Finishing development branch

Finishing a Development Branch

Description

Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work — merge, PR, keep, or discard. Not for ongoing implementation work — use the implementation skill. Not for worktree creation — use the git-worktrees skill.

Instructions

You are completing a development branch by guiding the user through structured completion options. Follow these rules strictly.

Announce at start: "I'm using the finishing-a-development-branch skill to complete this work."

Step 1: Verify Tests

HARD GATE — do NOT proceed without passing this check.

Run the project's test suite before presenting any options:

# Run project's test suite (auto-detect)
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. Do NOT proceed to Step 2.

If tests pass: Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Determine Base Branch

Check .workflow-state.md frontmatter first (the git-worktrees skill records baseBranch there):

1. Read baseBranch from .workflow-state.md frontmatter. If set, use it.
2. If not in frontmatter, check the ## Worktree markdown section for **Base branch:**.
3. If not found, detect from git:

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

4. 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

# Switch to base branch
git checkout <base-branch>

# Pull latest
git pull

# Merge feature branch
git merge <feature-branch>

HARD GATE — verify tests pass on the merged result.

# Run test suite on merged result
<test command>

If tests fail on merged result:

Tests failing on merged result (<N> failures).

[Show failures]

The merge introduced test failures. Options:
1. Revert the merge and investigate (git reset --hard HEAD~1)
2. Fix the failures now

Do NOT proceed to branch deletion with failing tests.

If tests pass:

git branch -d <feature-branch>

Then: Log to workflow state (Step 5), Cleanup worktree (Step 6).

Option 2: Push and Create PR

# Push branch
git push -u origin <feature-branch>

Before creating the PR, read the spec files to populate traceability sections:

# Read acceptance criteria and task list
cat specs/<spec-id>/SPEC.md
cat specs/<spec-id>/TASKS.md

Create the PR with spec-driven traceability:

gh pr create --title "<title>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<2-3 bullets of what changed>

## Spec Traceability

**Spec:** specs/<spec-id>/SPEC.md
**Design:** specs/<spec-id>/DESIGN.md
**Tasks:** specs/<spec-id>/TASKS.md

### Acceptance Criteria Coverage
- [x] AC1: <criterion from SPEC.md> — implemented
- [x] AC2: <criterion from SPEC.md> — implemented

### Tasks Completed
- [x] T1: <task from TASKS.md>
- [x] T2: <task from TASKS.md>

## Test Plan
- [ ] All tests passing (<N> tests, 0 failures)
- [ ] No regressions (full suite green)
- [ ] <additional verification steps>
EOF
)"

Read the actual SPEC.md acceptance criteria and TASKS.md task list to populate these sections. Do NOT leave them as placeholders.

Then: Log to workflow state (Step 5), Cleanup worktree (Step 6).

Option 3: Keep As-Is

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

Do not cleanup worktree.

Then: Log to workflow state (Step 5) only.

Option 4: Discard

Confirm first:

This will permanently delete:
- Branch <name>
- All commits: <commit-list>
- Worktree at <path>

Type 'discard' to confirm.

Wait for the user to type exactly "discard". Do NOT accept variations.

If confirmed:

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

Then: Log to workflow state (Step 5), Cleanup worktree (Step 6).

Step 5: Log to Workflow State

If .workflow-state.md exists in the spec directory:

Update frontmatter fields:

• For Options 1 (merge) and 4 (discard): clear featureBranch, baseBranch, and worktreePath to '' (branch no longer active).
• For Options 2 (PR) and 3 (keep): leave frontmatter fields unchanged (branch still exists).

Append a Branch Completion section (historical record, always append regardless of option):

## Branch Completion

- **Option chosen:** <1: Merge locally | 2: Push and create PR | 3: Keep as-is | 4: Discard>
- **Branch:** <branch-name>
- **Base branch:** <base-branch>
- **Outcome:** <merged to <base-branch> | PR #<number> created | kept as-is | discarded>
- **Completed:** <timestamp>

If .workflow-state.md does not exist, skip this step.

Step 6: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1 and 4 only:

Check if in worktree:

git worktree list | grep <feature-branch>

If yes:

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Options 2 and 3: Keep worktree. Option 2 may need it for PR review changes. Option 3 explicitly preserves it.

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Cleanup Worktree	Cleanup Branch	Log to State
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 offering options — this is a HARD GATE

Open-ended questions

• Problem: "What should I do next?" leads to ambiguous conversation
• Fix: Present exactly 4 structured options, no more, no less

Automatic worktree cleanup on Option 2

• Problem: Remove worktree when user may need it for PR review changes
• Fix: Only cleanup worktree for Options 1 and 4. Keep for Options 2 and 3.

No confirmation for discard

• Problem: Accidentally delete work permanently
• Fix: Require typed "discard" confirmation before executing Option 4

Generic PR body

• Problem: PR has no traceability to spec, design, or tasks
• Fix: PR body must reference SPEC.md acceptance criteria and TASKS.md task list

Red Flags

Never:

• Proceed with failing tests
• Merge without verifying tests on the merged result
• Delete work without typed "discard" confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request
• Create a PR without spec traceability in the body
• Skip logging to .workflow-state.md when it exists

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options (HARD GATE)
• Verify tests after merge (HARD GATE)
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed "discard" confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 and 4 only
• Log option chosen to .workflow-state.md
• Include SPEC.md and TASKS.md references in PR body

Integration

Pairs with:

• git-worktrees — cleans up worktree created by that skill

Called by:

• implementation — after all tasks complete

Verification

Before completing the branch workflow, confirm:

• Tests verified passing before options were presented (HARD GATE)
• Exactly 4 options presented to user (no more, no less)
• User's choice executed correctly
• For Option 1: Tests verified passing on merged result (HARD GATE)
• For Option 2: PR body includes SPEC.md acceptance criteria and TASKS.md task references
• For Option 4: Typed "discard" confirmation received before deletion
• Worktree cleaned up (Options 1 and 4 only)
• Branch completion logged to .workflow-state.md (if it exists)