Finishing a Development Branch

Source: obra/superpowers (MIT)

Overview

Guide completion of development work by presenting clear options and handling chosen workflow.

Core principle: Verify tests → Present options → Execute choice → Clean up.

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: Stop. Report failures. Cannot proceed until tests pass.

If tests pass: Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Determine Base Branch

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

Present exactly these 4 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)
4. Discard this work

Which option?

Step 4: Execute Choice

Option 1 — Merge Locally:

git checkout <base-branch>
git pull
git merge <feature-branch>
<test command>
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Option 2 — Push and Create PR:

git push -u origin <feature-branch>
gh pr create --title "<title>" --body "..."

Option 3 — Keep As-Is: Report location. Don't cleanup worktree.

Option 4 — Discard: Require typed "discard" confirmation first. Then:

git checkout <base-branch>
git branch -D <feature-branch>

Step 5: Cleanup Worktree (if applicable)

If using git worktrees, remove worktree for Options 1 and 4 only.

Red Flags

Never:

• Proceed with failing tests
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without confirmation

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4