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."

When to Use

• After /superspec:verify passes
• After all tasks in plan are complete
• Before archiving the change

Prerequisites

• All tests pass
• superspec verify [change-id] passes
• Final code review approved

The Process

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Finish Branch Flow                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                   │
│   1. Verify Tests                                                 │
│      └─→ All tests must pass                                     │
│      └─→ superspec verify must pass                              │
│                                                                   │
│   2. Determine Base Branch                                        │
│      └─→ Usually main or master                                  │
│                                                                   │
│   3. Present Options                                              │
│      └─→ 4 structured choices                                    │
│                                                                   │
│   4. Execute Choice                                               │
│      └─→ Merge / PR / Keep / Discard                             │
│                                                                   │
│   5. Cleanup Worktree (if applicable)                            │
│                                                                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 1: Verify Tests

Before presenting options:

# Run project's test suite
npm test / cargo test / pytest / go test ./...

# Run SuperSpec verification
superspec verify [change-id]

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. Verification passed. 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/<change-id>

# Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

# If tests pass
git branch -d feature/<change-id>

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5) → Archive change

Option 2: Push and Create PR

# Push branch
git push -u origin feature/<change-id>

# Create PR with SuperSpec reference
gh pr create --title "feat(<capability>): <description>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<2-3 bullets of what changed>

## SuperSpec Reference
- Change: `superspec/changes/<change-id>/`
- Specs: `superspec/changes/<change-id>/specs/`

## Test Plan
- [ ] All tests pass
- [ ] `superspec verify <change-id>` passes
- [ ] Code review approved

## Verification
- Requirements: X/X implemented
- Scenarios: Y/Y tested
EOF
)"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5) - branch stays for PR

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: "Keeping branch feature/. Worktree preserved at ."

Don't cleanup worktree.

Option 4: Discard

Confirm first:

This will permanently delete:
- Branch feature/<change-id>
- 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/<change-id>

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1, 2, 4:

Check if in worktree:

git worktree list | grep feature/<change-id>

If yes:

# Navigate out of worktree first
cd <project-root>

# Remove worktree
git worktree remove .worktrees/<change-id>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Cleanup Branch
1. Merge locally	✓	-	-	✓
2. Create PR	-	✓	-	Keep for PR
3. Keep as-is	-	-	✓	-
4. Discard	-	-	-	✓ (force)

After Finishing

Next steps:

For Options 1 & 2 (code integrated):

Branch finished. Next: /superspec:archive to complete the change.

For Option 3:

Branch preserved. Run /superspec:finish-branch again when ready.

For Option 4:

Work discarded. Consider deleting superspec/changes/<change-id>/ if not needed.

Red Flags

Never:

• Proceed with failing tests
• Proceed without verification passing
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Verify superspec verify passes
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only

Integration

Called by:

• subagent-development - After final review passes
• After verify passes

Pairs with:

• git-worktree - Cleans up worktree created by that skill
• archive - Archive change after branch finished
• verification-before-completion - Evidence before claims

Must use:

• verification-before-completion - Before presenting completion options, verify fresh test results exist