superpowers/skills/finishing-a-development-branch/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
finishing-a-development-branch	Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work

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 3 options	No worktree to clean up
GIT_DIR != GIT_COMMON, named branch	Standard 3 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

The base branch is whatever this work forked from — usually named in the plan, the conversation, or the branch's upstream. If it is not already known, ask: "This branch split from - is that correct?" Don't guess silently: merging into the wrong base is expensive to undo.

Step 4: Present Options

Normal repo and named-branch worktree — present exactly these 3 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)

Which option?

Detached HEAD — present exactly these 2 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)

Which option?

Don't add explanation - keep options concise.

Discarding the work is never offered. It exists only as a response to your human partner explicitly asking for it (see "If your human partner asks to discard the work" below).

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

If tests fail on the merged result: STOP. Leave the worktree and branch in place and investigate — nothing has been pushed, so the merge is local and recoverable.

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>

Then create the pull/merge request against with the host's tooling (gh pr create, glab mr create, or the URL git prints on push), following the repo's PR template and conventions if present, and report the URL to your human partner.

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.

If your human partner asks to discard the work

Never offer this. Only do it when your human partner explicitly asks to throw the work away — and even then, 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 Option 1 and confirmed discards. 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/ or 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	-
Discard (explicit request only)	-	-	-	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 3 structured options (or 2 for detached HEAD)

Offering to discard the work

• Problem: Puts throwing away completed, passing work on the menu
• Fix: Discard only on your human partner's explicit request, never as an offer

Cleaning up worktree for Option 2

• Problem: Remove worktree user needs for PR iteration
• Fix: Only cleanup for Option 1 and confirmed discards

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/ or 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
• Offer discarding the work — it happens only on explicit request
• 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 3 options (or 2 for detached HEAD)
• Get typed confirmation before any discard
• Clean up worktree for Option 1 and confirmed discards only
• cd to main repo root before worktree removal
• Run git worktree prune after removal