Git Janitor

A fast, interactive Terminal User Interface (TUI) for cleaning up local Git branches.

The Problem

If you actively review PRs locally or juggle multiple feature branches, your local repository quickly accumulates stale, merged, or abandoned branches. Cleaning this up manually is tedious. You either have to delete branches one by one in the JetBrains IDE Git tool window, or manually look up and type out every single branch name you want to remove in the terminal:

git branch -D feature/one feature/two bugfix/three stale/four

To avoid typing out a massive list, you can technically bulk-delete merged branches using native Git alongside bash utilities, but it requires chaining together a terrifying command pipeline like this:

git branch --merged | egrep -v "(^\*|main|master|dev)" | xargs git branch -d

This native workaround has significant drawbacks:

• Dangerous: It runs completely blind. A slight typo in your regular expression could instantly wipe out the wrong branches.
• Hard to remember: Nobody wants to memorize egrep -v syntax and pipe operators just to clean up their workspace.
• Not cross-platform: This relies on Unix tools (grep, xargs) that do not work natively for developers using standard Windows Command Prompt or PowerShell.

The Solution

Git Janitor streamlines this entire process by replacing manual typing and dangerous bash scripts with a fast, keyboard-driven UI directly in your terminal.

Here is why it is a better approach:

• Visual & Interactive: You see exactly which branches are queued for deletion before any destructive commands are run.
• Smart & Safe: It dynamically queries your repository to find the true default branch and hard-locks it, along with your currently active branch, so they cannot be accidentally deleted.
• Zero Memorization: Just type git-janitor, press m to select all merged branches, and hit Enter.
• Cross-Platform: Compiled as a single Go binary, it works flawlessly across macOS, Linux, and Windows without relying on external shell utilities.

Features

• Keyboard-driven UI: Navigate and toggle branches quickly without leaving the terminal.
• Merged Branch Detection: Automatically flags branches that have already been safely merged into your default branch.
• Bulk Selection: Select all unprotected branches or exclusively merged branches with a single keystroke.
• Branch Protection: Built-in safeguards prevent the accidental deletion of your currently active branch, as well as standard branches like main, master, and dev.

Installation

Option 1: Package Managers (Recommended)

macOS / Linux (Homebrew)

brew install jvherck/tap/git-janitor

Windows (Scoop)

scoop bucket add jvherck https://github.com/jvherck/scoop-bucket.git
scoop install git-janitor

Option 2: Download Pre-compiled Binaries

You can download the pre-compiled .zip or .tar.gz binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux directly from the GitHub Releases page. Extract the executable and move it to a directory in your system's $PATH.

Option 3: Install via Go

If you have Go 1.24.2 or later installed:

go install github.com/jvherck/git-janitor@latest

(Ensure your ~/go/bin directory is in your system's $PATH)

Option 4: Build from source

git clone https://github.com/jvherck/git-janitor.git
cd git-janitor
go build -o git-janitor .
# Move the binary to your PATH, e.g., sudo mv git-janitor /usr/local/bin/

If you're running on Windows, use go build -o git-janitor.exe . instead.

Usage

Navigate to any local Git repository in your terminal and run:

git-janitor

If you're on Windows and you haven't added the git-janitor executable to your PATH use .\git-janitor.exe.

Keybindings

Key	Action
↑ / k	Move cursor up
↓ / j	Move cursor down
Space	Toggle selection for the current branch
a	Select all unprotected branches
m	Select only merged branches
c	Clear all selections
Enter	Proceed to deletion confirmation
q / Ctrl+C	Quit

Configuration

The UI is built using bubbletea and lipgloss. Colors, margins, and standard protected branch names are centralized in the constants.go file. You can modify these constants and rebuild the binary to adjust the UI to your preferences.

Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome. Feel free to check the issues page if you want to contribute.

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/NewFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add NewFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/NewFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Prior Art

This project shares a name and core mission with an earlier Git Janitor built by Gaurav Manchanda in 2015. While this Go-based TUI is a completely independent tool designed from scratch for modern workflows, I want to acknowledge their original work!

License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.