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

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

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 4.5: Cleanup Scan (MANDATORY)

Run this before ANY commit, regardless of which option was chosen.

4.5.1 — Project root scan:

ls -1 | grep -vE '^(\.|node_modules|src|tests|scripts|dist|build|docs|package\.json|package-lock\.json|pnpm-lock\.yaml|tsconfig|eslint|prettier|jest|vitest|README|LICENSE|CHANGELOG|CLAUDE\.md|\.env)'

If this outputs anything, those files are AI slop. Delete or move them before proceeding.

4.5.2 — Prune stale worktrees:

git worktree prune

4.5.3 — Clean temp directory:

ls .claude/context/tmp/ 2>/dev/null && echo "Temp files exist — delete if from this session"

4.5.4 — Log to session gap log if slop was found:

echo '{"timestamp":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","type":"cleanup","agent":"developer","description":"Deleted AI slop from project root: <filenames>","context":"finishing-a-development-branch cleanup scan"}' >> .claude/context/runtime/session-gap-log.jsonl

4.5.5 — Queue reflection if slop was found (append to reflection-spawn-request.json):

{
  "id": "<uuid>",
  "trigger": "ai-slop-found",
  "priority": "low",
  "context": "Cleanup scan found unexpected files in project root. Investigate which task created them."
}

See .claude/rules/cleanup-always.md for the full slop pattern list and correct file destinations.

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.

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Cleanup Branch
1. Merge locally	Yes	-	-	Yes
2. Create PR	-	Yes	Yes	-
3. Keep as-is	-	-	Yes	-
4. Discard	-	-	-	Yes (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:

• 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

Documentation Gate (BLOCKING — must pass before commit)

Before ANY commit on a feature/skill/agent branch:

• CHANGELOG.md — entry added under [Unreleased] with today's date
• README.md — updated if agent/skill counts changed or new user-facing capability added
• .env.example — commented entry added for EVERY new API key, token, or env var introduced
• Skill/agent description — frontmatter description: accurately reflects new capabilities

If any item is unchecked → DO NOT COMMIT. Update docs first.

Iron Laws

1. ALWAYS run the full test suite and verify it passes before offering any merge/PR option — presenting merge options with failing tests leads to broken main branches and failed CI pipelines.
2. NEVER force-push to main/master or squash commits without explicit user request — these operations rewrite history and can permanently destroy teammates' work.
3. ALWAYS present exactly the 4 structured options (merge, PR, keep, discard) — open-ended "what next?" questions cause confusion and missed cleanup steps.
4. NEVER delete a branch or discard work without typed confirmation from the user — accidental deletion of uncommitted work is irreversible.
5. ALWAYS clean up the worktree for Options 1 and 4 but preserve it for Options 2 and 3 — orphaned worktrees accumulate and confuse future git operations.

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Skipping test verification before merge	Broken code lands on main; CI fails after the fact	Always run test suite first; gate options on passing tests
Presenting open-ended completion questions	Developer doesn't know available paths; worktrees left orphaned	Present exactly 4 numbered options with clear labels
Deleting branch without confirmation	Developer loses in-progress work permanently	Require typed "discard" confirmation for Option 4
Cleaning up worktree for Option 2 (PR)	Kills local context before PR review is complete	Only remove worktree for Options 1 and 4
Merging directly without pulling latest base	Merge conflicts or stale base; CI detects drift	git pull on base branch before git merge

Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)

Before starting: Read .claude/context/memory/learnings.md

After completing:

• New pattern -> .claude/context/memory/learnings.md
• Issue found -> .claude/context/memory/issues.md
• Decision made -> .claude/context/memory/decisions.md

ASSUME INTERRUPTION: If it's not in memory, it didn't happen.