finishing-a-development-branch

Finishing a Development Branch

Overview

Guide completion of development work. Default action is local merge — no menu, no questions asked.

Core principle: Verify tests → Code review → Merge locally → Clean up.

Override: If the project-level CLAUDE.md contains explicit instructions about how to finish branches (e.g. "create a PR", "push for review"), follow those instead of the default merge. Only then present options or follow the project's specified workflow.

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: Collect Branch Diff

BASE_SHA=$(git merge-base HEAD <base-branch>)

# What changed (summary)
git diff --stat $BASE_SHA..HEAD

# Full diff
git diff $BASE_SHA..HEAD

# Commit history on this branch
git log --oneline $BASE_SHA..HEAD

Step 4: Dispatch Branch Reviewer

Spawn a branch-reviewer subagent. It gets the diff and reviews with fresh context — no anchoring to the implementation decisions made during development.

Agent:
  subagent_type: branch-reviewer
  prompt: |
    Review this feature branch for merge readiness.

    Branch: <branch-name>
    Base: <base-branch> (SHA: <BASE_SHA>)
    Commits: <N> commits

    Worktree path: <worktree-path>

    Run these commands to get the changes (always use git -C, never cd):
      git -C <worktree-path> diff --stat <BASE_SHA>..HEAD
      git -C <worktree-path> diff <BASE_SHA>..HEAD

    Review for bugs, design issues, refactoring opportunities, efficiency
    improvements, and code quality. Read surrounding code (callers,
    interfaces, related modules) whenever the diff alone isn't enough
    context to judge.

Step 5: Present Findings Interactively

When the agent returns, present its findings to the user in severity order (critical first):

## Code Review — <branch-name>

Verdict: <GOOD TO GO / FIX BEFORE MERGE / NEEDS REWORK>

<Summary paragraph>

<N> findings: <X> critical, <Y> important, <Z> minor

---

**[BUG-1] Title** (critical)
File: path/to/file:lines
What: ...
Why: ...
Fix: ...

→ Apply? [yes / skip / discuss]

**[DESIGN-1] Title** (important)
...

If the verdict is GOOD TO GO with no critical/important findings, keep it brief:

## Code Review — <branch-name>

Verdict: GOOD TO GO

<Summary>. No critical or important issues found.

<list any minor findings briefly>

Ready to proceed to merge options.

Never auto-apply fixes — the user drives all decisions.

Step 6: Apply Approved Fixes

For each finding the user approved:

1. Make the change
2. If multiple fixes touch the same file, apply them together

Commit the fixes:

git add <changed-files>
git commit -m "Refactor: apply code review improvements

- <one line per fix applied>"

Skip this step if nothing was approved.

Re-run the test suite if any fixes were applied:

npm test / cargo test / pytest / go test ./...

If tests fail, fix before continuing. Don't proceed with broken tests.

Step 7: Merge Locally (Default)

Unless the project CLAUDE.md specifies a different workflow, proceed directly with a local merge. Do not present a menu — just merge.

Cleanup worktree first (Step 9), then merge and delete branch:

# 1. Move CWD out of worktree (separate Bash call — never chain cd && git)
cd <main-repo>

# 2. Remove worktree (Step 9) — CWD is now safely outside
git worktree remove <worktree-path>

# 3. Switch to base branch and pull latest
git checkout <base-branch> && git pull

# 4. Merge feature branch
git merge <feature-branch>

# 5. Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

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

Step 7-alt: Present Options (only when project CLAUDE.md overrides default)

If the project CLAUDE.md specifies a non-merge workflow, or if you cannot determine the right action from it, present these 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 8: Execute Choice (only for Step 7-alt)

Option 1: Merge Locally

Same as Step 7 above.

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. Worktree preserved at for any follow-up changes."

Don't cleanup worktree — the PR may need revisions.

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, cleanup worktree first (Step 9), then delete branch:

# 1. Move CWD out of worktree (separate Bash call — never chain cd && git)
cd <main-repo>

# 2. Remove worktree (Step 9) — CWD is now safely outside
git worktree remove <worktree-path>

# 3. Delete feature branch
git checkout <base-branch>
git branch -D <feature-branch>

Step 9: Cleanup

For Options 1 and 4 only: Clean up worktree and branch (worktree remove first, then branch delete).

Critical: Before removing a worktree, CWD must be outside it — otherwise deleting the directory crashes the session. Use a separate Bash call to cd <main-repo> first — never chain cd && git (chained commands trigger permission prompts in worktrees).

For Options 2 and 3: Keep worktree.

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

Presenting options when not needed

• Problem: Asking the user what to do when the default is clear
• Fix: Merge locally by default; only present options when project CLAUDE.md overrides

Skipping code review

• Problem: Merge without a fresh set of eyes on the diff
• Fix: Always dispatch branch-reviewer before presenting options

Removing worktree while CWD is inside it

• Problem: git worktree remove deletes the directory; if the shell's CWD is inside it, the session crashes
• Fix: Use a separate Bash call to cd <main-repo> before the remove call — never chain cd && git (triggers permission prompts)

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
• Skip the code review step
• Auto-apply review fixes without user approval
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Dispatch branch-reviewer before merging
• Merge locally by default; only present options when project CLAUDE.md overrides
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only

Integration

Called by:

• executing-plans — After all tasks complete

Pairs with:

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