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.

Linear history rule: Worktree commits are temporary checkpoints. Local integration must keep the final file changes while removing temporary commit history from the main branch. Use the MAIN_BASE recorded before the worktree was created as the integration anchor.

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. Squash-integrate 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: Squash-Integrate Locally

# Confirm the recorded base from subagent-driven-development
test -n "$MAIN_BASE"

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

# The main worktree must be clean before restoring history
git status --short

# If HEAD is not the recorded base, stop and ask before moving the branch pointer
test "$(git rev-parse --verify HEAD)" = "$MAIN_BASE"

# Apply the completed work without preserving temporary commits
git merge --squash <feature-branch>

# Verify tests on the squashed result
<test command>

# If tests pass, create one permanent clean commit
git commit -m "<final summary>"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

If a normal merge was accidentally created before this skill is applied, recover the clean history only after confirming the main worktree has no unrelated local changes:

git reset --soft "$MAIN_BASE"
<test command>
git commit -m "<final summary>"

This keeps the merged file result staged while removing the temporary worktree commits from the main branch history.

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
)"

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 1 after the worktree is removed, delete the temporary feature branch with force because squash integration intentionally does not mark temporary commits as merged:

git branch -D <feature-branch>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Cleanup Branch
1. Squash-integrate locally	✓	-	-	✓
2. Create PR	-	✓	✓	-
3. Keep as-is	-	-	✓	-
4. Discard	-	-	-	✓ (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?" → 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
• Preserve temporary worktree commits in main branch history
• Reset the main branch to the recorded base unless the worktree is clean and the user selected local integration
• Use plain git merge <feature-branch> for local integration
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Use the recorded MAIN_BASE as the local integration anchor
• Prefer git merge --squash <feature-branch> for local integration
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only

Integration

Called by:

• subagent-driven-development - After all tasks complete (cleans up worktree created during setup)