finishing-a-development-branch

To finalize a git branch after tests pass, you identify the base branch and select one of four options: merge locally, push a pull request, keep the branch, or discard it. The workflow then handles post-action cleanup.

The best way to clean up a development branch before merging is to enforce a deterministic workflow that validates test results first, identifies the base branch, and presents explicit merge, PR, keep, or discard options before executing worktree cleanup.

A deterministic workflow handles pull request creation versus local merge by presenting both as explicit options after verifying tests. You choose to either merge directly to the base branch locally or push the branch to create a PR for integration.

To discard a feature branch and clean up its worktree, select the discard option presented during the branch finalization workflow. This executes the branch removal and performs the required post-action worktree cleanup automatically.

Yes, you need to verify tests before choosing to keep a branch. The workflow enforces test validation as an initial step to ensure code stability before presenting the four integration options, including keeping the branch.