Finishing a Development Branch
Overview
When work is complete on a branch, follow a structured process to decide how to integrate and clean up.
Announce at start: "I'm using the nobody-finishes-a-development-branch skill to wrap this up."
Pre-Completion Checklist
Before offering integration options:
- • All tests pass (run them fresh)
- • No uncommitted changes
- • All plan tasks marked complete
- • Code review passed (or self-reviewed with checklist)
- • No debug code, TODOs, or temporary hacks remaining
Integration Options
Present these options to the user:
Option 1: Merge to main
bash
git checkout main git merge --no-ff feature/branch-name git branch -d feature/branch-name
Best for: solo work, small changes, when you are the reviewer.
Option 2: Create Pull Request
bash
git push origin feature/branch-name # Then create PR via GitHub/GitLab
Best for: team work, significant changes, when review is needed.
Option 3: Keep branch (not done yet)
Continue working. Note what remains.
Option 4: Discard
bash
git checkout main git branch -D feature/branch-name
For: abandoned experiments, wrong approach.
Worktree Cleanup
If using git worktrees:
bash
# Return to main worktree cd /path/to/main # Remove the worktree git worktree remove .worktrees/branch-name # Verify git worktree list
Summary Report
After integration, provide:
code
## Completed - What was built - Files changed: [count] - Tests: [pass count] ## Key Decisions - Notable design choices ## Follow-up - Any remaining work or future improvements