pkuppens/branch-cleanup-after-pr

Branch Cleanup After PR Merge

When a PR is merged (merge commit, squash-merge, or rebase-merge), run this to sync local state and remove obsolete branches.

Complements maintenance-cleanup (broader hygiene) and git-worktrees — use worktrees when branch deletion fails.

Workflow

1. Checkout main, pull

   git checkout main
   git pull
   

2. Fetch with prune (removes refs for deleted remote branches)

   git fetch --prune
   

3. Identify branches to delete

   • Merge commits: git branch --merged main — branch tip is in main's history
   • Gone upstream: git branch -vv | grep ': gone]' — remote ref was deleted on GitHub
   • Functional merge (patch-equivalent after squash/rebase/cherry-pick):
     • git cherry -v main <branch>
     • If all branch commits show -, the branch changes are already in main even when ancestry differs

4. Delete local branches

   • From --merged list (exclude protected branches), run git branch -d <name>
   • From : gone] list:
     • Try git branch -d <name>
     • If blocked as "not fully merged", verify with git cherry -v main <name>
     • If commits are all -, delete with git branch -D <name> (safe because patches already exist in main)

Merge Type Coverage

| Type | Detection | Notes | |------|-----------|-------| | Merge commit | --merged main | Branch tip is ancestor of main | | Squash merge | git cherry -v main <branch> | Commits often appear as - even if --merged misses them | | Rebase merge | git cherry -v main <branch> | Same pattern as squash merge | | Cherry-pick merge | git cherry -v main <branch> | Patch-equivalent commits appear as - |

Protected Branches

Never delete: main, master, develop, release/*, hotfix/*

Cross-Platform

• PowerShell: Use Select-String instead of grep; chain with ; not && where needed
• Bash: Standard grep/awk/sed

Reference

Some repos keep copy-paste commands under .cursor/commands/branch-cleanup.md — optional.