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.