Finishing a Development Branch

Overview

Close bd epic, verify tests, present integration options, execute choice, clean up.

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

Announce at start: "I'm using the hyperpowers:finishing-a-development-branch skill to complete this work."

Context: Called after hyperpowers:review-implementation approves the implementation (which runs after hyperpowers:executing-plans).

CRITICAL: NEVER read .beads/issues.jsonl directly. ALWAYS use bd show, bd list, and bd status commands to interact with tasks. The bd CLI provides the correct interface.

The Process

Step 1: Close bd Epic

Verify all tasks are closed:

# Show tasks in epic
bd dep tree bd-1

# Check if any tasks still open
bd list --status open --parent bd-1

If any tasks still open:

Cannot close epic bd-1: N tasks still open:
- bd-3: Task Name (status: in_progress)
- bd-5: Task Name (status: open)

Complete all tasks before finishing.

Stop. Don't proceed to Step 2.

If all tasks closed, close the epic:

bd status bd-1 --status closed

Step 2: Verify Tests

Before presenting options, verify tests pass using hyperpowers:test-runner agent:

IMPORTANT: Use hyperpowers:test-runner agent to avoid context pollution from verbose test output.

Dispatch hyperpowers:test-runner agent:

Run: cargo test
(or: npm test / pytest / go test ./...)

Agent returns concise report with summary + failures only.

If tests fail:

Tests failing (<N> failures). Must fix before completing:

[Show failures]

Cannot proceed with merge/PR until tests pass.

Stop. Don't proceed to Step 3.

If tests pass: Continue to Step 3.

Step 3: 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 4: 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?

Don't add explanation - keep options concise.

Step 5: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

# Switch to base branch
git checkout <base-branch>

# Pull latest
git pull

# Merge feature branch
git merge <feature-branch>

# Verify tests on merged result
<test command>

# If tests pass
git branch -d <feature-branch>

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 6)

Option 2: Push and Create PR

First, get epic info for PR:

# Show epic to get title and tasks
bd show bd-1
bd dep tree bd-1

Then create PR:

# Push branch
git push -u origin <feature-branch>

# Create PR with bd epic reference
gh pr create --title "feat: <epic-name>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Epic

Closes bd-<N>: <Epic Title>

## Summary
<2-3 bullets of what was implemented from epic>

## Tasks Completed
- bd-2: <Task Name>
- bd-3: <Task Name>
- bd-4: <Task Name>

## Test Plan
- [ ] All tests passing
- [ ] <additional verification steps from epic>
EOF
)"

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 6)

Option 3: Keep As-Is

Report: "Keeping branch . Worktree preserved at ."

Don't cleanup worktree.

Option 4: Discard

Confirm first:

This will permanently delete:
- Branch <name>
- All commits: <commit-list>
- Worktree at <path>

Type 'discard' to confirm.

Wait for exact confirmation.

If confirmed:

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

Then: Cleanup worktree (Step 6)

Step 6: Cleanup Worktree

For Options 1, 2, 4:

Check if in worktree:

git worktree list | grep $(git branch --show-current)

If yes:

git worktree remove <worktree-path>

For Option 3: Keep worktree.

Quick Reference

Option	Merge	Push	Keep Worktree	Cleanup Branch
1. Merge locally	✓	-	-	✓
2. Create PR	-	✓	✓	-
3. Keep as-is	-	-	✓	-
4. Discard	-	-	-	✓ (force)

Common Mistakes

Skipping test verification

• Problem: Merge broken code, create failing PR
• Fix: Always verify tests before offering options

Open-ended questions

• Problem: "What should I do next?" → ambiguous
• Fix: Present exactly 4 structured options

Automatic worktree cleanup

• Problem: Remove worktree when might need it (Option 2, 3)
• Fix: Only cleanup for Options 1 and 4

No confirmation for discard

• Problem: Accidentally delete work
• Fix: Require typed "discard" confirmation

Red Flags

Never:

• Proceed with failing tests
• Merge without verifying tests on result
• Delete work without confirmation
• Force-push without explicit request

Always:

• Verify tests before offering options
• Present exactly 4 options
• Get typed confirmation for Option 4
• Clean up worktree for Options 1 & 4 only

Integration

Called by:

• hyperpowers:review-implementation (Step 4) - After implementation review approves

Call chain:

hyperpowers:executing-plans → hyperpowers:review-implementation → hyperpowers:finishing-a-development-branch
                        ↓
                  (if gaps: STOP)

Works with:

• bd - Closes epic, references epic/tasks in PRs