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:

npm test / cargo test / pytest / go test ./...

If tests fail: Show failures and stop. Cannot proceed until tests pass.

Step 2: Determine Base Branch

git merge-base HEAD main 2>/dev/null || git merge-base HEAD master 2>/dev/null

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?

Step 4: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>
<test command>
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Then: Cleanup worktree.

Option 2: Push and Create PR

git push -u origin <feature-branch>
gh pr create --title "<title>" --body "..."

Then: Cleanup worktree.

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report location. Don't cleanup worktree.

Option 4: Discard

Confirm first — require typed "discard" confirmation.

git checkout <base-branch>
git branch -D <feature-branch>

Then: Cleanup worktree.

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1, 2, 4:

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

Red Flags

Never:

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

Mirrored from https://github.com/obra/superpowers — original author: obra, license: MIT. This is an unclaimed mirror. Content and ownership transfer to the author when they claim this account.