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 tests → 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 — surface the blocked callout, then the failures in a fence:

> **🛑 Blocked — <N> test failures**
>
> Cannot proceed with merge/PR until tests pass.

[Show failures]

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

Print the Gate headline (**⛔ Gate — branch completion**, one line: tests green, N commits on <branch>, per orc:callouts), then present exactly these 4 options (via AskUserQuestion when available):

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.

Caller-supplied preview mode (one gate instead of two)

When the calling command has already composed the PR title + body (e.g. /orc:ship, which composes before gating), it passes them in and Steps 3–4's two questions collapse into ONE. Print the Gate headline (**⛔ Gate — ship**, one line: tests green, N commits on <branch>), render the composed title + body in a fence, then AskUserQuestion:

1. Open PR as previewed (Recommended)
2. Open as draft
3. Edit title/body first — collect edits, re-render the preview, re-ask
4. Another completion path — merge back locally / keep as-is / discard