finishing-a-development-branch

Finishing a Development Branch

Overview

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

Core principle: Verify completeness (tests, requirements, code review, TDD) → Present options → Execute choice → Clean up.

The Process

Step 1: Verify Completeness

BEFORE presenting options, verify work is ACTUALLY complete:

1.1: Tests Pass

Run full test suite:

npm test
# or
pytest
# or
cargo test
# or
go test ./...

Required output:

• All tests pass (0 failures)
• No errors or warnings
• Exit code: 0

If tests fail: STOP. Fix tests. Cannot proceed with incomplete work.

1.2: Requirements Met

Check verifying-before-completion requirements checklist:

• All planned features implemented
• All edge cases handled
• All error paths tested
• Documentation updated (if applicable)
• No TODOs or FIXMEs added

If ANY unchecked: Work is NOT complete. Finish requirements first.

1.3: Code Review Obtained (MANDATORY)

Check verifying-before-completion code review gate:

• Code review completed (or valid exception 1, 2, or 3 documented)
• Critical issues: 0 (MUST be zero)
• Important issues: 0 OR converted to tracked issue with ID

Valid exceptions (ONLY these):

1. Pure documentation: *.md files in docs/ directory only (ZERO code/config changes)
2. Configuration-only: Dependency updates in package.json, tsconfig.json (NO logic changes)
3. Emergency hotfix: Production completely down, active security breach (MUST be reviewed within 24 hours)

If code review required but not obtained: STOP. Request code review first.

If claiming exception: Document which exception (1, 2, or 3) and provide evidence.

1.4: TDD Compliance

Check verifying-before-completion TDD certification:

• TDD compliance certification completed
• All new functions have tests written first
• All functions watched fail → watched pass

If TDD violated: Work is NOT complete. Violations must be fixed.

1.5: Pristine Output

Verify no errors, warnings, or deprecations:

• Test output is clean (no errors/warnings)
• Linter passes (if applicable)
• Build succeeds (if applicable)
• No console.log/print statements in production code

If output not pristine: Clean up before proceeding.

Completeness Verification Result:

ONLY if ALL sections (1.1-1.5) are complete: Continue to Step 2.

If ANY section incomplete:

• STOP immediately
• Fix the incomplete section
• Do NOT proceed to Step 2
• Do NOT present merge/PR options

This is a GATE. You cannot proceed without complete verification.

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

Prerequisites verified (from Step 1):

• ✓ All tests pass
• ✓ All requirements met
• ✓ Code review obtained
• ✓ TDD compliance certified
• ✓ Output is pristine

Since work is VERIFIED complete, you have these 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: Cleanup worktree (Step 5)

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: "Keeping branch <name>. Worktree preserved at <path>."

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 (if applicable)

For Options 1, 2, 4:

Check if in worktree:

git worktree list | grep $(git branch --show-current)

If in worktree:

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

If NOT in worktree (main branch):

• Skip worktree cleanup (no action needed)

For Option 3: Keep worktree (if one exists).

Quick Reference

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

Red Flags - STOP IMMEDIATELY

If you find yourself:

• Skipping Step 1 verification ("tests pass, that's good enough")
• Presenting options before ALL Step 1 checks complete
• Claiming exception to code review without documenting which (1, 2, or 3) and providing evidence
• Proceeding with unfixed TDD violations
• Saying "work is done" without requirements verification
• Claiming Important issues are "acknowledged" without tracked issue ID

THEN:

• STOP immediately
• Go back to Step 1
• Complete ALL verification steps
• This is not optional

Proceeding without complete Step 1 verification violates verifying-before-completion.

Integration

Called by:

• implementing-issues - After all tasks complete and final verification passes

Pairs with:

• using-git-worktrees - Cleans up worktree if one was created (optional)