garbage-collect

name	garbage-collect
description	Manage files in /garbage folder for deletion

Created: 2026-02-09-00-00 Last Updated: 2026-02-09-00-00

Garbage Collection for File Deletion

When you lack permissions to delete files directly, move them to /garbage folder. This command helps manage that folder.

Moving Files to Garbage

When you want to delete a file but can't:

# Create garbage folder if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p garbage

# Move file to garbage
mv path/to/file.ext garbage/

# Or move entire directory
mv path/to/directory garbage/

Important: All files should be preserved in git history before moving to garbage.

Verify Files in Git History

Before moving files to garbage:

# Check if file is in git history
git log -- path/to/file.ext

# If not in git history, commit first
git add path/to/file.ext
git commit -m "Archive: [file.ext] before deletion"

# Then move to garbage
mv path/to/file.ext garbage/

Check Garbage Folder

# List files in garbage
ls -lh garbage/

# Show disk space used
du -sh garbage/

Add to .gitignore

Ensure garbage folder is ignored:

# Add to .gitignore if not already there
grep -q "^garbage/$" .gitignore || echo "garbage/" >> .gitignore

User Cleanup

The user will periodically run:

# Review garbage contents
ls -la garbage/

# Permanently delete garbage contents
rm -rf garbage/*

# Or delete entire garbage folder
rm -rf garbage/

Pre-Garbage Checklist

Before moving anything to garbage:

• File is committed to git history
• File is truly no longer needed (not just temporarily)
• No active code references this file
• grep for file references: git grep "filename"
• Check import statements if applicable

Example Workflow

# 1. Verify file is in git
git log -- old-component.tsx

# 2. Search for references
git grep "old-component"

# 3. If no references and in git, move to garbage
mkdir -p garbage
mv src/components/old-component.tsx garbage/

# 4. Commit the deletion
git add -A
git commit -m "Remove old-component.tsx (moved to garbage)"

Bulk Garbage Collection

When moving many files:

# Create timestamped garbage subdirectory
GARBAGE_DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M)
mkdir -p "garbage/${GARBAGE_DATE}"

# Move files with context
mv path/to/old-files/* "garbage/${GARBAGE_DATE}/"

# Create manifest
cat > "garbage/${GARBAGE_DATE}/MANIFEST.md" <<EOF
# Garbage Collection

**Date:** $(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M")
**Reason:** [Why these files were removed]

## Files Removed
$(ls -1 "garbage/${GARBAGE_DATE}/")

## Git References
These files are preserved in git history before this commit:
$(git log -1 --oneline)
EOF

This helps user understand what's in garbage when they review it.