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 finish-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>

Then: Cleanup worktree and branch (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:

CRITICAL: Follow this exact sequence to avoid errors.

5a. Detect if in worktree

# Check if current directory is inside a worktree
worktree_path=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
main_repo=$(git rev-parse --path-format=absolute --git-common-dir | sed 's|/\.git$||')

# If worktree_path != main_repo, we're in a worktree

5b. Leave worktree FIRST (mandatory)

Cannot remove a worktree while standing in it (causes "Permission denied").

# Change to main repository BEFORE attempting removal
cd "$main_repo"

5c. Remove worktree

# Now safe to remove worktree
git worktree remove "$worktree_path"

If worktree removal fails with "not a working tree":

# Directory may have been manually deleted - prune stale entries
git worktree prune

5d. Delete branch (after worktree is gone)

Cannot delete a branch while it's checked out in any worktree.

# For merged branches (Options 1, 2)
git branch -d <feature-branch>

# For discarded branches (Option 4)
git branch -D <feature-branch>

If branch deletion fails with "used by worktree":

# Worktree removal may not have completed - verify state
git worktree list

# If worktree still listed, force prune then retry
git worktree prune
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Complete Cleanup Script

For reference, the full safe cleanup sequence:

# 1. Capture paths while still in worktree
worktree_path=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
main_repo=$(git rev-parse --path-format=absolute --git-common-dir | sed 's|/\.git$||')
branch_name=$(git branch --show-current)

# 2. Leave worktree (CRITICAL - must do before removal)
cd "$main_repo"

# 3. Remove worktree
git worktree remove "$worktree_path" || git worktree prune

# 4. Delete branch (only after worktree gone)
git branch -d "$branch_name"  # or -D for force delete

For Option 3: Keep worktree - skip this entire step.

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

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

Wrong cleanup sequence (deleting branch before worktree)

• Problem: git branch -d fails with "used by worktree"
• Fix: Always remove worktree FIRST, then delete branch

Removing worktree while standing in it

• Problem: git worktree remove fails with "Permission denied"
• Fix: cd to main repository BEFORE removing worktree

Inconsistent worktree state after partial failures

• Problem: "not a working tree" errors after failed removal attempts
• Fix: Run git worktree prune to clean up stale entries

Red Flags

Never:

• Proceed with failing tests
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request
• Delete branch while worktree exists (wrong order)
• Remove worktree while cwd is inside it

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only
• Leave worktree directory before removing it
• Follow cleanup sequence: cd out → remove worktree → delete branch

Integration

Called by:

• subagent-dev (Step 7) - After all tasks complete
• executing-plans (Step 5) - After all batches complete

Pairs with:

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