Stale Worktree Cleanup

Overview

This repo's .githooks/post-checkout creates a per-worktree Postgres database (compdev_<slug>) on every git worktree add. Git has no pre-worktree-remove hook, so dead databases pile up over time. This skill defines a safe, reversible process to reap both the worktree directories and their dangling databases together.

Core principle: never delete work the user might still want. Classify first, ask second, remove last.

When to Use

• User says "clean up worktrees", "delete stale worktrees", "remove old worktrees", "worktrees piling up"
• User mentions orphaned compdev_* DBs or running out of disk space from dead node_modules
• Starting a new feature and noticing many old worktree dirs

When NOT to Use

• User wants to remove ONE specific worktree (just run git worktree remove <path> + drop its DB directly — don't load the whole process)
• User is actively working in a worktree (never touch active work)

Process

Step 1 — Inventory

Run these four commands (parallel-safe) and capture the output:

git worktree list --porcelain
gh pr list --author @me --state all --limit 50 --json headRefName,state,url,number
git branch --no-color | cat

Then query the DB for compdev_* databases. The management URL is the main worktree's DATABASE_URL with the database path swapped to postgres:

bun -e '
  import { Client } from "pg";
  const raw = require("fs").readFileSync("packages/db/.env", "utf8");
  const url = raw.match(/^DATABASE_URL=(.*)$/m)[1].replace(/^["\x27]|["\x27]$/g, "");
  const mgmt = url.replace(/\/[^/?]+(\?|$)/, "/postgres$1");
  const c = new Client({ connectionString: mgmt });
  await c.connect();
  const r = await c.query("SELECT datname FROM pg_database WHERE datname LIKE \x27compdev\\\\_%\x27 ORDER BY 1");
  for (const row of r.rows) console.log(row.datname);
  await c.end();
'

Step 2 — Classify each worktree

For each worktree (skip the main one):

Gather per worktree:

• cd <path> && git status --porcelain | wc -l — uncommitted changes count
• cd <path> && git log @{upstream}..HEAD --oneline 2>/dev/null | wc -l — unpushed commits (0 if no upstream)
• Branch → PR lookup from step 1

Step 3 — Present to user

Show a table and explicit recommendations. Example:

Path                                    Branch                              PR state  Changes  Recommendation
.worktrees/sale-45-…                    mariano/sale-45-…                   MERGED    0 / 0    ✅ safe to remove
.worktrees/old-experiment               mariano/scratch                     —         3 / 0    ⚠ uncommitted — confirm first
.worktrees/worktree-env-auto-link       mariano/worktree-env-auto-link      OPEN      0 / 0    ⏳ keep (PR open)

Orphan databases (no worktree dir):
  compdev_abandoned_feature
  compdev_old_migration_test

Then ask: "Remove the items marked ✅? Confirm by listing anything you want me to also nuke from the ⚠ / ⏳ set."

Step 4 — Remove confirmed items

For each worktree the user approved:

# 1. Remove the worktree dir (use --force only if user confirmed dirty-removal)
git worktree remove "<path>"           # clean case
git worktree remove --force "<path>"   # only after explicit user OK

# 2. Derive the slug and drop the database
slug=$(basename "<path>" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]' | tr '-' '_' | tr -cd 'a-z0-9_')
bun -e '
  import { Client } from "pg";
  const raw = require("fs").readFileSync("packages/db/.env", "utf8");
  const url = raw.match(/^DATABASE_URL=(.*)$/m)[1].replace(/^["\x27]|["\x27]$/g, "");
  const mgmt = url.replace(/\/[^/?]+(\?|$)/, "/postgres$1");
  const c = new Client({ connectionString: mgmt });
  await c.connect();
  await c.query(`DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS "compdev_'"$slug"'"`);
  await c.end();
  console.log("dropped compdev_'"$slug"'");
'

For orphan databases (no matching worktree dir), just drop them — no worktree to remove.

Do NOT delete the local branch unless the user explicitly asked. Branches can be recreated from origin cheaply; worktrees cannot.

Step 5 — Verify and report

git worktree list
# then re-run the compdev_* query from step 1

Report back:

• Worktrees removed (paths)
• Databases dropped (names)
• Anything skipped and why
• What's left (still-active worktrees)

Safety Rules

• Never remove the main worktree. Its path is always the first line of git worktree list --porcelain.
• Never --force without confirmation. Dirty worktrees can contain un-stashed work.
• Never DROP DATABASE on anything not matching ^compdev_[a-z0-9_]+$. Never drop comp, postgres, or any production-looking name.
• Never delete a local branch as part of cleanup unless the user explicitly asks. Orphaned branches are cheap; lost work isn't.
• Never run this inside a worktree you're about to delete. cd to the main worktree first.

Common Mistakes

Red Flags

If any of these show up mid-process, stop and ask the user:

• A worktree has unpushed commits AND no PR → might be unreleased work
• The classification returned >10 "safe to remove" items → unusual volume, double-check
• git worktree remove errors with "working tree is not clean" → never retry with --force without explicit consent
• A compdev_* name has weird characters or unexpected format → don't drop

Quick Reference

# List everything
git worktree list --porcelain
gh pr list --author @me --state all --limit 50 --json headRefName,state

# Per-worktree inspection
git -C <path> status --porcelain
git -C <path> log @{upstream}..HEAD --oneline 2>/dev/null

# Clean removal
git worktree remove <path>

# Dirty removal (requires user confirmation first)
git worktree remove --force <path>

# Database drop (run from main worktree)
# See the bun -e snippets above for the exact invocation