Git Branch Clean

Sync remote state, then find and delete local branches whose remote is gone. Always confirm with user before any deletion.

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Fetch and prune remote refs

git fetch --prune

This removes remote-tracking refs that no longer exist on remote.

Step 2: Pull alive tracking branches

Get list of alive tracking branches (not gone, not current):

git branch -vv | grep -v ': gone]' | grep -v '^\*' | grep '\[origin/' | awk '{print $1}'

For each branch in that list, fast-forward update it locally (no checkout needed):

git fetch origin "<branch>:<branch>" 2>/dev/null && echo "Updated: <branch>" || echo "Skipped (diverged): <branch>"

Run one git fetch origin <branch>:<branch> per branch. If it fails (diverged), skip silently — don't block. Print result per branch so user can see progress.

Also pull current branch:

git pull --ff-only 2>/dev/null || echo "Current branch: skipped (diverged or no upstream)"

Step 3: Find stale branches (remote gone)

git branch -vv | grep ': gone]' | awk '{print $1}'

Step 4: Handle results

If no stale branches found:

"No stale branches. Local repo is clean."

Stop here.

If stale branches found, show list and ask user:

"Found [N] local branch(es) whose remote is gone:

[list each branch on its own line]

Delete all? (yes/no)"

Wait for user reply before continuing.

Step 5: Delete on confirm

If user says no → Stop. Tell user no branches were deleted.

If user says yes → Run:

git branch -vv | grep ': gone]' | awk '{print $1}' | xargs git branch -D

Report each deleted branch and confirm done.

Error Handling

Error	Action
Not inside a git repo	"Not a git repo. Run from project root."
git fetch fails (no remote / auth error)	Show error output. Stop.
Branch delete fails (e.g., currently checked out)	Show which branch failed, skip it, delete the rest
No branches at all	"Repo has no local branches to check."

Safety Rules

• Never delete without user confirmation. Always show branch list first.
• Never force-delete current branch. If a gone branch is currently checked out, warn and skip it.
• Use git branch -D (force delete) because gone branches have no upstream — -d would refuse.

Example Output

Fetching and pruning... done.

Found 3 local branch(es) whose remote is gone:

  feature/old-login
  fix/AUTH-99-typo
  chore/remove-deprecated-api

Delete all? (yes/no)

User types yes:

Deleted: feature/old-login
Deleted: fix/AUTH-99-typo
Deleted: chore/remove-deprecated-api

Done. 3 branch(es) removed.