Finishing a Development Branch

Your first output line MUST be: 🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Branch Completion

Overview

Full ship pipeline: tests → multi-provider review → version bump → changelog → commit → push → PR.

Core principle: Verify tests → Review diff → Bump version → Update changelog → Present options → Execute choice → Clean up.

The Process

Step 1: Verify Tests Pass

Before anything else, verify tests pass:

bash
# Detect and run project's test suite
if [[ -f "package.json" ]]; then npm test
elif [[ -f "pytest.ini" ]] || [[ -f "pyproject.toml" ]]; then pytest
elif [[ -f "Cargo.toml" ]]; then cargo test
elif [[ -f "go.mod" ]]; then go test ./...
elif [[ -f "Makefile" ]] && grep -q '^test:' Makefile; then make test
fi

If tests fail: STOP. Show failures. Do not proceed.

If tests pass: Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Multi-Provider Diff Review

Run a quick multi-provider review of the changes before shipping. This catches issues before they reach PR reviewers.

bash
# Get the diff summary
DIFF_STAT=$(git diff --stat $(git merge-base HEAD main)..HEAD)
DIFF_FILES=$(git diff --name-only $(git merge-base HEAD main)..HEAD)

Always run a quick review — this is automatic, not optional:

bash
# Quick review via orchestrate.sh (uses available providers)
${HOME}/.claude-octopus/plugin/scripts/orchestrate.sh spawn reviewer "Review this diff for bugs, security issues, and code quality problems. Be concise — only flag real issues, not style preferences.

$(git diff $(git merge-base HEAD main)..HEAD | head -500)"

If critical issues found: Present them and ask whether to fix or ship anyway. If clean: Continue to Step 3. Show a brief ✓ Review clean — no issues found.

Step 3: Determine Base Branch & Version

bash
# Identify the base branch
BASE_BRANCH=$(git remote show origin 2>/dev/null | grep 'HEAD branch' | awk '{print $NF}')
[[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]] && BASE_BRANCH="main"

# Check for VERSION file
VERSION_FILE=""
for f in VERSION version.txt package.json; do
  [[ -f "$f" ]] && VERSION_FILE="$f" && break
done

Step 4: Version Bump & Changelog (Optional)

If a VERSION file or package.json exists, offer to bump:

javascript
AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [{
    question: "Version bump?",
    header: "Version",
    multiSelect: false,
    options: [
      {label: "Patch (Recommended)", description: "Bug fixes, minor changes (1.2.3 → 1.2.4)"},
      {label: "Minor", description: "New features, backward compatible (1.2.3 → 1.3.0)"},
      {label: "Major", description: "Breaking changes (1.2.3 → 2.0.0)"},
      {label: "Skip", description: "Don't bump version"}
    ]
  }]
})

If bumping: Update the version file and prepend a changelog entry summarizing the diff:

bash
# Generate changelog entry from commits
COMMITS=$(git log --oneline $(git merge-base HEAD $BASE_BRANCH)..HEAD)
# Prepend to CHANGELOG.md if it exists

Step 5: Present Options

Present exactly these 4 options:

markdown
✅ Ship ready. Tests passing. Review clean. What would you like to do?

1. **Create PR** (Recommended) - Push and create a Pull Request for review
2. **Merge locally** - Merge back to <base-branch> on this machine
3. **Keep as-is** - Leave the branch, I'll handle it later
4. **Discard** - Delete this work permanently

Which option? (1-4)

Keep options concise. Don't add explanations unless asked.

