Finalizing

Announce at start: "I'm applying the finalizing skill to wrap up this branch."

Sequence

Verify tests -> Resolve base branch -> Present options -> Execute -> Clean up worktree.

Step 1: Verify Tests

Run the project's test suite. If tests fail, stop. Report failures and do not offer completion options until they pass.

Step 2: Resolve Base Branch

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

If ambiguous, confirm with the user: "This branch diverged from main — correct?"

Step 3: Present Options

Show exactly these four choices:

Implementation complete. How should this land?

1. Merge into <base-branch> locally
2. Push and open a Pull Request
3. Leave the branch as-is (I'll handle it)
4. Discard this work entirely

No elaboration. Wait for selection.

Step 4: Execute

Option 1 — Local Merge

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

If post-merge tests fail, abort the merge and report.

Option 2 — Push + PR

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

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

Option 3 — Keep As-Is

Report the branch name and worktree path. Do not clean up anything.

Option 4 — Discard

Require explicit confirmation before destroying work:

This permanently deletes:
- Branch <name> and all its commits
- Worktree at <path>

Type 'discard' to confirm.

Wait for the exact word. Then:

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

Step 5: Worktree Cleanup

# Check if current work is in a worktree
git worktree list
# Remove if applicable
git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Option 2, remove the worktree after pushing — the branch lives on the remote now.

Gotchas

• Merging without re-testing — The merge commit can introduce failures even if both branches passed independently. Always run tests on the merged result before considering it done.
• Auto-cleaning Option 3 worktrees — If the user chose "keep," they want it preserved. Do not remove the worktree.
• Discarding without confirmation — Deleted branches with unpushed commits are unrecoverable (absent reflog diving). The typed confirmation exists for a reason.
• Force-pushing during PR creation — Never force-push unless the user explicitly requests it. A regular push is always the default.
• Forgetting to pull before merge — Merging into a stale base branch creates unnecessary merge commits or conflicts. Always pull first.

Integration

Called by:

• orchestrating (Step 7) — after all subagent tasks complete
• executing (Step 5) — after all plan batches complete

Pairs with:

• isolating — this skill cleans up what isolating created