finishing-a-development-branch

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

Use the AskUserQuestion tool to present exactly these 4 options as a single-select question:

• Merge locally — Merge back to <base-branch> on this machine
• Create Pull Request — Push branch and open a PR for review
• Keep as-is — Leave the branch, handle it later
• Discard — Delete the branch and all work

Keep descriptions 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>

# Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

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

Then: Cleanup 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
)"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: "Keeping branch . Worktree preserved at ."

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:

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

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1, 2, 4:

CRITICAL SAFETY CHECK - Must happen BEFORE removing worktree:

# Detect if we're currently in a worktree
current_dir=$(pwd)
worktree_path=$(git worktree list | grep $(git branch --show-current) | awk '{print $1}')

# If we're IN the worktree we want to remove, MUST switch out first
if [ "$current_dir" = "$worktree_path" ] || [[ "$current_dir" == "$worktree_path"/* ]]; then
  echo "Currently in worktree - switching to main repository first"

  # Get main repository path (first worktree in list)
  main_repo=$(git worktree list | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')

  # Switch to main repo
  cd "$main_repo"

  # CRITICAL: Tell user session needs to be restarted in main repo
  echo "⚠️  IMPORTANT: You need to restart Claude Code in the main repository."
  echo "Main repo path: $main_repo"
  echo "After restarting, I can remove the worktree at: $worktree_path"
  exit 0
fi

# Only reach here if we're NOT in the worktree
# Safe to remove now
git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Why this matters:

• Removing a worktree while Claude Code is running inside it crashes the session
• The filesystem disappears underneath the running process
• MUST switch to main repository FIRST, then remove in a new session

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Cleanup Branch
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

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

Removing worktree while inside it

• Problem: Deletes filesystem under running Claude Code → session crashes
• Fix: Check if in worktree, switch to main repo first, tell user to restart

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
• Remove a worktree while Claude Code is running inside it ← CRASHES SESSION

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only
• Check if in worktree BEFORE removing it ← CRITICAL SAFETY
• If in worktree: switch out first, tell user to restart Claude Code

Integration

Called by:

• subagent-driven-development (Step 7) - After all tasks complete
• executing-plans (Step 5) - After all batches complete
• headless-runner - After all background batches complete

Pairs with:

• using-git-worktrees - Cleans up worktree created by that skill