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

ALWAYS use AskUserQuestion - never present plain text numbered options:

Use AskUserQuestion tool with:
- question: "Implementation complete. What would you like to do?"
- header: "Complete"
- options:
  - label: "Merge locally"
    description: "Merge back to <base-branch> and clean up"
  - label: "Create PR"
    description: "Push and create a Pull Request for review"
  - label: "Keep as-is"
    description: "Keep the branch, I'll handle it later"
  - label: "Discard"
    description: "Delete this work permanently"
- multiSelect: false

NEVER present as plain text like "1. Merge, 2. PR... type 1 or 2".

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 <name>. Worktree preserved at <path>."

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 $(git branch --show-current)

If yes:

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Step 6: Issue Close & Continue (if working on issue)

Only applies when invoked via /popkit:dev work #N - skip for standalone use.

6a: Close Prompt

After successful merge (Option 1) or PR creation (Option 2):

Use AskUserQuestion tool with:
- question: "Work on issue #N complete. Close the issue?"
- header: "Close Issue"
- options:
  - label: "Yes, close it"
    description: "Mark issue as completed"
  - label: "No, keep open"
    description: "Issue needs more work or follow-up"
- multiSelect: false

If "Yes, close it":

gh issue close <number> --comment "Completed via /popkit:dev work #<number>"

6b: Epic Parent Check

Check if issue references a parent epic (look for "Part of #N" or "Parent: #N" in body):

gh issue view <number> --json body --jq '.body' | grep -oE '(Part of|Parent:?) #[0-9]+'

If parent found:

1. Fetch all children of that epic
2. If all children closed, prompt to close epic

6c: Context-Aware Next Actions

Present dynamic next actions based on project state:

Use AskUserQuestion tool with:
- question: "What would you like to do next?"
- header: "Next Action"
- options: [dynamically generated]
- multiSelect: false

Generate options by:

1. Fetch prioritized issues:

   gh issue list --state open --milestone v1.0.0 --json number,title,labels --limit 5
   

2. Sort by: P1 > P2 > P3, then phase:now > phase:next

3. Build 4 options:

   • Top 3 prioritized issues as "Work on #N: [title]"
   • "Session capture and exit" as final option

Example:

What would you like to do next?

1. Work on #108: Power Mode Metrics (P1-high)
   → Continue v1.0.0 milestone work

2. Work on #109: QStash Pub/Sub (P2-medium)
   → Add inter-agent messaging

3. Work on #93: Multi-Project Dashboard (P2-medium)
   → Build project visibility

4. Session capture and exit
   → Save state for later

If user selects an issue, immediately invoke /popkit:dev work #N - keeping them in the loop.

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Cleanup Branch	Close Prompt
1. Merge locally	Yes	-	-	Yes	Yes (if issue)
2. Create PR	-	Yes	Yes	-	Yes (if issue)
3. Keep as-is	-	-	Yes	-	No
4. Discard	-	-	-	Yes (force)	No

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

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 offering options
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only

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