find_unused_javascript_files.py is a small Python utility that scans a project folder (recursively) and tells you which JavaScript files are never referenced:
Not in any HTML <script src="…"> tag
Not in any JavaScript import, dynamic import() or CommonJS require() call
By listing only the truly dead .js files, it helps you delete forgotten code and keep your repo lean
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Deep scan | Walks every sub-directory automatically. |
| HTML → JS parsing | Finds filenames in <script src="…"> tags via BeautifulSoup. |
| JS → JS parsing | Detects static import, dynamic import() and require() statements with regex. |
| Path-agnostic | Compares only the filename, so mismatched or relative paths don’t matter. |
| Concise log | Prints one list – the .js files that appear nowhere. |
| Zero non-standard deps | Needs only beautifulsoup4 (install once with pip). |
- Python ≥ 3.8
beautifulsoup4
Install the dependency once:
pip install beautifulsoup4
- Clone or download this repo, then make the script executable:
git clone https://github.com/tomcadene/find_unused_javascript_files.git
cd find_unused_javascript_files
chmod +x find_unused_javascript_files.py # optional on Unix
- Install BeautifulSoup (only once)
pip install beautifulsoup4
python find_unused_javascript_files.py /path/to/project
If you omit the path, the current directory (.) is scanned.
INFO: Scanning directory: /Users/me/my-app
INFO: Found 27 HTML files and 142 JS files.
===== UNUSED JavaScript files =====
UNUSED /Users/me/my-app/scripts/old/polyfill-ie11.js
UNUSED /Users/me/my-app/components/legacy/modal-legacy.js
UNUSED /Users/me/my-app/tests/helpers/mock-fetch.js
If everything is referenced you’ll see:
INFO: Great! Every JavaScript file is referenced somewhere.