Git Stale Branch Cleanup

Git Stale Branch Cleanup

Two modes — both always generate a full scan report before any action:

• Dry-run (default): scan → report only, nothing deleted.
• Live: scan → report → multi-select → confirm → delete remote → prune local.

Usage

/git-stale-branch-cleanup             # prompts for mode
/git-stale-branch-cleanup --dry-run
/git-stale-branch-cleanup --live

Reference Scripts

Run directly — do not regenerate these commands inline. Agent instructions are embedded in each script header; read them after running.

| Script | Run as | |--------|--------| | references/scan-pass-a.sh | bash references/scan-pass-a.sh "$BASE_BRANCH" "$THRESHOLD_DAYS" "$SCAN_LIMIT" | | references/scan-pass-b.sh | bash references/scan-pass-b.sh "" "$BASE_BRANCH" | | references/delete-branch.sh | bash references/delete-branch.sh "" |

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⚠ BLOCKING: Load mode file before proceeding

If Live mode / --live: → read_file: .agent-settings/skills/git-stale-branch-cleanup/references/mode-live.md

If Dry-run / --dry-run / default: → No extra file needed — dry-run exits after Phase 4.

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Phase 0 — Mode Selection

  [D] Dry-run  (default) — scan and report only, nothing deleted
  [L] Live               — scan, report, then select branches to delete

Select mode [D/L]:

Default (Enter) → Dry-run. Load mode file immediately per BLOCKING rule above.

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Phase 1 — Base Branch

  [1] origin/main    (default)
  [2] origin/master
  [3] origin/develop
  [4] Other — type the branch name

Select [1-4]:

Auto-detect default via git remote show origin | grep 'HEAD branch'. Store as BASE_BRANCH. Then: git fetch --prune origin

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Phase 2 — Staleness Threshold

  [1]  90 days  (3 months)
  [2] 180 days  (6 months)
  [3] 365 days  (1 year)
  [4] 730 days  (2 years)
  [5] Other — enter number of days

Select [1-5]:

Store as THRESHOLD_DAYS.

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Phase 2b — Scan Limit

  [1]  6  (default — fast)
  [2] 10
  [3] 15
  [4] 20
  [5] 30  (slowest)

Select [1-5]:

Default (Enter) → 6. Store as SCAN_LIMIT.

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Phase 3 — Branch Scan

bash references/scan-pass-a.sh "$BASE_BRANCH" "$THRESHOLD_DAYS" "$SCAN_LIMIT"

Read the AGENT INSTRUCTIONS in scan-pass-a.sh header. For each TSV line:

bash references/scan-pass-b.sh "" "$BASE_BRANCH"

Read the AGENT INSTRUCTIONS in scan-pass-b.sh header to render branch cards and the summary block.

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Phase 4 — Scan Report

Render the report from script output per scan-pass-b.sh instructions.

Dry-run stops here. Print:

Dry-run complete. Run with --live (or select Live mode) to proceed with deletion.

(Live mode: continue with references/mode-live.md.)

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Global Rules

• Use reference scripts — never regenerate scan or delete commands inline.
• Never delete the remote of BASE_BRANCH or the currently checked-out branch.
• Dry-run is the safe default — never assume live mode without explicit selection.
• Scan report is always shown in both modes before any further action.
• Unmerged selections must show ⚠ in confirmation — never silently delete unmerged work.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: jamesyang124
• Source: jamesyang124/agent-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.