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 <name> and worktree preserved."

Don't cleanup worktree.

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 — 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

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