oduffy-delphi/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 coordinator: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

Present exactly these 4 options:

Implementation complete. What would you like to do?

1. Merge to main via PR (recommended)
2. Create a Pull Request (manual merge later)
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 to main via PR (Recommended)

Invoke the merging-to-main skill. This creates a PR, waits for CI checks, and merges on success. Branch is deleted after merge.

If on a worktree: worktree is removed after merge (Step 5).

Option 2: Create a Pull Request (manual merge later)

Push the feature branch and create a PR, but do NOT merge. Use this when:

• You want the PM to review the PR before merging
• CI needs to pass but you're not ready to merge yet
• You want to come back to this later

git push -u origin <feature-branch>

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

## Test Plan
- [ ] <verification steps>
EOF
)"

If on a worktree: keep the worktree active.

Option 3: Keep the branch as-is

Don't merge, don't create PR. Branch stays. Use this when:

• Work is in progress and not ready for review
• You plan to continue in another session

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

If on a worktree: keep the worktree active.

Option 4: Discard this work

Destructive. Requires explicit confirmation by typing "discard".

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>

Deletes the branch (local + remote) and removes the worktree if applicable (Step 5).

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

<!-- Review: Patrik — Option 2 keeps worktree active; contradicted the quick reference table -->

For Options 1 and 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.

Quick Reference

| Option | PR | Merge | Keep Worktree | Cleanup Branch | |--------|-----|-------|---------------|----------------| | 1. Merge via PR | ✓ | ✓ (CI-gated) | - | ✓ | | 2. PR only | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | | 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

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:

<!-- Review: Patrik — ghost caller references; subagent-driven-development and executing-plans no longer exist -->

• /delegate-execution — After all tasks complete
• /execute-plan (Step 3) — After all batches complete

Pairs with:

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