Step 4: Execute Choice

Option 1: Merge Locally

bash
# Get current branch name
FEATURE_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
BASE_BRANCH="main"  # or detected base

# Switch to base branch
git checkout $BASE_BRANCH

# Pull latest
git pull origin $BASE_BRANCH

# Merge feature branch
git merge $FEATURE_BRANCH

# Verify tests on merged result
npm test  # or appropriate test command

# If tests pass, delete feature branch
git branch -d $FEATURE_BRANCH

Report:

✅ Merged $FEATURE_BRANCH into $BASE_BRANCH
✅ Tests pass on merged result
✅ Feature branch deleted

Ready to push when you want: git push origin $BASE_BRANCH

Option 2: Create PR

bash
# Get branch info
FEATURE_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)

# Push branch
git push -u origin $FEATURE_BRANCH

# Create PR with description
gh pr create \
  --title "feat: [description]" \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
- [What changed]
- [Why it changed]

## Test Plan
- [x] Unit tests pass
- [x] Manual verification done
- [ ] Code review needed
EOF
)"

Report:

✅ Branch pushed to origin/$FEATURE_BRANCH
✅ PR created: https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123

Branch preserved for review process.

Option 3: Keep As-Is

✅ Keeping branch $FEATURE_BRANCH as-is.

Current state:
- Branch: $FEATURE_BRANCH
- Commits ahead of $BASE_BRANCH: N
- Tests: Passing

When ready, you can:
- Merge: git checkout main && git merge $FEATURE_BRANCH
- PR: git push -u origin $FEATURE_BRANCH && gh pr create
- Discard: git branch -D $FEATURE_BRANCH

Do NOT clean up anything.

Option 4: Discard

Confirm first (REQUIRED):

⚠️ This will PERMANENTLY delete:
- Branch: $FEATURE_BRANCH
- All commits:
  - abc1234 feat: add user validation
  - def5678 fix: handle edge case
  - ghi9012 test: add integration tests

Type 'discard' to confirm, or anything else to cancel.

Wait for exact confirmation: discard

If confirmed:

bash
# Switch to base branch first
git checkout $BASE_BRANCH

# Force delete the feature branch
git branch -D $FEATURE_BRANCH

# If remote exists, delete it too (with confirmation)
git push origin --delete $FEATURE_BRANCH 2>/dev/null || true

Report:

✅ Branch $FEATURE_BRANCH deleted locally
✅ Remote branch deleted (if existed)

Work has been permanently discarded.

Step 5: Cleanup (If Using Worktrees)

For Options 1, 2, 4: Check if in a worktree and clean up:

bash
# Check if current directory is a worktree
if git worktree list | grep -q "$(pwd)"; then
  # Get worktree path
  WORKTREE_PATH=$(pwd)
  
  # Switch to main worktree
  cd $(git worktree list | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')
  
  # Remove the worktree
  git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_PATH"
  
  echo "✅ Worktree cleaned up"
fi

For Option 3: Keep worktree intact.

Quick Reference

| Option | Merge | Push | Keep Branch | Cleanup | |--------|-------|------|-------------|---------| | 1. Merge locally | ✓ | - | Delete | ✓ | | 2. Create PR | - | ✓ | Keep | - | | 3. Keep as-is | - | - | Keep | - | | 4. Discard | - | - | Delete | ✓ |

Integration with Claude Octopus

After completing octopus workflows, use this skill:

bash
# After tangle (develop) phase completes successfully
# After ink (deliver) phase validates the work

# User says: "I'm done, create a PR"
# → Invoke finishing-branch skill
# → Verify tests
# → Present options
# → Execute Option 2 (Create PR)

With Octopus Validation

bash
# Run octopus validation before finishing
${HOME}/.claude-octopus/plugin/scripts/orchestrate.sh ink "Validate before merge"

# If validation passes, proceed with finishing-branch

Red Flags - Never Do

| Action | Why It's Dangerous | |--------|-------------------| | Merge without testing | Ships broken code | | Skip confirmation for discard | Loses work permanently | | Force-push without asking | Destroys history | | Delete remote branch silently | Affects collaborators | | Proceed when tests fail | Corrupts main branch |

Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix | |---------|-----| | Offering options before testing | Always verify tests FIRST | | Auto-merging without asking | Present 4 options, let user choose | | Deleting without confirmation | Require typed "discard" | | Cleaning up worktree on "keep" | Only cleanup for options 1, 2, 4 |

The Bottom Line

Finishing branch → Tests verified AND user chose option
Otherwise → Not complete

Verify tests. Present options. Execute safely. Clean up appropriately.