provenance check)
• Run git worktree remove from inside the worktree

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Detect environment before presenting menu
• Present exactly 4 options (or 3 for detached HEAD)
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only
• cd to main repo root before worktree removal
• Run git worktree prune after removal