Agent skill · software engineering · sickn33
finishing-a-development-branch
Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work - guides completion of development work by presenting structured options for merge, PR, or cleanup
Why this skill is useful
Adds specific git commands and workflows for merging branches that streamline the development process.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 44,571 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
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: If tests fail: Stop. Don't proceed to Step 2. If tests pass: Continue to Step 2. Step 2: Determine Base Branch Or ask: "This branch split from main - is that correct?" Read AGENTS.md and maintainer documentation, then inspect effective protection for the base branch. If pull requests or required checks are enforced, mark local merge as unavailable and use the repository's guarded PR/merge workflow. In agentic-awesome-skills, defer maintainer merges to antigravity-maintainer-batch-release and npm run merge:batch. Step 3: Present Options For an unprotected base branch, present exactly these 4 options: Don't add explanation - keep options concise. For a protected base branch, do not offer local merge. Present only push/create PR, keep as-is, and discard, while preserving the same confirmation rule for discard. Step 4: Execute Choice Option 1: Merge Locally Use this option only after proving that repository policy and server-side protection permit local integration into the base branch. Otherwise stop and route through Option 2. Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5) Option 2: Push and Create PR Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5) Option 3: Keep As-Is Report: "Keeping branch <name>. Worktree preserved at <path>." Don't cleanup worktree. Option 4: Discard Confirm first: Wait for exact confirmation. If confirmed: Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 5) Step 5: Cleanup Worktree For Options 1, 2, 4: Check if in worktree: If yes: For Option 3: Keep worktree. Quick Reference Option Merge Push Keep Worktree Cleanup Branch -------- ------- ------ --------------- ---------------- 1. Merge locally ✓ - - ✓ 2. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills sickn33/finishing-a-development-branch