git-tidy

An interactive CLI tool for cleaning up unused git branches. Built with Ink for a beautiful terminal UI experience.

Features

- Interactive wizard - Step-by-step guided cleanup process
- Dry-run by default - Safe mode that shows what would be deleted without actually deleting
- Multiple filter criteria - Filter branches by:
- Merged status (already merged into default branch)
- Stale branches (no commits in X days)
- Age-based (branches older than X days)
- Pattern matching (e.g., feature/, hotfix/)
- Smart defaults - Auto-detects default branch via GitHub API
- Batch selection - Select all, none, or invert selection with keyboard shortcuts
- Local & remote - Delete both local and remote branches in one go
- Delete after dry-run - Option to execute deletion right after reviewing dry-run results

Installation

``bash


Install globally from npm


npm install -g git-tidy-cli
`

$3

`bash


Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/ArmandBrworworworx/git-tidy.git
cd git-tidy

Install dependencies

npm install

Build

npm run build

Link globally

npm link
`

Usage

Simply run git-tidy in any git repository:

`bash
git-tidy
`

$3

| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| -x, --execute | Actually delete branches (default: dry-run mode) |
| -y, --yes | Skip confirmations (for scripting) |
| -t, --token | GitHub personal access token (or use GITHUB_TOKEN env) |
| -V, --version | Show version |
| -h, --help | Show help |

$3

`bash


Interactive mode (dry-run by default)

git-tidy

Actually delete branches

git-tidy --execute

Use with GitHub token for better API access

git-tidy --token ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx

or

GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx git-tidy
`

Workflow

1. Scope Selection - Choose to clean local, remote, or both
2. Filter Criteria - Select which branches to include (merged, stale, pattern, etc.)
3. Branch Selection - Review and select specific branches to delete
4. Confirmation - Review summary before deletion
5. Execution - Watch progress as branches are deleted
6. Summary - See results with option to delete for real after dry-run

$3

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| ↑ ↓ | Navigate |
| Space | Toggle selection |
| Enter | Confirm / Proceed |
| Esc | Go back |
| a | Select all (in branch selection) |
| n | Select none (in branch selection) |
| i | Invert selection (in branch selection) |
| d | Delete for real (after dry-run) |
| q | Quit |

Safety

- Dry-run by default - No branches are deleted unless you pass --execute or press d after a dry-run
- Protected branches - Automatically protects main, master, develop`, and the repository's default branch
- Current branch protection - Never deletes the branch you're currently on
- Confirmation step - Always shows a summary before any deletion

Tech Stack

- Ink - React for CLI
- @inkjs/ui - UI components (Select, MultiSelect, Spinner)
- simple-git - Git operations
- @octokit/rest - GitHub API
- Commander.js - CLI argument parsing
- TypeScript + tsup

License

MIT