git-worktree-clean

Git Worktree Clean

Batch cleanup of stale git worktrees. Safely removes merged branches, reports disk usage, and handles unmerged branches interactively.

Core principle: Auto-clean merged worktrees, interactive review for unmerged, always report what was reclaimed.

Part of: Worktree Lifecycle Suite | /git-worktree | /git-worktree-status | /git-worktree-remove

Process

1. List All Worktrees: git worktree list
2. Classify Each: merged vs unmerged vs protected
3. Calculate Disk Usage: Per-worktree size
4. Auto Mode: Remove all merged worktrees (safe)
5. Interactive Mode: Review unmerged worktrees one by one
6. Database Cleanup Reminder: List DB branches to clean
7. Report: Summary of actions taken and space reclaimed

Flags

Flag	Effect
--dry-run	Preview what would be cleaned, no changes
--all	Include unmerged worktrees (interactive confirmation each)
--force	Remove all worktrees without confirmation (dangerous)

Worktree Discovery

# Get main branch name
MAIN_BRANCH=$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@')
MAIN_BRANCH=${MAIN_BRANCH:-main}

# Protected branches (never auto-clean)
PROTECTED="main master develop staging production"

# List all worktrees (skip main working tree)
git worktree list --porcelain | while read line; do
  # Parse worktree path and branch
  # Skip the main worktree (first entry)
done

Classification

for WORKTREE in $WORKTREES; do
  BRANCH=$(git -C "$WORKTREE" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)

  # Skip protected
  if echo "$PROTECTED" | grep -qw "$BRANCH"; then
    echo "PROTECTED: $BRANCH (skipped)"
    continue
  fi

  # Check merge status
  if git merge-base --is-ancestor "$BRANCH" "$MAIN_BRANCH" 2>/dev/null; then
    echo "MERGED: $BRANCH → safe to remove"
    MERGED_LIST="$MERGED_LIST $WORKTREE"
  else
    echo "UNMERGED: $BRANCH → requires review"
    UNMERGED_LIST="$UNMERGED_LIST $WORKTREE"
  fi
done