finishing-a-development-branch

SKILL.md

Finishing a Development Branch

Overview

Guide completion of development work by presenting clear options and handling chosen workflow.

Core principle: Verify tests → Detect environment → 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: Detect Environment

Determine workspace state before presenting options:

GIT_DIR=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-dir)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
GIT_COMMON=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)

This determines which menu to show and how cleanup works:

State
Menu
Cleanup

GIT_DIR == GIT_COMMON (normal repo)
Standard 4 options
No worktree to clean up

GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON, named branch
Standard 4 options
Provenance-based (see Step 6)

GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON, detached HEAD
Reduced 3 options (no merge)
No cleanup (externally managed)

Step 3: 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 4: Present Options

Normal repo and named-branch worktree — 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?

Detached HEAD — present exactly these 3 options:

Implementation complete. You're on a detached HEAD (externally managed workspace).

1. Push as new branch and create a Pull Request
2. Keep as-is (I'll handle it later)
3. Discard this work

Which option?

Don't add explanation - keep options concise.

Step 5: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

# Get main repo root for CWD safety
MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"

# Merge first — verify success before removing anything
git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>

# Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

# Only after merge succeeds: cleanup worktree (Step 6), then delete branch

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 6), then delete branch:

git branch -d <feature-branch>

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
)"

Do NOT clean up worktree — user needs it alive to iterate on PR feedback.

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:

MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 6), then force-delete branch:

git branch -D <feature-branch>

Step 6: Cleanup Workspace

Only runs for Options 1 and 4. Options 2 and 3 always preserve the worktree.

GIT_DIR=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-dir)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
GIT_COMMON=$(cd "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
WORKTREE_PATH=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)

If GIT_DIR == GIT_COMMON: Normal repo, no worktree to clean up. Done.

If worktree path is under .worktrees/, worktrees/, or ~/.config/superpowers/worktrees/: Superpowers created this worktree — we own cleanup.

MAIN_ROOT=$(git -C "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/.." rev-parse --show-toplevel)
cd "$MAIN_ROOT"
git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_PATH"
git worktree prune  # Self-healing: clean up any stale registrations

Otherwise: The host environment (harness) owns this workspace. Do NOT remove it. If your platform provides a workspace-exit tool, use it. Otherwise, leave the workspace in place.

Quick Reference

Option
Merge
Push
Keep Worktree
Cleanup Branch

1. Merge locally
yes
-
-
yes

2. Create PR
-
yes
yes
-

3. Keep as-is
-
-
yes
-

4. Discard
-
-
-
yes (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?" is ambiguous

Fix: Present exactly 4 structured options (or 3 for detached HEAD)

Cleaning up worktree for Option 2

Problem: Remove worktree user needs for PR iteration

Fix: Only cleanup for Options 1 and 4

Deleting branch before removing worktree

Problem: git branch -d fails because worktree still references the branch

Fix: Merge first, remove worktree, then delete branch

Running git worktree remove from inside the worktree

Problem: Command fails silently when CWD is inside the worktree being removed

Fix: Always cd to main repo root before git worktree remove

Cleaning up harness-owned worktrees

Problem: Removing a worktree the harness created causes phantom state

Fix: Only clean up worktrees under .worktrees/, worktrees/, or ~/.config/superpowers/worktrees/

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

Remove a worktree before confirming merge success

Clean up worktrees you didn't create (provenance check)

Run git worktree remove from inside the worktree

Always:

Verify tests before offering options

Detect environment before presenting menu

Present exactly 4 options (or 3 for detached HEAD)

Get typed confirmation for Option 4

Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only

cd to main repo root before worktree removal

Run git worktree prune after removal