Knip Code Cleanup

Run knip to find and remove unused files, dependencies, and exports from this codebase.

Setup

Check if knip is available:
- Run
```
npx knip --version
```
  to test
- If it fails or is very slow, check if
```
knip
```
  is in package.json devDependencies
- If not installed locally, install with
```
npm install -D knip
```
  (or pnpm/yarn/bun equivalent based on lockfile present)
Knip does NOT remove unused imports/variables inside files — that's a linter's job. Knip finds unused files, dependencies, and exports across the project.

Workflow

Always follow this configuration-first workflow. Even for simple "run knip" or "clean up codebase" prompts, configure knip properly before acting on reported issues.

Step 1: Understand the project

Check what frameworks and tools the project uses (look at package.json)
Check if a knip config exists (
```
knip.json
```
,
```
knip.jsonc
```
, or
```
knip
```
key in package.json)
If a config exists, review it for improvements (see Configuration Best Practices below)

Step 2: Run knip and read configuration hints first

bash

npx knip

Focus on configuration hints before anything else. These appear at the top of the output and suggest config adjustments to reduce false positives.

Step 3: Address hints by adjusting knip.json

Fix configuration hints before addressing reported issues. Common adjustments:

Enable/disable plugins for detected frameworks
Add entry patterns for non-standard entry points
Configure workspace settings for monorepos

Step 4: Repeat steps 2-3

Re-run knip after each config change. Repeat until configuration hints are resolved and false positives are minimized.

Step 5: Address actual issues

Once the configuration is settled, work through reported issues. Prioritize in this order:

Unused files — address these first ("inbox zero" approach removes the most noise)
Unused dependencies — remove from package.json
Unused devDependencies — remove from package.json
Unused exports — remove or mark as internal
Unused types — remove, or configure
```
ignoreExportsUsedInFile
```
(see below)

Step 6: Re-run and repeat

Re-run knip after each batch of fixes. Removing unused files often exposes newly-unused exports and dependencies.

Configuration Best Practices

When reviewing or creating a knip config, follow these rules:

Never use
ignore
patterns —
```
ignore
```
hides real issues and should almost never be used. Always prefer specific solutions. Other
```
ignore*
```
options (like
```
ignoreDependencies
```
,
```
ignoreExportsUsedInFile
```
) are fine because they target specific issue types.
Many unused exported types? Add
```
ignoreExportsUsedInFile: { interface: true, type: true }
```
— this handles the common case of types only used in the same file. Prefer this over broader ignore options.
Remove redundant patterns — Knip already respects
```
.gitignore
```
, so ignoring
```
node_modules
```
,
```
dist
```
,
```
build
```
,
```
.git
```
is redundant.
Remove entry patterns covered by defaults — Auto-detected plugins already add standard entry points. Don't duplicate them.
Config files showing as unused (e.g.
```
vite.config.ts
```
) — Enable or disable the corresponding plugin explicitly rather than ignoring the file.
Dependencies matching Node.js builtins (e.g.
```
buffer
```
,
```
process
```
) — Add to
```
ignoreDependencies
```
.
Unresolved imports from path aliases — Add
```
paths
```
to knip config (uses tsconfig.json semantics).

Production Mode

Use

--production

to focus on production code only:

bash

npx knip --production

This excludes test files, config files, and other non-production entry points. Do NOT use

project

ignore

patterns to exclude test files — use

--production

instead.

Cleanup Confidence Levels

Auto-delete (high confidence):

Unused exports that are clearly internal (not part of public API)
Unused type exports
Unused dependencies (remove from package.json)
Unused files that are clearly orphaned (not entry points, not config files)

Ask first (needs clarification):

Files that might be entry points or dynamically imported
Exports that might be part of a public API (index.ts, lib exports)
Dependencies that might be used via CLI or peer dependencies
Anything in paths like
```
src/index
```
,
```
lib/
```
, or files with "public" or "api" in the name

Use the AskUserQuestion tool to clarify before deleting these.

Auto-fix

Once configuration is settled and you're confident in the results:

bash

# Auto-fix safe changes (removes unused exports and dependencies)
npx knip --fix

# Auto-fix including file deletion
npx knip --fix --allow-remove-files

Only use

--fix

after the configuration-first workflow is complete.

Error Handling

If knip exits with code 2 (unexpected error like "error loading file"):

Check if a config file exists — if not, create
```
knip.json
```
in the project root
Check for known issues at knip.dev
Review the configuration reference for syntax/option errors
Run knip again after fixes

Common Commands

bash

# Basic run
npx knip

# Production only (excludes test/config entry points)
npx knip --production

# Auto-fix what's safe
npx knip --fix

# Auto-fix including file deletion
npx knip --fix --allow-remove-files

# JSON output for parsing
npx knip --reporter json

Notes

Watch for monorepo setups — may need
```
--workspace
```
flag
Some frameworks need plugins enabled in config
Knip does not handle unused imports/variables inside files — use ESLint or Biome for that

knip

NPX Install

SKILL.md Content

Knip Code Cleanup

Setup

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the project

Step 2: Run knip and read configuration hints first

Step 3: Address hints by adjusting knip.json

Step 4: Repeat steps 2-3

Step 5: Address actual issues

Step 6: Re-run and repeat

Configuration Best Practices

Production Mode

Cleanup Confidence Levels

Auto-delete (high confidence):

Ask first (needs clarification):

Auto-fix

Error Handling

Common Commands

Notes