Project Folder Cleanup

Remove regenerable clutter from a project folder without losing data. Every targeted path is copied into a backup first, documented in BACKUP.md, compressed into a zip archive, and only then removed from the project when explicitly confirmed.

When to Use

• Clean node_modules, build folders, caches, or logs from a project
• Reclaim disk space before archiving or zipping a repo
• Reset a project to a fresh-build state
• Tidy a workspace after switching branches or experiments

Do not use it for general file organization across the whole computer — that's out of scope for this skill.

Core Rules

1. Backup before delete — no exceptions
2. Scan and confirm — show paths and sizes; get approval before destructive steps
3. Dry-run first — always run with --dry-run until the plan is approved
4. Zip the backup — keep disk use small; retain the .zip, drop uncompressed folder by default
5. Document everything — BACKUP.md inside the backup explains what, why, and how to restore

Read Safety Rules before every run.

Workflow

Step 1: Choose the project

Confirm the project root path. Do not run from $HOME unless the user explicitly wants home-level cleanup.

Step 2: Scan candidates

node scripts/scan-cleanup-candidates.mjs /path/to/project --json

Or human-readable:

node scripts/scan-cleanup-candidates.mjs /path/to/project

Review output with the user. Compare against Default Cleanup Targets. Add or remove paths based on user preference.

Step 3: Check git status

git -C /path/to/project status --short

Warn if targeted paths overlap with uncommitted work the user may care about.

Step 4: Dry-run backup + cleanup plan

node scripts/cleanup-with-backup.mjs --project /path/to/project --dry-run

Optional custom manifest:

node scripts/cleanup-with-backup.mjs \
  --project /path/to/project \
  --targets /tmp/cleanup-targets.json \
  --dry-run

cleanup-targets.json example:

{
  "items": [
    { "path": "node_modules", "category": "JavaScript deps", "reason": "npm install" },
    { "path": ".next", "category": "Next.js build", "reason": "npm run build" }
  ]
}

Present the dry-run summary and wait for explicit approval.

Step 5: Execute backup + zip

Run without --dry-run. Omit --confirm on the first execution pass so originals stay in place until backup is verified:

node scripts/cleanup-with-backup.mjs --project /path/to/project

This creates:

/path/to/project/.project-cleanup-backups/
  2026-05-25T12-30-00-000Z-my-app.zip   # contains BACKUP.md + files/
  2026-05-25T12-30-00-000Z-my-app-SUMMARY.md

Open the zip and confirm BACKUP.md lists every path correctly.

Step 6: Delete originals (confirmed)

Only after the user verifies the archive:

node scripts/cleanup-with-backup.mjs --project /path/to/project --confirm

If backup already exists from step 5, pass the same --targets file if used.

Step 7: Post-cleanup

• Suggest adding .project-cleanup-backups/ to .gitignore if not already ignored
• Tell the user where the zip lives and how to restore (see BACKUP.md in the archive)
• Optionally run the project build/install to confirm everything regenerates

Scripts

• scan-cleanup-candidates.mjs — Find common cleanup targets and report sizes
• cleanup-with-backup.mjs — Backup, render manifest, zip, optionally delete
• render-backup-readme.mjs — Build BACKUP.md from template (do not paste template into chat)

References

• Default Cleanup Targets — What to remove, ask about, or never touch
• Safety Rules — Backup ordering, failure handling, git awareness

Assets

• backup-readme.template.md — Manifest template rendered by script

Backup layout

Inside the zip:

2026-05-25T...-project-name/
├── BACKUP.md          # What was removed, why, restore commands
└── files/             # Mirror of removed paths relative to project root
    ├── node_modules/
    └── .next/

Options reference

Edge cases

• Path already missing — skipped silently; noted in scan output
• Backup copy fails — stop immediately; do not delete anything
• Zip fails — keep uncompressed backup; do not delete originals
• User wants .venv removed — add to manifest explicitly; warn about reinstall time
• Monorepo — scan from repo root; paths are relative to that root

After fixing skill output

If a cleanup run produces wrong targets, bad manifest text, or restore instructions that fail, update this skill (not just the one-off output) when the fix is general and durable.