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 1.5.

Step 1.5: Pre-Merge Checklist

After tests pass but before presenting options, verify:

Code Quality:

• No TODO comments that should be resolved before merge
• No console.log debugging statements in production code
• Error handling covers expected failure modes
• Lint and type checking pass

Security Quick Check:

• No secrets in code or version control
• Input validation on user-facing endpoints
• See references/security-checklist.md for full checklist

If any items fail, fix them before proceeding 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

# 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>

Before merging/pushing, verify commit hygiene:

• Each commit does one logical thing (atomic commits)
• Commit messages explain the why, not just the what
• No formatting changes mixed with behavior changes
• No secrets in any commit

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
- [ ] <verification steps>
EOF
)"

Before merging/pushing, verify commit hygiene:

• Each commit does one logical thing (atomic commits)
• Commit messages explain the why, not just the what
• No formatting changes mixed with behavior changes
• No secrets in any commit

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.

If not using a worktree (working directly on a branch), skip Step 5. The pre-merge checklist (Step 1.5) and completion options (Steps 2-4) still apply regardless of whether a worktree is involved.

Step 6: Update Backlog & Changelog

After completing the chosen option (merge, PR, keep, or discard):

1. Update backlog: Read docs/super-agent-skills/backlogs.md. Mark any related "In Progress" items as complete ([x]). Move completed items to the "Completed" section with today's date.
2. Update changelog: Append a one-line entry to docs/super-agent-skills/changelog.md under [Unreleased] describing what was shipped.
3. Suggest next: If the backlog "In Progress" is now empty, suggest the next item from "Up Next":

   "Backlog and changelog updated. Next in backlog: [next item]. Want to start on it?"

Step 7: Capture Learnings

Before moving on, reflect on this work phase:

If any apply, offer to persist:

"I noticed [learning]. Want me to add this to CLAUDE.md so I remember next time?"

Only persist things Claude would get wrong without being told. Don't add obvious conventions Claude already knows.

Quick Reference

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

Anti-Rationalizations

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