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 ( 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 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

Switch to base branch

git checkout < base-branch

Pull latest

git pull

Merge feature branch

git merge < feature-branch

Verify tests on merged result

< test command

If tests pass

git branch -d < feature-branch

Then: Cleanup 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

• [ ] 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
• All commits:
• Worktree at 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 Merge Push Keep Worktree Cleanup Branch

• Merge locally ✓ - - ✓

• Create PR

  ✓ ✓ -

• Keep as-is

  - ✓ -

• 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 (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