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-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: Keep worktree (may need for PR revisions)

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:

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

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1 and 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

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?" -> 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

Step 6: Persist Findings

After cleanup, if .planning/findings.md has meaningful content:

Read .planning/findings.md
Ask the user (via AskUserQuestion) if they want to persist key findings to Claude's memory system
If yes: Write the valuable, reusable insights (patterns discovered, architectural decisions, debugging lessons) to the project's auto memory files (~/.claude/projects/.../memory/)
Skip session-specific details (task status, temporary workarounds) — only persist knowledge that helps future sessions

This step is main-agent only. Subagents do not persist findings to memory.

Alternative: Instead of manually persisting findings, suggest the user run /archive for comprehensive archive + memory consolidation + .planning/ reset.

Integration

Called by:

superpower-planning:executing-plans (Step 5) - After all batches complete

Pairs with:

superpower-planning:git-worktrees - Cleans up worktree created by that skill