branch-cleanup

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

1 scriptsChecked / no sensitive code detected

Report stale git branches with a keep, archive, or delete recommendation, and propose enabling delete-branch-on-merge. Use for "clean up stale branches", "delete merged branches", "delete branch on merge", "which branches are dead", or /branch-cleanup. Checks age, author, ahead/behind counts, merged status, open pull requests, and ruleset protection, then prints exact deletion commands that require explicit per-batch authorization before any push. Do NOT use for local git worktree management (worktree add, list, or prune) — that stays out of scope. One-time repository merge defaults and branch-protection rulesets belong to /gh-bootstrap; this skill reads and reports on that state but does not set it up.

2installs

Sourcepaulnsorensen/git-gouda

Added on2026-10-24

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add paulnsorensen/git-gouda branch-cleanup

SKILL.md Content

View Translation Comparison →

branch-cleanup

Report stale remote branches and propose safe deletion. Never delete a branch without explicit authorization for that batch.

What this skill is NOT for

Local git worktree management (
```
git worktree add
```
,
```
list
```
,
```
prune
```
) — out of scope.
One-time repository merge-default and branch-protection setup — use
```
/gh-bootstrap
```
. This skill only reads
```
delete_branch_on_merge
```
and existing rulesets; it proposes turning the setting on but the write happens through
```
gh api -X PATCH
```
, the same endpoint
```
/gh-bootstrap
```
uses in its step 2.

Protocol

1. Check delete-branch-on-merge

bash

REPO="$(gh repo view --json nameWithOwner --jq '.nameWithOwner')"
gh api "repos/$REPO" --jq '.delete_branch_on_merge'

If

false

, propose enabling it and explain the effect: GitHub deletes a branch's remote ref automatically once its pull request merges. Ask for explicit authorization before running the

gh api -X PATCH repos/{owner}/{repo} -F delete_branch_on_merge=true

write — see

/gh-bootstrap

step 2 for the full merge-defaults

PATCH

, which this skill does not duplicate.

2. Report stale branches

Run the bundled script from the repository root:

bash

python3 "$BRANCH_CLEANUP_HELPER" --days 90 --github "$REPO"

Resolve

BRANCH_CLEANUP_HELPER

from the loaded

SKILL.md

directory (

scripts/stale_branches.py

), resolving symlinks first. For each remote branch the script reports:

Last commit date and author (
```
git log -1
```
).
Ahead/behind counts against the default branch (
```
git rev-list --left-right --count
```
).
Merged status (
```
git branch -r --merged <default>
```
).
Whether an open pull request targets the branch (
```
gh pr list --head <branch> --state open --json number
```
), when
```
--github
```
is passed.

Whether a ruleset protects the branch (

gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/rules/branches/ {branch}

), when

--github

is passed.

The output is a table sorted by age (oldest first) with a

recommendation

column of

keep

,

archive

, or

delete

. See

references/policy.md

for the exact classification rule.

3. Local hygiene

Report-only, no deletion:

bash

git fetch --prune
git branch --merged <default>

List the locally merged branches for the user. Do not delete local branches without the same per-batch authorization required in step 4.

4. Deletion is never automatic

For every branch classified

delete

, print the exact command:

bash

git push origin --delete <branch>

Always exclude the default branch, any protected branch, and any branch with an open pull request from deletion — the script enforces this by classifying those branches

keep

regardless of age. Require explicit user authorization before running any printed command, and confirm the authorized batch matches the printed list exactly.

5. Optional scheduled report workflow

Copy

assets/stale-branch-report.yml

to

.github/workflows/stale-branch-report.yml

if the user wants a recurring report. It only writes a job summary — it never deletes a branch.

actions/checkout

is pinned by SHA.

6. Verify

Re-run the script and confirm the printed table matches the branches actually present on the remote (

git branch -r

). Confirm no

delete

recommendation includes the default branch, a protected branch, or a branch with an open pull request.

Cross-references

```
/gh-bootstrap
```
— one-time repository merge defaults and branch-protection rulesets.
```
/prek
```
— local pre-commit hook checks, unrelated to branch lifecycle.
```
/oss-hygiene
```
— broader repository health, including community-standards files.

branch-cleanup

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

branch-cleanup

What this skill is NOT for

Protocol

1. Check delete-branch-on-merge

2. Report stale branches

3. Local hygiene

4. Deletion is never automatic

5. Optional scheduled report workflow

6. Verify

Cross-references