jxnl/clean-worktrees

Clean Worktrees

Use this skill when ~/.codex/worktrees or repository .git/worktrees directories are large, or when the user asks which worktrees are safe to remove.

Workflow

1. Measure disk first:

   df -h / /System/Volumes/Data
   du -sh ~/.codex ~/.codex/worktrees 2>/dev/null
   

2. Audit before cleanup. Prefer the bundled script:

   python3 ~/.codex/skills/clean-worktrees/scripts/clean_worktrees.py \
     --repo ~/path/to/repo \
     --root ~/.codex/worktrees \
     --audit-dir ~/.codex/worktree-cleanup-audit \
     --min-age-hours 24
   

3. Interpret risk:

   • Clean detached Codex worktrees: safest to remove.
   • Dirty detached Codex worktrees: back up status, diff, and untracked files before removal.
   • Named branch worktrees without an open PR: usually safe after checking dirty status.
   • Named branch worktrees with an open PR: keep unless the user explicitly asks to remove them.
   • Main checkout or non-Codex path: never remove as part of automatic cleanup.

4. Apply cleanup only after the audit result is clear:

   python3 ~/.codex/skills/clean-worktrees/scripts/clean_worktrees.py \
     --repo ~/path/to/repo \
     --root ~/.codex/worktrees \
     --audit-dir ~/.codex/worktree-cleanup-audit \
     --apply \
     --include-dirty \
     --min-age-hours 24
   

5. Prune repository metadata after removals:

   git -C ~/path/to/repo worktree prune
   

6. Verify:

   git -C ~/path/to/repo worktree list --porcelain
   du -sh ~/.codex ~/.codex/worktrees 2>/dev/null
   df -h / /System/Volumes/Data
   

Pull Request Mapping

For named branch worktrees, map branches to PRs before deletion:

gh -C <repo> pr list --head <branch> --json number,title,url,state,headRefName,baseRefName

Detached worktrees do not map cleanly to PRs by branch. Treat them as not PR-backed unless the worktree has a named branch or a remote branch can be inferred from local metadata.

Safety Rules

• Default to audit-only.
• Do not delete by raw rm or rm -rf.
• Save audit artifacts under a dedicated audit directory, such as ~/.codex/worktree-cleanup-audit.
• For dirty worktrees, save:
  • git status --porcelain
  • git diff --binary
  • an archive of untracked files
• Skip worktrees modified within the configured age window, default 24 hours, to avoid deleting active sessions.
• Skip PR-backed branches unless the user explicitly says to delete them.
• Use Git's own worktree remove --force for registered worktrees.
• Move unregistered leftover directories to ~/.Trash/codex/<timestamp>/ instead of deleting them directly.