finishing-a-development-branch

To finalize a development branch after tests pass, you choose from a structured four-option flow: merge locally, push and create a pull request, keep the branch as-is, or discard it. You then execute the corresponding steps and perform the required worktree cleanup.

The standard options for merging a feature branch in a Git workflow include merging locally, pushing to create a pull request, keeping the branch as-is, or discarding it entirely. This structured four-option policy ensures clear merge decisions before post-action cleanup.

To clean up local worktrees and branches after a pull request, you follow cleanup automation guidance provided by the branch finalization flow. This specifies the required post-action steps to tidy your environment after you merge, create a PR, or discard changes.

You should not create a pull request without verifying tests first, because this workflow uses a test verification gate. This mechanism ensures code is stabilized and has a green build before offering any structured merge or cleanup options.

The best way to structure branch cleanup decisions in Git is to enforce a four-option policy after a green build. This approach standardizes finalization by offering exactly four structured choices for local merge, PR creation, keeping, or discarding, followed by tidy-up steps.

Your Git workflow needs a standardized branch finalization process to solve the problem of inconsistent merge and cleanup paths. It presents a clear, repeatable path for merging, pull requests, or cleanup, ensuring code is stabilized through test verification before any decisions are made.