Git worktree remove

Safely remove a single git worktree with branch cleanup, merge verification, and database branch teardown.

Core principle: Safety checks first, then clean removal of worktree + branch + DB resources.

Part of: Worktree Lifecycle Suite | /git-worktree | /git-worktree-status | /git-worktree-clean

Process

1. Validate Target: Identify worktree to remove
2. Safety Check: Protect main/develop branches
3. Check Merge Status: Warn if branch has unmerged changes
4. Check Uncommitted Changes: Warn if worktree has dirty state
5. Remove Worktree: git worktree remove
6. Delete Local Branch: git branch -d (or -D with confirmation)
7. Delete Remote Branch: git push origin --delete (with confirmation)
8. Database Cleanup Reminder: Suggest DB branch deletion if applicable
9. Prune References: git worktree prune

Safety checks

Protected branches

# Never remove worktrees for these branches (configurable)
PROTECTED_BRANCHES="main master develop staging production"

if echo "$PROTECTED_BRANCHES" | grep -qw "$BRANCH"; then
  echo "BLOCKED: Cannot remove worktree for protected branch '$BRANCH'"
  echo "Protected branches: $PROTECTED_BRANCHES"
  exit 1
fi

Uncommitted changes

cd "$WORKTREE_PATH"
if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
  echo "WARNING: Worktree has uncommitted changes:"
  git status --short
  echo ""
  echo "Options:"
  echo "  1. Commit changes first"
  echo "  2. Force remove (--force)"
  echo "  3. Cancel"
  # Wait for user decision
fi

Merge status

# Check if branch is merged into main
MAIN_BRANCH=$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@')

if git merge-base --is-ancestor "$BRANCH" "$MAIN_BRANCH" 2>/dev/null; then
  echo "Branch '$BRANCH' is merged into $MAIN_BRANCH. Safe to delete."
  MERGED=true
else
  echo "WARNING: Branch '$BRANCH' is NOT merged into $MAIN_BRANCH."
  echo "You may lose work if you delete this branch."
  MERGED=false
fi

Removal steps

# 1. Remove the worktree
git worktree remove "$WORKTREE_PATH"
# If dirty state and user confirmed force:
# git worktree remove --force "$WORKTREE_PATH"

# 2. Delete local branch
if [ "$MERGED" = true ]; then
  git branch -d "$BRANCH"
else
  echo "Delete unmerged branch '$BRANCH'? (requires confirmation)"
  # On confirmation:
  git branch -D "$BRANCH"
fi

# 3. Delete remote branch (with confirmation)
if git ls-remote --heads origin "$BRANCH" | grep -q "$BRANCH"; then
  echo "Delete remote branch 'origin/$BRANCH'?"
  # On confirmation:
  git push origin --delete "$BRANCH"
fi

# 4. Prune stale references
git worktree prune

Database branch cleanup

After worktree removal, remind about associated database branches:

# Detect database provider (same logic as /git-worktree)
if [ -f ".env" ] && grep -q "neon" ".env"; then
  echo ""
  echo "DB Cleanup: neonctl branches delete $BRANCH_SLUG"
elif [ -f ".pscale.yml" ]; then
  echo ""
  DB_NAME=$(grep 'database:' .pscale.yml | awk '{print $2}')
  echo "DB Cleanup: pscale branch delete $DB_NAME $BRANCH_SLUG"
elif [ -f ".env" ] && grep -q "postgresql" ".env"; then
  echo ""
  echo "DB Cleanup: psql \$DATABASE_URL -c \"DROP SCHEMA ${BRANCH_SLUG} CASCADE;\""
fi

Report format

Successful removal (merged branch):

Removed worktree: .worktrees/feat/auth
  Worktree directory: deleted
  Local branch feat/auth: deleted (was merged)
  Remote branch origin/feat/auth: deleted
  References: pruned

DB reminder: neonctl branches delete feat-auth

Removal with warnings (unmerged branch):

Removed worktree: .worktrees/feat/experimental
  Worktree directory: deleted
  Local branch feat/experimental: deleted (was NOT merged - forced)
  Remote branch: no remote branch found
  References: pruned

WARNING: Branch was not merged. Changes may be lost.
Last commit: a1b2c3d "WIP: experimental auth flow"

Flags

Flag	Effect
--force	Skip uncommitted changes warning
--keep-branch	Remove worktree but keep the branch
--keep-remote	Don't delete remote branch

Quick reference

Situation	Action
Branch is merged	Safe delete (branch -d)
Branch is unmerged	Warn + require confirmation (branch -D)
Uncommitted changes	Warn + offer force/cancel
Protected branch (main/develop)	Block removal
Remote branch exists	Ask to delete remote
DB branch detected	Remind with exact command
Stale references	Auto-prune

Common mistakes

Removing worktree for main/develop

• Always blocked by safety check. Reconfigure protected branches if needed.

Deleting unmerged branch without checking

• Always verify merge status. Unmerged branches require explicit --force or -D.

Forgetting database branch cleanup

• Leaves orphaned DB branches consuming resources. Command reminds automatically.

Using rm -rf instead of git worktree remove

• Leaves stale worktree references in .git/worktrees/. Always use git commands.

Usage

/git-worktree-remove feat/auth
/git-worktree-remove fix/login-bug --force
/git-worktree-remove refactor/db --keep-branch

Branch or worktree path: $ARGUMENTS