/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 verifying quality and completing the branch workflow.

**Core principle:** Behavior depends on `conductor/config.json` → `"mode"`:

• **`"agentic"`**: Auto-push branch and create PR — no user input needed.
• **`"human-in-the-loop"`**: Present 4 structured options and execute the user's choice.

**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: Complete Branch (Mode-Dependent)

`"agentic"` mode — Auto-Complete

**Do NOT ask the user which option to choose.** Proceed automatically:

1. **Push the branch** to remote with `-u` flag 2. **Create a Pull Request** using the track's spec and plan as PR description 3. **Report** the PR URL to the user

Then go to Step 5 (Cleanup Worktree).

`"human-in-the-loop"` mode — 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 (Human-in-the-loop mode only)

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
- [ ] <verification steps>
EOF
)"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: "Keeping branch <name>. Worktree preserved at <path>."

**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_search $(git branch --show-current)

If yes:

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

**For Option 3:** Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

| Mode | Behavior | |------|----------| | `"agentic"` | Auto-push + create PR, no user input | | `"human-in-the-loop"` | Present 4 options, execute user's choice |

Human-in-the-loop Option Summary

| 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 proceeding

**Open-ended questions (human-in-the-loop mode)**

• **Problem:** "What should I do next?" → ambiguous
• **Fix:** Present exactly 4 structured options

**Auto-completing without checking mode**

• **Problem:** Pushing/creating PRs when user expects to choose
• **Fix:** Read `conductor/config.json` → `"mode"` before Step 3

**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 completing
• In `"human-in-the-loop"` mode: present exactly 4 options and get typed confirmation for Option 4
• In `"agentic"` mode: auto-push and create PR, report URL to user
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only (human-in-the-loop) or after auto-push (agentic)

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