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 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 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

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

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

---

<!-- AGI-INTEGRATION-START -->

AGI Framework Integration

Adapted for @techwavedev/​agi-agent-kit Original source: antigravity-awesome-skills

Memory-First Protocol

Cache workflow configurations and automation patterns. Retrieve prior pipeline designs to avoid re-building similar flows from scratch.

# Check for prior workflow/​automation context before starting
python3 execution/​memory_manager.py auto --query "automation patterns and workflow configurations for Finishing A Development Branch"

Storing Results

After completing work, store workflow/​automation decisions for future sessions:

python3 execution/​memory_manager.py store \
  --content "Workflow: automated data pipeline with retry logic, dead-letter queue, and Slack alerts on failure" \
  --type technical --project <project> \
  --tags finishing-a-development-branch workflow

Multi-Agent Collaboration

Share workflow state with other agents so they can trigger, monitor, or extend the automation.

python3 execution/​cross_agent_context.py store \
  --agent "<your-agent>" \
  --action "Workflow automation deployed — pipeline processing 1000+ events/​day with 99.9% success rate" \
  --project <project>

Playbook Engine

Combine this skill with others using the Playbook Engine (execution/​workflow_engine.py) for guided multi-step automation with progress tracking.

<!-- AGI-INTEGRATION-END -->