Imported from chris-prener/dev-kit (dev-kit/skills/post-merge/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add chris-prener/dev-kit --skill post-merge. Copyright stays with the author.

Post-Merge

You are running the mid-session pivot ceremony after the user has manually merged a PR on github.com. This skill is a thin orchestrator: it puts the local checkout back on the base branch in a clean state, then surfaces a structured choice for what comes next. It deliberately does not duplicate logic from backlog or session-start — those skills own their own ceremonies and this one delegates to them at the exit prompt.

Activation

Activate when the user signals that a PR they had open has just been merged on github.com. Trigger phrases include "PR merged", "PR is done", "merge complete", "reset branches", "PR landed".

Trust model. The user asserts merge. This skill does not call gh pr view to verify merge state. If the user invokes the skill, it proceeds.

When NOT to use:

• The PR is not yet merged — invoke pr-orchestrator instead.
• Closing the session without a recent merge — there's no branch to reset; just close.
• Mid-implementation context refresh — use implementation-plan's Read operation, or read the issue's ## Implementation plan comment directly.

Inputs

None from the user. Two values are auto-detected:

• current_branch — git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD.

• base_branch — derived from the most recent merged PR whose head is the current branch:

  base_branch=$(gh pr list --state merged --head "$current_branch" \
    --json baseRefName --limit 1 \
    --jq 'if length == 0 then empty else .[0].baseRefName end' 2>/tmp/post_merge_gh.err)
  rc=$?

  Three outcomes:

  • rc == 0 and non-empty value → use it.
  • rc == 0 and empty value → no merged PR found for this head. Prompt: "No merged PR found with head '<current_branch>'. What branch should we reset to? [main]" — default main.
  • rc != 0 → gh itself failed (auth, network, missing CLI). Surface the contents of /tmp/post_merge_gh.err verbatim, then prompt: "gh lookup failed (see error above). What branch should we reset to? [main]" — default main. Do not silently collapse this into the no-result path.

Steps

A. Detect

Print:

post-merge:
  current branch: <current_branch>
  merging into:   <base_branch>

If current_branch == base_branch, note: "Already on base branch; will skip the checkout in step C but still run the pull." Continue to step B (the worktree must still be clean for the upcoming git pull --ff-only).

B. Dirty-worktree guard

git status --porcelain

If output is non-empty, refuse to switch. Print the dirty paths and prompt:

Working tree has uncommitted changes:
  <paths>

Choose:
  s) stash (git stash push -u -m "post_merge auto-stash <timestamp>")
  a) abort the post-merge ceremony

• s → run the stash, surface the stash ref (git stash list --max-count 1), then continue.
• a (or any non-s answer) → abort. Do not proceed to step C.

Never silently stash. Never proceed with a dirty tree.

C. Confirm reset, then sync to base

Prompt: "Reset to <base_branch> (fast-forward only)? [Y/n]" — default Yes.

On confirm:

if [ "$current_branch" != "$base_branch" ]; then
  git checkout "$base_branch"
fi

git fetch origin "$base_branch"
git pull --ff-only origin "$base_branch"

--ff-only is deliberate: this skill resets the local checkout to match origin/<base_branch>. If the local branch has diverged from origin, --ff-only will refuse and surface the divergence. Stop and surface the error verbatim; do not continue to step D, and do not attempt a merge or rebase on the user's behalf.

If git fetch or the checkout fails, surface the error verbatim and stop.

D. Local feature branch cleanup

Skip this step if step A determined current_branch == base_branch (there is no orphaned feature branch to clean).

Otherwise check whether the local feature branch still exists:

git rev-parse --verify --quiet <feature_branch> >/dev/null 2>&1

If yes, prompt: "Delete local branch \<feature_branch>`? [Y/n]"` — default Yes.

On confirm, attempt the safe delete first:

git branch -d <feature_branch>

If -d refuses (unmerged), surface the refusal and prompt explicitly:

git refused to delete `<feature_branch>` because it has commits not merged into <base_branch>.
This usually means the PR was squash-merged or rebased on github.com.
Force-delete with `git branch -D`? [y/N]

Default No. Force-delete only on explicit y. Never auto--D.

E. Three-way exit prompt

Print:

Reset complete. What's next?

  1) Pick up the next block of work (describe it inline)
  2) Invoke backlog to identify the next task
  3) Close the session
     (next session: invoke session-start to re-orient)

Wait for the user's choice. Do not default silently — surface the prompt and let the user lead.

• 1 → Continue the conversation; the user describes the work. The skill exits.
• 2 → Invoke backlog.
• 3 → Acknowledge session close. Do not perform any further steps. Suggest invoking session-start at the start of the next session.

If the user gives no signal at all, re-print the three options once. Do not pick on their behalf.

Outputs

• Local checkout sitting on <base_branch> at the latest pulled commit.
• Optionally, the local feature branch deleted.
• A captured user choice for the next step (continue / backlog / close).
• No file writes. No GitHub-side mutations.

Success criteria

• Local checkout is on <base_branch> with git status clean and git rev-parse HEAD matching origin/<base_branch>.
• No silent stashes, no force-deletes without explicit opt-in.
• The user has explicitly chosen one of the three exits (or the skill aborted at step B).
• The skill never called gh pr view to verify merge state — trust model preserved.

Out of scope

• Verifying the PR is actually merged on GitHub. The user asserts this; the skill takes them at their word.
• Backlog logic. Option 2 of the exit prompt delegates entirely to backlog; this skill does not duplicate any prioritization or filing logic.
• Force-deleting unmerged local branches without explicit opt-in. Default-safe always.

Cross-references

• pr-orchestrator — the skill whose merge this skill follows.
• backlog — delegated to in option 2 of the exit prompt.
• session-start — suggested invocation at the start of the next session (option 3).