finishing-a-development-branch

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

Base-branch work happens in the canonical checkout, not in the session's worktree. If the session is currently in a worktree (see using-git-worktrees), run these from the primary worktree (or session_move back first). You cannot git checkout <base-branch> inside the feature worktree — the base branch is already checked out in the primary worktree, and git refuses to check out the same branch in two worktrees at once.

# In the canonical checkout (primary worktree):
git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>
<test command>            # verify the merged result
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Then: move the session back to the canonical checkout (if it was in the worktree), and 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
)"

Report: "PR created. Branch and worktree preserved."

Don't cleanup worktree.

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 — delete the branch from the canonical checkout, then clean up the worktree:

# In the canonical checkout (primary worktree), NOT the session's worktree:
git branch -D <feature-branch>

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5).

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1, 4:

Removing a worktree whose session is still inside it is not safe, so do this in two parts:

1. If the session is in the worktree, move it back to the canonical checkout first (session_move to the primary worktree path — see using-git-worktrees). A worktree that is the active session Location cannot be removed cleanly.
2. Remove the worktree. For an opencode v2 worktree (created by worktree_create), use the native worktree_remove tool with the worktree directory. git worktree remove <path> is only for plain-git worktrees that opencode does not record. Never set force unless the user has confirmed the uncommitted work should be discarded.

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Cleanup Branch
1. Merge 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
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• 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 the final code review, once all tasks are complete
• executing-plans (Step 7: Hand Off) — after all batches complete

Pairs with:

• using-git-worktrees - Cleans up worktree created by that skill