clean-branches

name	clean-branches
user_invocable	true
description	Clean up git branches by analyzing merged/unmerged status, archiving completed work, and organizing active branches. This skill should be used when the user wants to clean up branches, organize their git repository, or review branch status. Triggered by "/clean-branches", "/branches", "clean branches", "check branches", "check branch", or "branches".

Branch Cleanup Skill

This skill provides an iterative workflow for cleaning up git branches by analyzing their merge status and organizing them into appropriate namespaces.

Quick Start - Run Analysis Script

ALWAYS run this script first to save tokens:

python .claude/skills/clean-branches/analyze_branches.py

This script:

• Fetches all branches and analyzes merge/containment status
• Outputs a formatted markdown report
• Identifies branches needing action with recommendations

After reviewing the output, proceed with user approval for any actions (delete, move, archive).

Branch Organization Schema

Namespace	Purpose	Example
archive/completed/<name>	Merged branches (work completed)	archive/completed/feature-login
archive/stopped/<name>	Unmerged branches (abandoned work)	archive/stopped/experiment-x
wip/<name>	Work in progress (active development)	wip/new-feature
(root)	Keep as-is	feature-y

Workflow

Step 1: Identify Default Branch

Query GitHub to determine the default branch:

gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef --jq '.defaultBranchRef.name'

Step 2: Fetch All Remote Branches

git fetch --all --prune

Step 3: List All Branches

Get all local and remote branches:

# Local branches
git branch --list

# Remote branches (excluding HEAD)
git branch -r | grep -v HEAD

Step 4: Analyze Local Branches

For each LOCAL branch (excluding the default branch and already-archived branches):

1. Check if merged into default branch:

   git branch --merged <default-branch> | grep -q <branch-name>
   

2. Get last commit info:

   git log -1 --format="%h %s (%cr by %an)" <branch-name>
   

3. Check if remote exists:

   git ls-remote --heads origin <branch-name>
   

4. CRITICAL: For local-only branches, check if contained in other branches:

   If a branch has no remote, check if its commits are already contained in main or any archived branch:

   # Check if branch is ancestor of (contained in) main
   git merge-base --is-ancestor <branch> main && echo "Contained in main"
   
   # Check if branch is ancestor of any archived branch
   for archived in $(git branch -r | grep "origin/archive/"); do
     git merge-base --is-ancestor <branch> $archived 2>/dev/null && echo "Contained in $archived"
   done
   
   # Alternative: show all branches that contain this branch's HEAD
   git branch -a --contains <branch>
   

   Interpretation:

   • If contained in main → Work was merged, safe to delete local branch
   • If contained in archive/completed/* → Work was completed, safe to delete local branch
   • If contained in archive/stopped/* → Work was archived, safe to delete local branch
   • If NOT contained anywhere → Work may be lost if deleted, ask user carefully

Step 5: Analyze Remote-Only Branches (CRITICAL!)

This step is often missed! Check remote branches that have NO local copy and are NOT already archived:

# List remote branches not merged into default branch
git branch -r --no-merged main | grep -v HEAD | grep -v "archive/" | grep -v "wip/"

For each remote-only branch found:

1. Get last commit info:

   git log -1 --format="%h %s (%cr by %an)" origin/<branch-name>
   

2. Check if contained in default branch or other branches:

   # Check what branches contain this remote branch
   git branch -a --contains origin/<branch-name>
   

3. Check merge status:

   # Is it merged into main?
   git merge-base --is-ancestor origin/<branch-name> main && echo "Merged into main"
   
   # Is it merged into the current working branch?
   git merge-base --is-ancestor origin/<branch-name> HEAD && echo "Merged into HEAD"
   

Actions for remote-only branches:

• If contained in main → Move to archive/completed/ (work was merged)
• If contained in current branch but not main → Ask user (might be pending merge)
• If NOT contained anywhere → Ask user: archive/stopped or keep for future work

# Move remote branch to archive/completed (if merged)
git push origin origin/<branch>:refs/heads/archive/completed/<branch>
git push origin --delete <branch>

# Move remote branch to archive/stopped (if abandoned)
git push origin origin/<branch>:refs/heads/archive/stopped/<branch>
git push origin --delete <branch>

Step 6: Generate Report

Present a summary table to the user:

Branch	Status	Last Commit	Age	Remote	Contained In	Recommendation
feature-x	Merged	abc123 Fix bug	2 weeks	Yes	main	→ delete local (work in main)
experiment-y	Unmerged	def456 WIP	3 months	No	archive/stopped/exp-y	→ delete local (already archived)
new-feature	Unmerged	ghi789 Add X	1 day	No	(none)	→ ask user: WIP/stop/keep

Key insight: If "Contained In" shows another branch, the work is NOT lost - it's safe to delete the local branch.

