Finishing a Development Branch

Structured four-step workflow for completing development work: verify tests, determine base branch, present merge options, and execute with proper cleanup.

Essential for developers who want a systematic approach to finishing feature branches and ensuring clean git history.

Four-Step Process

Completion Workflow

Verify Tests Pass - Ensure all tests green before proceeding
Determine Base Branch - Identify correct merge target
Present Options - Offer merge strategies with cleanup
Execute Choice - Perform selected action with confirmation gates

Step 1: Verify Tests Pass

Before ANY merge decision:

Run full test suite and verify all tests pass:

BASH

npm test      # Node.js
cargo test    # Rust
pytest        # Python
go test ./... # Go

If tests fail:

Fix failures first
Don't proceed to merge
Treat as blocking issue

Step 2: Determine Base Branch

Automatic Detection:

BASH

# Check for common base branches
git rev-parse --verify main >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "main"
git rev-parse --verify master >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "master"
git rev-parse --verify develop >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "develop"

Fallback:

Ask user if auto-detection fails
Check remote default branch
Use repo conventions

Step 3: Present Merge Options

Available Actions

Option A: Merge Locally

Merge to base branch
Push changes
Delete feature branch
Remove worktree (if applicable)

Option B: Create Pull Request

Push feature branch
Create PR via gh pr create
Keep branch for review process
Preserve worktree

Option C: Discard Work

Delete feature branch (confirmation required)
Remove worktree
No merge performed

Option A: Merge Locally

BASH

# Checkout base branch
git checkout main

# Pull latest
git pull origin main

# Merge feature branch
git merge feature-branch

# Push
git push origin main

# Cleanup
git branch -d feature-branch

When to Use:

Small, straightforward changes
No review required
Solo development
Hotfixes

Option B: Create Pull Request

BASH

# Push feature branch
git push -u origin feature-branch

# Create PR
gh pr create \
  --title "Feature: Description" \
  --body "Detailed description..."

# Keep branch and worktree for potential changes

When to Use:

Team development
Review required
Complex changes
Documentation needed

Option C: Discard Work

Destructive Operation - Requires Typed Confirmation

User must type "discard" to confirm:

Deletes feature branch
Removes worktree
Work is lost (unless committed and pushed)

Safety Check:

BASH

# Warn about unpushed commits
git log origin/feature-branch..feature-branch

# If output exists, warn user

Cleanup Actions

Branch Deletion

Safe Delete:

BASH

git branch -d feature-branch
# Fails if not merged

Force Delete:

BASH

git branch -D feature-branch
# Use only when discarding work

Worktree Removal

If created via worktree:

BASH

# Remove directory
rm -rf .worktrees/feature-name

# Prune worktree registration
git worktree prune

Only remove worktree if:

Merging locally (Option A)
Discarding work (Option C)

Keep worktree if:

Creating PR (Option B) - may need to make changes

Pull Request Creation

Using GitHub CLI:

BASH

gh pr create \
  --base main \
  --head feature-branch \
  --title "Add user authentication" \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
Adds JWT-based user authentication

## Changes
- Add auth middleware
- Implement login/logout endpoints
- Add token validation

## Testing
- All tests passing
- Manual testing completed
EOF
)"

Workflow Decision Tree

Tests passing?
├─ No → Fix tests first, block merge
└─ Yes → Continue

Base branch known?
├─ No → Detect or ask user
└─ Yes → Present options

User choice?
├─ Merge locally → Merge, push, cleanup
├─ Create PR → Push, create PR, keep branch
└─ Discard → Confirm, force delete, cleanup

Best Practices

Do:

Always verify tests pass first
Confirm base branch before merging
Use PR workflow for team development
Clean up feature branches after merge

Don't:

Merge with failing tests
Force delete without confirmation
Skip cleanup steps
Assume base branch

Common Scenarios

Hotfix Workflow

BASH

# Tests pass
✓ All tests passing

# Merge directly to main
git checkout main
git pull
git merge hotfix-branch
git push

# Cleanup
git branch -d hotfix-branch

Feature with Review

BASH

# Tests pass
✓ All tests passing

# Create PR for review
gh pr create --fill

# Keep branch for potential changes
# Merge after approval

Abandoned Experiment

BASH

# Decide to discard
# Type "discard" to confirm

# Force delete branch
git branch -D experiment-branch

# Remove worktree
rm -rf .worktrees/experiment
git worktree prune

About This Skill

This skill was created by obra as part of the Superpowers Skills Collection.

Explore the collection for complementary git workflow and development methodology skills!

Structured workflow for completing development work through test verification, branch determination, and merge execution with appropriate cleanup.