Git Branch Cleaner

Article

A Python script to help manage and clean up Git branches in your repository. This tool allows you to:

• Delete unused local branches that haven’t been pushed to the remote or have not been updated recently.
• Delete merged branches that have already been merged into the main branch, allowing you to keep your repository organized and free of redundant branches.

Features

• Unused Branch Cleanup: Searches for local branches that haven't been pushed to the remote and optionally checks if they haven't been updated in a certain period. You can customize this period or disable the time check.
• Merged Branch Cleanup: Identifies remote branches that have already been merged into the main branch and prompts for deletion.
• Interactive Deletion: For each branch identified, the script will display the branch name, its last edited or merged time, and prompt you to confirm deletion.

Configuration

At the top of the script, you can customize the following options:

• DELETE_UNPUSHED_BRANCHES: Set to True to delete unpushed branches (default is True).
• CHECK_LAST_MODIFIED_TIME: Set to True to only delete branches that haven’t been modified within a certain period (defined by LAST_MODIFIED_CUTOFF). If False, the script will ignore last modification dates.
• DELETE_MERGED_BRANCHES: Set to True to delete branches that have been merged into the main branch (default is True).
• LAST_MODIFIED_CUTOFF: The time threshold for branch inactivity, used only if CHECK_LAST_MODIFIED_TIME is set to True.
• DEFAULT_BRANCH: The main branch (e.g., "main" or "master") to check against for merged branches.

Usage

1. Clone the repository or download the script.

2. Navigate to the repository where you want to run the cleanup script.

3. Run the script:

   python git_branch_cleaner.py

4. Select an option:

   • [D]: Delete unused and merged branches. This will first delete unused local branches, then proceed to delete merged branches.
   • [S]: Additional actions (optional placeholder for other operations).
   • [Q]: Quit the script.

5. Confirm Deletion:

   • For each branch, the script will display the branch name, last modified or merged time, and prompt you with options:
     • y: Delete the branch.
     • n: Skip the branch.
     • q: Cancel the operation and return to the main menu.

Creating an Alias for the Script

To make it easier to run this script, you can create an alias in your terminal. This allows you to run the script with a simple command like branch-clean instead of typing the full path each time.

1. Open your shell profile:

   • For bash: Open ~/.bashrc
   • For zsh: Open ~/.zshrc
   • For fish: Open ~/.config/fish/config.fish

2. Add the alias: Add the following line, replacing /path/to/git_branch_cleaner.py with the full path to the script file:

   alias branch-clean='python /path/to/git_branch_cleaner.py'

3. Save and apply:

   • For bash and zsh: Run source ~/.bashrc or source ~/.zshrc.
   • For fish: Run source ~/.config/fish/config.fish.

4. Run the script using the alias: Now you can simply type:

   branch-clean

   This will execute the script using the alias.

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• Git CLI: Make sure Git is installed and available in your PATH.

Example

[D] Delete unused and merged branches
[S] Something else
[Q] Quit

Select an option (D/S/Q): d

Searching for unused branches...

┌──────────────┬─────────────┐
│ Branch       │ Last Edited │
├──────────────┼─────────────┤
│ feature-x    │ 2023-01-15  │
└──────────────┴─────────────┘

Delete this branch locally? (y/n/q to cancel): y

Branch 'feature-x' deleted.

Searching for merged branches...

┌──────────────┬─────────────┐
│ Branch       │ Merge Time  │
├──────────────┼─────────────┤
│ feature-y    │ 2023-02-01  │
└──────────────┴─────────────┘

Delete this merged branch locally? (y/n/q to cancel): n
...

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.

Contributions

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues or pull requests for new features or improvements.