Step 7: Delete Contained Local-Only Branches

For local branches that have no remote but ARE contained in another branch (main or archive/*), the work is already preserved elsewhere. These can be safely deleted:

# Delete local branch that's already contained in main or archive
git branch -d <branch>

Note: Use -d (not -D) which will fail if the branch isn't actually merged/contained - this is a safety check.

Step 8: Process Merged Branches (with remotes)

For branches that have remotes and are confirmed as merged, offer these options:

Options (in order of preference):

1. Archive remote + delete local (Recommended) - Move remote to archive, delete local copy
2. Delete both - Delete both local and remote (work already in target branch)
3. Keep - Leave as-is

Archive remote + delete local (best option - preserves history on remote):

# Move remote branch to archive
git push origin origin/<branch>:refs/heads/archive/completed/<branch>

# Delete old remote branch
git push origin --delete <branch>

# Delete local branch (if it exists)
git branch -D <branch>

# Prune stale remote-tracking refs
git fetch --prune

# Delete the new archive remote-tracking ref (we don't want to track archive/* locally)
git branch -dr origin/archive/completed/<branch>

IMPORTANT: Clean up archive refs and [gone] branches.

1. Delete archive remote-tracking refs - The push creates a local ref remotes/origin/archive/* that we don't need. Delete it with git branch -dr. The fetch refspec should exclude archive/* so it won't be re-fetched:

   # Ensure archive/* is excluded from fetch (one-time setup)
   git config --get-all remote.origin.fetch | grep -q 'archive' || \
     git config --add remote.origin.fetch '^refs/heads/archive/*'
   

2. Run /commit-commands:clean_gone - Deletes any local branches marked as [gone] (including associated worktrees).

git fetch --prune only removes refs for deleted remotes, NOT local branches or newly-pushed archive refs.

Delete both (when you don't need the branch history):

# Delete remote
git push origin --delete <branch>

# Delete local
git branch -D <branch>

Step 9: Handle Truly Unmerged Branches

For each unmerged branch, ask the user using AskUserQuestion:

• Keep: Leave branch as-is
• WIP: Move to wip/<branch-name>
• Stop: Move to archive/stopped/<branch-name>

Then execute the chosen action:

# For WIP
git branch -m <branch> wip/<branch>
git push origin wip/<branch>
git push origin --delete <branch>

# For Stop
git branch -m <branch> archive/stopped/<branch>
git push origin archive/stopped/<branch>
git push origin --delete <branch>

Step 10: Clean Up Synced Archive Branches

Local archive branches that are synced with remote are redundant - they're safely backed up. Offer to delete them:

1. Identify synced archive branches:

   # Find local archive branches that have matching remote
   for branch in $(git branch --list 'archive/*'); do
     branch_name=$(echo "$branch" | sed 's/^[* ]*//')
     if git ls-remote --heads origin "$branch_name" | grep -q .; then
       echo "$branch_name"  # Has remote backup, safe to delete locally
     fi
   done
   

2. Present to user:

   Local Archive Branch	Remote Status	Recommendation
   archive/completed/feature-x	✅ Synced	Delete local (backed up)
   archive/image-bug	✅ Synced	Delete local (backed up)

3. Offer bulk deletion: Ask using AskUserQuestion:

   • Delete all synced: Remove all local archive branches that have remote backups
   • Review each: Go through them one by one
   • Keep all: Leave local copies

4. Execute deletion:

   git branch -D <archive-branch>  # Safe - remote copy exists
   

Step 11: Iterate

After processing, show updated branch list and ask if further cleanup is needed. Repeat until the user is satisfied.

Important Notes

• CRITICAL: EVERY action with side effects (delete, rename, move, push) MUST be approved by the user using AskUserQuestion BEFORE execution
• Query/read operations (git log, git branch --list, git branch --contains, etc.) do NOT require approval
• Never batch multiple branch operations - ask for approval for each branch individually or show a clear list and get explicit confirmation
• Even if analysis shows a branch is "safe to delete", still ask the user first
• Skip branches that are already in archive/ or wip/ namespaces (no action needed)
• Archive branches: When analyzing, distinguish between:
  • Local-only archives: May want to push to remote first or delete
  • Synced archives: Safe to delete locally (backed up on remote)
  • Remote-only archives: No action needed (already clean locally)
• Handle branches that only exist locally or only on remote
• If a branch has no remote tracking, note this in the report
• Preserve the current checked-out branch (cannot delete/rename it while on it)

User Approval Flow

1. Present the analysis - Show the full report with recommendations
2. Ask for approval - Use AskUserQuestion for each branch or group of branches
3. Execute only after approval - Never assume user consent
4. Report results - Show what was done after each action

Example:

Analysis shows: branch-x is contained in main, safe to delete

[AskUserQuestion]: "Delete local branch `branch-x`? (already in main)"
  - Yes, delete
  - No, keep

[Only proceed if user selects "Yes"]