purge-branches

name	purge-branches
description	Deletes all local git branches except 'main'. Works in any git repository — no npm or package.json dependency.
license	BSD 3-Clause
compatibility	Requires git CLI. Must be run from a git repository root.
metadata	{"agent":"coding"}

Purge Branches

⚠️ EXECUTION RULE: Every code block in this skill is a shell command to execute. Do not print them as text, explain them, or treat them as examples — run them directly.

Delete all local branches except main. Pure git — no npm, no package.json required.

Pre-flight Check

Check current state and confirm we're not on a branch that will be deleted:

# Check current branch
CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
echo "Current branch: $CURRENT_BRANCH"

# Show branches that will be deleted
echo ""
echo "Branches that will be deleted:"
git branch --format='%(refname:short)' | grep -v '^main$'
BRANCH_COUNT=$(git branch --format='%(refname:short)' | grep -cv '^main$')
echo ""
echo "Total: $BRANCH_COUNT branches to delete"

if [ "$BRANCH_COUNT" -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "No branches to purge."
  exit 0
fi

Execute

Delete all branches except main:

# Delete all branches except main (safely, one at a time)
git branch --format='%(refname:short)' | grep -v '^main$' | while read -r branch; do
  git branch -D "$branch" 2>/dev/null && echo "Deleted: $branch" || echo "Skipped (checkout error): $branch"
done

Handle failure: If any branch fails to delete (e.g., it's checked out), the loop continues — only successfully deleted branches are counted. Report any failures at the end.

Report

# Count remaining branches (excluding main)
REMAINING=$(git branch --format='%(refname:short)' | grep -cv '^main$')
echo ""
echo "Purge complete."
echo "Remaining branches: $REMAINING"

Examples

User: purge-branches

Agent: Checking current branch: feature/add-auth
Branches that will be deleted:
feature/add-auth
fix/typo-in-readme
chore/update-deps

Total: 3 branches to delete

Deleted: feature/add-auth
Deleted: fix/typo-in-readme
Deleted: chore/update-deps

Purge complete.
Remaining branches: 0

Gotchas

• The current branch is safe. The skill only deletes branches other than main. If you're on main, no branches are deleted.
• Force delete (-D) is used. Branches that haven't been merged are deleted without checking merge status. Verify you don't need a branch before running.
• Cannot undo. Once deleted, local branches are gone. Use git reflog to recover if needed, but this is not guaranteed.

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