Copy the command definition below into:
~/.claude/commands/clean-branches-davila7.md# 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
```bash
# 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
```bash
# 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
```bash
# 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
```bash
# 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
```bash
# Check for unmerged changes
git log main..branch-name --oneline
# Show branch information
git show-branch branch-name main
```
6. **Protected Branch Configuration**
- Identify branches that should never be deleted
- Configure protection rules for important branches
- Document branch protection policies
- Set up automated protection for new repositories
```bash
# Example protected branches
PROTECTED_BRANCHES=("main" "master" "develop" "staging" "production")
```
7. **Local Branch Cleanup**
- Delete merged local branches safely
- Remove stale feature branches
- Clean up tracking branches for deleted remotes
- Update local branch references
```bash
# Delete merged branches (interactive)
git branch --merged main | grep -v "main\\|master\\|develop\\|\\*" | xargs -n 1 -p git branch -d
# Force delete if needed (use with caution)
git branch -D branch-name
```
8. **Remote Branch Cleanup**
- Remove merged remote branches
- Clean up remote tracking references
- Delete obsolete remote branches
- Update remote branch information
```bash
# Prune remote tracking branches
git remote prune origin
# Delete remote branch
git push origin --delete branch-name
# Remove local tracking of deleted remote branches
git branch -dr origin/branch-name
```
9. **Automated Cleanup Script**
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# Git branch cleanup script
set -e
# Configuration
MAIN_BRANCH="main"
PROTECTED_BRANCHES=("main" "master" "develop" "staging" "production")
STALE_DAYS=30
# Functions
is_protected() {
local branch=$1
for protected in "${PROTECTED_BRANCHES[@]}"; do
if [[ "$branch" == "$protected" ]]; then
return 0
fi
done
return 1
}
# Switch to main branch
git checkout $MAIN_BRANCH
git pull origin $MAIN_BRANCH
# Clean up merged branches
echo "Cleaning up merged branches..."
merged_branches=$(git branch --merged $MAIN_BRANCH | grep -v "\\*\\|$MAIN_BRANCH")
for branch in $merged_branches; do
if ! is_protected "$branch"; then
echo "Deleting merged branch: $branch"
git branch -d "$branch"
fi
done
# Prune remote tracking branches
echo "Pruning remote tracking branches..."
git remote prune origin
echo "Branch cleanup completed!"
```
10. **Team Coordination**
- Notify team before cleaning shared branches
- Check if branches are being used by others
- Coordinate branch cleanup schedules
- Document branch cleanup procedures
11. **Branch Naming Convention Cleanup**
- Identify branches with non-standard naming
- Clean up temporary or experimental branches
- Remove old hotfix and feature branches
- Enforce consistent naming conventions
12. **Verification and Validation**
- Verify important branches are still present
- Check that no active work was deleted
- Validate remote branch synchronization
- Confirm team members have no issues
```bash
# Verify cleanup results
git branch -a
git remote show origin
```
13. **Documentation and Reporting**
- Document what branches were cleaned up
- Report any issues or conflicts found
- Update team documentation about branch lifecycle
- Create branch cleanup schedule and policies
14. **Rollback Procedures**
- Document how to recover deleted branches
- Use reflog to find deleted branch commits
- Create emergency recovery procedures
- Set up branch restoration scripts
```bash
# Recover deleted branch using reflog
git reflog --no-merges --since="2 weeks ago"
git checkout -b recovered-branch commit-hash
```
15. **Automation Setup**
- Set up automated branch cleanup scripts
- Configure CI/CD pipeline for branch cleanup
- Create scheduled cleanup jobs
- Implement branch lifecycle policies
16. **Best Practices Implementation**
- Establish branch lifecycle guidelines
- Set up automated merge detection
- Configure branch protection rules
- Implement code review requirements
**Advanced Cleanup Options:**
```bash
# Clean up all merged branches except protected ones
git branch --merged main | grep -E "^ (feature|hotfix|bugfix)/" | xargs -n 1 git branch -d
# Interactive cleanup with confirmation
git branch --merged main | grep -v "main\|master\|develop" | xargs -n 1 -p git branch -d
# Batch delete remote branches
git branch -r --merged main | grep origin | grep -v "main\|master\|develop\|HEAD" | cut -d/ -f2- | xargs -n 1 git push origin --delete
# Clean up branches older than specific date
git for-each-ref --format='%(refname:short) %(committerdate:short)' refs/heads | awk '$2 < "2023-01-01"' | cut -d' ' -f1 | xargs -n 1 git branch -D
```
Remember to:
- Always backup important branches before cleanup
- Coordinate with team members before deleting shared branches
- Test cleanup scripts in a safe environment first
- Document all cleanup procedures and policies
- Set up regular cleanup schedules to prevent accumulation