/git-workflow

Delete Merged Branches

Clean up branches after they've been merged to keep the repository tidy and navigable.

Bad Example

# Accumulating merged branches
git branch -a
# feature/user-login (merged 6 months ago)
# feature/payment-v1 (merged 1 year ago)
# feature/old-dashboard (merged 2 years ago)
# fix/ancient-bug (merged 18 months ago)
# ... 200 more stale branches

# Keeping "just in case"
git checkout -b feature/backup-of-merged-branch
# The history is already in main!

# Never cleaning up remotes
git fetch
# Fetching hundreds of stale remote branches

# Reusing merged branch names
git checkout feature/login  # old merged branch
git commit -m "new changes"
# Confusing history, unclear what belongs to which PR

Good Example

# Delete local branch after merge
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git branch -d feature/user-auth
# -d is safe, won't delete unmerged branches

# Delete remote branch after merge
git push origin --delete feature/user-auth

# Combined cleanup after merge
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git branch -d feature/user-auth
git push origin --delete feature/user-auth

# Clean up all merged local branches
git checkout main
git branch --merged | grep -v "main\|master" | xargs git branch -d

# Clean up stale remote tracking branches
git fetch --prune
# or
git remote prune origin

# Enable auto-delete on GitHub
# Settings > General > Automatically delete head branches

# Periodic cleanup script
git checkout main
git pull --prune
git branch --merged | grep -v "main\|master\|develop" | xargs git branch -d
# Note: xargs -r (skip if empty) is Linux/GNU only — omit on macOS

Why

Cleaning up merged branches maintains repository health:

1. Clarity: Easy to see active work vs. completed work
2. Performance: Fewer branches means faster git operations
3. Navigation: Finding the right branch is easier
4. Reduced Confusion: No ambiguity about branch status
5. Professionalism: Clean repository reflects well on the team

When to delete:

• Immediately after PR is merged
• During regular repository maintenance
• As part of sprint cleanup

Safe deletion commands:

• git branch -d - Only deletes if fully merged
• git branch -D - Force delete (use cautiously)
• git push origin --delete - Delete remote branch

Automation options:

• GitHub: Enable "Automatically delete head branches" in repo settings
• GitLab: Enable "Delete source branch when merge request is accepted"
• CI/CD: Add cleanup step to merge pipelines

Exceptions (branches to keep):

• main / master
• develop (if using GitFlow)
• release/* branches (until end of support)
• Protected environment branches