/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.

The Process

Step 1: Verify Tests

**Before presenting options, verify tests pass:**

npm test / cargo test / pytest / go test ./...

**If tests fail:** Show failures. Stop. Don't proceed to Step 2.

**If tests pass:** Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Determine Base Branch

git merge-base HEAD main 2>/dev/null || git merge-base HEAD master 2>/dev/null

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

git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>
<test command>          # verify tests on merged result
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Option 2: Push and Create PR

git push -u origin <feature-branch>
gh pr create --title "<title>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<2-3 bullets of what changed>

## Test Plan
- [ ] <verification steps>
EOF
)"

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>

Type 'discard' to confirm.

Wait for exact confirmation. Then:

git checkout <base-branch>
git branch -D <feature-branch>

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

**For Options 1, 2, 4:**

git worktree list | grep $(git branch --show-current)
# if in worktree:
git worktree remove <worktree-path>

**For Option 3:** Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

| Option | Merge | Push | Keep Worktree | Cleanup Branch | |--------|-------|------|---------------|----------------| | 1. Merge locally | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | | 2. Create PR | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | | 3. Keep as-is | - | - | ✓ | - | | 4. Discard | - | - | - | ✓ (force) |

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

Verification

• [ ] Tests were verified passing before the options were presented
• [ ] Exactly the four standard options were offered, without extra explanation
• [ ] Option 1 reran tests on the merged result before deleting the branch
• [ ] Option 4 proceeded only after the user typed the exact confirmation word
• [ ] Worktree cleanup matched the option table — removed for 1 and 4, kept for 2 and 3