finishing-a-development-branch

Finishing a Development Branch

Overview

Guide completion of development work by verifying quality and completing the branch workflow.

Core principle: Behavior depends on conductor/config.json → "mode":

• "agentic": Auto-push branch and create PR — no user input needed.
• "human-in-the-loop": Present 4 structured options and execute the user's choice.

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: Complete Branch (Mode-Dependent)

"agentic" mode — Auto-Complete

Do NOT ask the user which option to choose. Proceed automatically:

1. Push the branch to remote with -u flag
2. Create a Pull Request using the track's spec and plan as PR description
3. Report the PR URL to the user

Then go to Step 5 (Cleanup Worktree).

"human-in-the-loop" mode — 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 (Human-in-the-loop mode only)

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:

Check if in worktree:

git worktree list | grep_search $(git branch --show-current)

If yes:

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

Mode	Behavior
"agentic"	Auto-push + create PR, no user input
"human-in-the-loop"	Present 4 options, execute user's choice

Human-in-the-loop Option Summary

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 proceeding

Open-ended questions (human-in-the-loop mode)

• Problem: "What should I do next?" → ambiguous
• Fix: Present exactly 4 structured options

Auto-completing without checking mode

• Problem: Pushing/creating PRs when user expects to choose
• Fix: Read conductor/config.json → "mode" before Step 3

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
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request

Always:

• Verify tests before completing
• In "human-in-the-loop" mode: present exactly 4 options and get typed confirmation for Option 4
• In "agentic" mode: auto-push and create PR, report URL to user
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only (human-in-the-loop) or after auto-push (agentic)

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