git-worktree-clean

Git Worktree Clean

Batch cleanup of stale git worktrees. A Python script lists worktrees, classifies each as merged / unmerged / protected, removes the safe ones, and reports reclaimed space. Disk accounting is language-neutral — it skips symlinks (e.g. a shared node_modules) and .git, with no stack-specific excludes.

Part of the Worktree Lifecycle Suite: /git-worktree | /git-worktree-status | /git-worktree-remove

Steps

Always preview first:

uv run "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/git_worktree_clean.py" --dry-run

Then execute:

uv run "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/git_worktree_clean.py" [--all] [--force]

The script:

skips the main worktree and any worktree on a protected branch (main master develop staging production);
removes worktrees whose branch is merged into the main branch and deletes the local branch (git branch -d);
keeps unmerged worktrees unless --all is given (then git branch -D);
prunes stale references with git worktree prune.

Flags

Flag	Effect
`--dry-run`	Preview what would be cleaned; make no changes
`--all`	Also remove unmerged worktrees (force-deletes their branch)
`--force`	Skip git's dirty-state guard when removing a worktree

Database branch cleanup

Worktree removal does not delete associated database branches. If the work used a branchable database, follow the matching cleanup command in ../git-worktree/references/database-branching.md.

Common mistakes

Running --force without --dry-run first — always preview.
Forgetting database branch cleanup — the worktree goes, the DB branch stays until you delete it.

Usage

/git-worktree-clean --dry-run
/git-worktree-clean
/git-worktree-clean --all

Flags: $ARGUMENTS