clean-branches

Clean Branches Command

Clean up merged and stale git branches

Instructions

Follow this systematic approach to clean up git branches: $ARGUMENTS

1. Repository State Analysis

   • Check current branch and uncommitted changes
   • List all local and remote branches
   • Identify the main/master branch name
   • Review recent branch activity and merge history

   # Check current status
   git status
   git branch -a
   git remote -v
   
   # Check main branch name
   git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@'
   

2. Safety Precautions

   • Ensure working directory is clean
   • Switch to main/master branch
   • Pull latest changes from remote
   • Create backup of current branch state if needed

   # Ensure clean state
   git stash push -m "Backup before branch cleanup"
   git checkout main  # or master
   git pull origin main
   

3. Identify Merged Branches

   • List branches that have been merged into main
   • Exclude protected branches (main, master, develop)
   • Check both local and remote merged branches
   • Verify merge status to avoid accidental deletion

   # List merged local branches
   git branch --merged main | grep -v "main\\|master\\|develop\\|\\*"
   
   # List merged remote branches
   git branch -r --merged main | grep -v "main\\|master\\|develop\\|HEAD"
   

4. Identify Stale Branches

   • Find branches with no recent activity
   • Check last commit date for each branch
   • Identify branches older than specified timeframe (e.g., 30 days)
   • Consider branch naming patterns for feature/hotfix branches

   # List branches by last commit date
   git for-each-ref --format='%(committerdate) %(authorname) %(refname)' --sort=committerdate refs/heads
   
   # Find branches older than 30 days
   git for-each-ref --format='%(refname:short) %(committerdate)' refs/heads | awk '$2 < "'$(date -d '30 days ago' '+%Y-%m-%d')'"'
   

5. Interactive Branch Review

   • Review each branch before deletion
   • Check if branch has unmerged changes
   • Verify branch purpose and status
   • Ask for confirmation before deletion