Finishing a development branch

Finishing a Development Branch

The Process

Step 1: Verify Tests

Determine test runner from project structure:

• package.json → npm test or yarn test
• Cargo.toml → cargo test
• pyproject.toml / setup.py → pytest
• go.mod → go test ./...
• Makefile with test target → make test

Run tests. If any fail, report ⊘ BLOCKED:TESTS with failure count and stop. Do not proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Determine Base Branch

Find the branch this feature diverged from:

# Check which branch has the closest merge-base
for candidate in main master develop; do
  if git rev-parse --verify "$candidate" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    MERGE_BASE=$(git merge-base HEAD "$candidate" 2>/dev/null)
    if [ -n "$MERGE_BASE" ]; then
      echo "Candidate: $candidate (merge-base: $MERGE_BASE)"
    fi
  fi
done

Select the candidate with the most recent merge-base (closest ancestor). If multiple branches share the same merge-base or detection is ambiguous, ask: "This branch could target main or develop. Which should it merge into?"

Store the result - subsequent steps reference <base-branch> meaning this determined value.

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?

Step 4: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>

If merge conflicts:

⊘ BLOCKED:CONFLICTS

Merge conflicts in:
- <conflicted files>

Cannot auto-resolve. User must:
1. Resolve conflicts manually
2. Run tests
3. Re-run this workflow

Stop. Do not proceed.

If merge succeeds:

# Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

# If tests pass, delete feature branch
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5). Report ✓ MERGED.

Option 2: Push and Create PR

Verify gh CLI is available:

if ! command -v gh &>/dev/null; then
  echo "gh CLI not installed. Install from https://cli.github.com/ or push manually and create PR via web."
  exit 1
fi
gh auth status || echo "gh not authenticated. Run: gh auth login"

Extract title from first commit on branch (original intent):

MERGE_BASE=$(git merge-base HEAD <base-branch>)
TITLE=$(git log --reverse --format=%s "$MERGE_BASE"..HEAD | head -1)
git push -u origin <feature-branch>
gh pr create --title "$TITLE" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<2-3 bullets of what changed>

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

Report ✓ PR_CREATED with PR URL. Keep worktree intact for continued work during review.

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report ✓ PRESERVED with branch name and worktree path.

Do not 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 not received, abort.

If confirmed:

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

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5). Report ✓ DISCARDED.

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1 and 4 only:

# Check if currently in a worktree (not main repo)
if [ "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)" != "$(git rev-parse --git-dir)" ]; then
  # Get worktree root (handles invocation from subdirectory)
  WORKTREE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
  cd "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.."
  git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_ROOT"
fi

For Options 2 and 3: Keep worktree intact.

Quick Reference

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

Terminal States

On completion, report exactly one:

State	Output	Meaning
✓ MERGED	Branch merged to <base>, worktree cleaned	Option 1 success
✓ PR_CREATED	PR #N at URL	Option 2 success
✓ PRESERVED	Branch kept at path	Option 3 success
✓ DISCARDED	Branch deleted, worktree cleaned	Option 4 success
⊘ BLOCKED:TESTS	N test failures	Cannot proceed
⊘ BLOCKED:CONFLICTS	Merge conflict in files	Cannot proceed

Guardrails

Blocking conditions (stop immediately):

• Tests failing → ⊘ BLOCKED:TESTS
• Merge conflicts → ⊘ BLOCKED:CONFLICTS

Mandatory confirmations:

• Option 4 (Discard): Require typed "discard" confirmation

Cleanup rules:

• Options 1, 4: Clean up worktree and branch
• Options 2, 3: Preserve worktree

Never:

• Proceed with failing tests
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without typed confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request

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