Cleanup Unused

Detect unused code, exports, files, and dependencies. Auto-delete only what's verifiably dead. Write a critical assessment with confidence ratings; defer ambiguous items to the human.

Preflight

1. Detect language(s) by checking for: package.json (TS/JS), pyproject.toml/requirements.txt (Py), go.mod (Go), Cargo.toml (Rust). Skip languages not present.
2. Check git state. If working tree is dirty, refuse to auto-apply — ask user to stash or commit first. The verify step needs a clean baseline to revert to.
3. Create report dir: mkdir -p .claude/cleanup-reports/. Add .claude/cleanup-reports/ to .gitignore if not already present.
4. Scan for dynamic-import patterns that defeat static analysis. Save the list — findings in these areas drop to MEDIUM confidence.

• JS/TS: import(, require(, eval(, Function(, __webpack_require__, dynamic route file conventions (pages/, app/)
• Python: __import__, importlib, getattr, plugin entry-points in setup.py/pyproject.toml
• Go: reflect., plugin loader, build tags
• Rust: cfg(feature = ...) gates, proc-macros, extern crate

Detect

Run the right tool per language. Install on demand only after asking.

TypeScript / JavaScript

# Knip is the gold standard. Most TS/JS repos already have it wired up.
bunx knip --reporter json > /tmp/knip.json 2>/dev/null || npx knip --reporter json > /tmp/knip.json

Parse files, exports, types, dependencies, devDependencies, unlisted, binaries arrays.

Python

uvx vulture . --min-confidence 80 --json > /tmp/vulture.json 2>/dev/null || pipx run vulture . --min-confidence 80

Vulture confidence ≥80 maps roughly to our HIGH; 60-79 = MEDIUM.

Go

go install honnef.co/go/tools/cmd/staticcheck@latest 2>/dev/null
staticcheck -checks=U1000 ./... > /tmp/staticcheck.txt

U1000 = unused code.

Rust

cargo install cargo-machete 2>/dev/null
cargo machete --with-metadata > /tmp/machete.txt    # unused deps
cargo +nightly udeps 2>/dev/null || true            # optional, nightly-only

Use RUSTFLAGS="-W dead_code" and re-build for in-crate dead code if needed.

Assess

Write .claude/cleanup-reports/cleanup-unused-{YYYY-MM-DD}.md with:

# Unused Code Assessment — YYYY-MM-DD

## Scope
- Languages detected: [TS, Py, …]
- Tools run: [knip, vulture, …]
- Dynamic-import risk areas: [list paths]

## Summary
- Unused files: N (HIGH: x, MEDIUM: y)
- Unused exports: N (HIGH: x, MEDIUM: y)
- Unused dependencies: N (HIGH: x, MEDIUM: y)
- Total LOC removable (HIGH only): ~N

## Findings

| Conf | Type | Location | Tool said | Recommendation |
|------|------|----------|-----------|----------------|
| HIGH | export | src/utils/foo.ts:12 `parseDate` | knip: unused export | Delete export + function |
| MED  | file | src/legacy/old.ts | knip: unused file | Defer — referenced from dynamic import area |
| ...

## Critical Assessment

[2-4 paragraphs of human-readable analysis]
- What patterns emerged? (e.g., "8 of 12 unused exports are in `lib/legacy/` — consider deleting the whole directory")
- Why were items downgraded from HIGH to MEDIUM?
- Architectural observations.

## Out of scope
- [Items the tool flagged but skill won't touch — public API surfaces, framework conventions, etc.]

Apply

Auto-apply HIGH-confidence only. Group all deletions into one commit.

Confidence rubric

HIGH (auto-apply):

• Tool flagged the item AND it's not in a dynamic-import risk area
• Not on a public API surface (index.ts, __init__.py, pub items, package main/exports)
• Has zero references in the entire repo (verify with grep, not just the tool's word)
• For deps: not used in any script, config, or runtime require

MEDIUM (report only, don't apply):

• Tool flagged BUT one of: in dynamic-import area, on public API surface, has indirect references (re-exports), is a type-only export from a .d.ts consumed externally
• Vulture confidence 60-79
• Dependencies that appear in peerDependencies or are used by build tooling

LOW (note in report, no action):

• Heuristic guesses with no tool backing
• Things the user previously declined to delete (check git log for prior reverts)

Execution

1. Delete files: rm — but verify no .gitignore'd sibling files reference them first.
2. Remove exports: Edit to remove the export keyword + drop the symbol if internal usage is also zero.
3. Uninstall deps: bun remove / pip uninstall / cargo remove — pick the manager from lockfile presence.
4. Single commit: git add -A && git commit -m "chore(cleanup): cleanup-unused — N items removed".

Verify

Run all that apply, in order. Halt and revert on first failure.

# Typecheck
bun run typecheck 2>&1 || npx tsc --noEmit
mypy . 2>&1 || true
go build ./... 2>&1
cargo check 2>&1

# Tests (if scripts exist)
bun test 2>&1 || npm test 2>&1
pytest 2>&1
go test ./... 2>&1
cargo test 2>&1

# Lint
bunx biome check . 2>&1 || npx eslint . 2>&1
ruff check . 2>&1
golangci-lint run 2>&1
cargo clippy 2>&1

If any fail: git revert HEAD --no-edit, downgrade all auto-applied items to MEDIUM in the report, append a "## Verify Failure" section with the error output.

Output

End-of-turn message (≤4 lines):

• "Removed N unused items (X files, Y exports, Z deps). M deferred for review."
• Path to the report.
• Verify status (✓ all green, ✗ reverted).

NEVER

• Delete anything in node_modules/, .next/, dist/, build/, or other generated dirs.
• Delete migration files (drizzle/*.sql, alembic/, migrations/) even if they look unused — they describe history.
• Delete test fixtures based on knip flags — they're often loaded by glob.
• Auto-apply on a dirty working tree — refuse and ask.
• Trust knip blindly for files in framework convention directories (Next.js app/, pages/, Remix routes/, etc.) — those have routing-based dynamic loads.
• Run npm install --force or any flag that bypasses lockfile integrity if a dep removal causes resolution issues.

Source & license

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

• Author: raintree-technology
• Source: raintree-technology/agent-starter
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://claude.raintree.technology

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