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Branch Hygiene

Category: General  ·  Sub-category: personal-productivity  ·  Last updated:
Composite skill — one-pass cleanup of stale local branches, dead worktrees, merged branches, and abandoned remote PR branches. Chains `git fetch --prune` → `clean_gone` (kill [gone] branches) → worktree prune + offer-to-remove dead worktrees → list-and-delete branches merged to main and release → delete remote PR branches whose PRs merged >7 days ago. Use instead of running `clean_gone` alone — that only catches half the rot. Daily-friction composite; fires on "clean up branches", "branch hygiene", "stale worktrees", and on session start when local branch count > 30.

About this skill (catalog notes)

Branch Hygiene includes 8 code blocks for direct copy-paste. The SKILL.md runs to about 1,050 words, in the catalog's typical mid-range.

License
MIT
Original author
LucasSantana-Dev
Indexed lastmod
Catalog position
General · personal-productivity
Indexed related skills
10

How Branch Hygiene fits the catalog

Branch Hygiene sits in the General category under the personal-productivity sub-topic in the ClaudSkills catalog. There are 10 related skills indexed alongside it; comparing a few before installing usually reveals which fits your workflow best.

These notes are auto-generated from features detected in the SKILL.md file and from this catalog's structure — they aren't part of the source repository.

From the source SKILL.md

Local git state rots faster than people notice. clean_gone catches branches whose remote was deleted, but misses:

What this skill does

Branch Hygiene is a community-contributed Claude Code skill in the personal-productivity sub-category. It ships as a SKILL.md file that Claude Code auto-discovers under ~/.claude/skills/branch-hygiene/ and loads when your prompt matches the skill's trigger.

Who uses this skill

The Branch Hygiene Claude Code skill is built for Claude Code users and developers across all disciplines looking for general-purpose AI assistance. It's part of ClaudSkills (also referred to as Claude Skills or Claude Code Skills) — the open community-curated registry of 76,000+ SKILL.md files for Anthropic's Claude Code agent and the wider Claude ecosystem (Claude API, Claude Agent SDK).

How to install

Free

Manual install (2 steps)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/branch-hygiene
curl -L https://claudskills.com/skills/branch-hygiene/SKILL.md \
  -o ~/.claude/skills/branch-hygiene/SKILL.md

Or just download SKILL.md directly and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/branch-hygiene/. Claude Code auto-discovers it on next session.

Skills live at ~/.claude/skills/branch-hygiene/SKILL.md on macOS/Linux, or %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\branch-hygiene\SKILL.md on Windows. See the full install guide for step-by-step instructions.

Pro

One-click install via the desktop app

The ClaudSkills desktop app installs any skill directly into ~/.claude/skills/ with one click — no terminal required. Pro starts at $9/mo or $149 lifetime.

Pro

For the full experience including quality scoring and one-click install features for each skill — upgrade to Pro.

See pricing → Download desktop app

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the Branch Hygiene Claude Code skill?
Install via the ClaudSkills desktop app (one click) or copy SKILL.md from the source repository to ~/.claude/skills/branch-hygiene/SKILL.md and restart Claude Code. Both flows are detailed at claudskills.com/install/.
What does the Branch Hygiene skill do?
Composite skill — one-pass cleanup of stale local branches, dead worktrees, merged branches, and abandoned remote PR branches. Chains `git fetch --prune` → `clean_gone` (kill [gone] branches) → worktree prune + offer-to-remove dead worktrees → list-and-delete branches merged to main and release → delete remote PR branches whose PRs merged >7 days ago. Use instead of running `clean_gone` alone — that only catches half the rot. Daily-friction composite; fires on "clean up branches", "branch hygiene", "stale worktrees", and on session start when local branch count > 30.
Is this skill free to install?
Yes. ClaudSkills is an open registry — every skill keeps its source repository's license, and manual install via copy is free. ClaudSkills Pro ($9/mo, $79/yr, or $149 one-time) adds one-click install via the desktop app and a multi-signal Quality Score.
When should I use the Branch Hygiene skill?
Use Branch Hygiene when your Claude Code task falls under the General category — specifically in the personal productivity area. Claude Code auto-discovers installed skills and invokes the right one based on the task description, so you can also ask Claude directly (e.g. "use Branch Hygiene" or describe the task and let Claude pick). Browse related skills at /category/general/.
What is a Claude Code skill and how does the Branch Hygiene skill fit in?
A Claude Code skill is a SKILL.md file that lives under ~/.claude/skills/<name>/ and tells the Claude Code CLI agent how to perform a specific task (instructions, prompts, allowed tools). Skills are auto-discovered at session start. Branch Hygiene is one of 67,000+ skills indexed in the open ClaudSkills catalog, classified under the General category. Learn more at /learn/what-is-a-claude-skill/.

Attribution & license

Cite this skill

If you reference this skill in a blog post, paper, or documentation, you can cite it as:

APA
LucasSantana-Dev. (2026). Branch Hygiene [Claude Code skill]. ClaudSkills. https://claudskills.com/skills/branch-hygiene/
BibTeX
@misc{branch-hygiene-2026,
  author    = {LucasSantana-Dev},
  title     = {Branch Hygiene [Claude Code skill]},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {ClaudSkills},
  url       = {https://claudskills.com/skills/branch-hygiene/}
}

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