finishing-a-development-branch

# Finishing a Development Branch ## Overview **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." ## Step 1: Verify Tests Run the project's full test suite (`npm test` / `cargo test` / `pytest` / `go test ./...`). **If tests fail**, report the failures and stop — the menu comes after a green suite: ``` Tests failing (<N> failures). Must fix before completing: [Show failures] ``` **If tests pass:** continue to Step 2. ## Step 2: Detect Environment ```bash 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) # Capture now, while still inside the workspace — Step 5 changes directory # before cleanup (Step 6) needs this value WORKTREE_PATH=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel) ``` 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 2 options (no merge) | Externally managed — leave in place | ## 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 ...