Git Branch Cleanup

Use this skill to safely remove merged or stale branches with explicit user confirmation.

Safety Rules

• Stop if the working tree is not clean.
• Detect the default branch from origin/HEAD and fall back to main, then master.
• Never delete protected branches.
• Never force delete unless the user explicitly approves.

Workflow

1. Check repository state

   • git status --porcelain
   • If not clean, ask the user to commit or stash first.

2. Detect default branch

   • git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@'
   • If that fails, try main, then master.

3. Define protected branches

   • Default: main, master, develop, staging, production, qa.
   • Ask the user if any additional branches should be protected.

4. List merged branches

   • Local: git branch --merged <default-branch>
   • Remote: git branch -r --merged <default-branch>
   • Exclude protected branches and the current branch.
   • Present the list and ask for explicit approval to delete.

5. List stale branches

   • Show last commit date for each local branch: git for-each-ref --format='%(refname:short) %(committerdate:short)' refs/heads
   • Ask user for a cutoff (default 30 days).
   • Present the stale list and ask for explicit approval to delete.

6. Delete with confirmation

   • Local delete: git branch -d <branch>
   • If deletion fails because it is unmerged, ask whether to force delete with -D.

7. Remote cleanup

   • Prune tracking branches: git remote prune origin
   • For remote branches approved for deletion: git push origin --delete <branch>

8. Report and recovery

   • Summarize what was deleted.
   • Provide recovery hint: git reflog --no-merges --since="2 weeks ago".

Output Format

Provide:

• Default branch detected
• Protected branch list
• Merged branches list (local and remote)
• Stale branches list (local)
• Confirmations collected
• Final summary of deletions