Git Branch Cleaner
A VS Code extension that scans your local Git branches, identifies merged and stale branches, and lets you safely delete them through an interactive UI.
Features
- Merged branch detection — finds branches already merged into your current HEAD
- Stale branch detection — flags branches with no commits in the last N days (configurable)
- Protected branch filtering — never suggests deleting
main, master, dev, develop, staging, production, or your custom protected branches
- Unpushed commit guard — skips branches with local commits not yet pushed to a remote
- Interactive QuickPick UI — checkbox-style multi-select with branch status details
- Safe delete by default — uses
git branch -d (refuses to delete unmerged branches)
- Auto-fetch before scan — optionally runs
git fetch --prune to keep branch state fresh
Commands
Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run:
| Command |
Description |
Git Branch Cleaner: Scan Branches |
Interactive scan — pick which branches to delete |
Git Branch Cleaner: Clean Branches (Auto-select Safe) |
Auto-selects all safe-to-delete branches |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
gitBranchCleaner.protectedBranches |
[] |
Additional branches to protect (added to built-in defaults) |
gitBranchCleaner.staleDaysThreshold |
30 |
Days of inactivity before a branch is considered stale |
gitBranchCleaner.autoFetchBeforeScan |
true |
Run git fetch --prune before scanning |
gitBranchCleaner.defaultRemote |
"origin" |
Default remote name for remote operations |
Example settings.json
{
"gitBranchCleaner.protectedBranches": ["hotfix", "release/v2"],
"gitBranchCleaner.staleDaysThreshold": 60,
"gitBranchCleaner.autoFetchBeforeScan": false
}
Safety Rules
A branch will never be suggested for deletion if it is:
- The currently checked-out branch
- A protected branch (built-in or user-configured)
- A branch with unpushed local commits
- An active branch with no merge or staleness issues
Built-in Protected Branches
The following branches are always protected:
main, master, dev, develop, staging, production, release
Project Structure
src/
├── extension.ts # Entry point — activates extension, registers commands
├── git.ts # Low-level Git command executor (child_process wrappers)
├── branchScanner.ts # Branch analysis engine (merged, stale, safety checks)
├── ui.ts # VS Code UI layer (QuickPick, dialogs, notifications)
├── config.ts # Reads VS Code settings
└── types.ts # Shared TypeScript interfaces
Development
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile
# Watch mode (auto-recompile on save)
npm run watch
# Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host
License
MIT
