Clean Project

I'll help clean up development artifacts while preserving your working code.

Token Optimization:

This skill is optimized for 75% token reduction (2,000-3,000 → 500-750 tokens) through Bash-based cleanup operations and template-based pattern matching.

Core Optimization Strategies:

1. Bash-Based Cleanup Operations (70-80% savings)

   • Use find + rm commands for file deletion (external tools)
   • Execute git status --porcelain for untracked file detection
   • Use ls -la for directory size verification
   • Pattern: find . -name "*.log" -type f -delete
   • Never use Read tool - only Bash commands for cleanup

2. Template-Based Cleanup Patterns (60-70% savings)

   • Pre-defined patterns for common artifacts:
     bashCopy

     # Debug/log files
     find . -name "*.log" -o -name "*.tmp" -o -name "*~" -type f
     
     # Node.js artifacts
     find . -name "*.log" -o -name "npm-debug.log*" -type f
     
     # Python artifacts
     find . -name "*.pyc" -o -name "__pycache__" -type d
     
     # Editor artifacts
     find . -name ".DS_Store" -o -name "Thumbs.db" -type f
     

   • Load patterns from cache if available
   • No file reading - pattern-based identification only

3. Git Status for Untracked Detection (80% savings)

   • Single command: git status --porcelain | grep "^??"
   • Identifies untracked files without Read operations
   • Filter by extension/pattern using grep in same pipeline
   • Example: git status --porcelain | grep "^??" | grep -E '\.(log|tmp|bak)$'

4. Early Exit When Clean (90% savings)

   • Check for cleanup targets before any operations:
     bashCopy

     if [ -z "$(find . -name '*.log' -o -name '*.tmp' 2>/dev/null)" ]; then
       echo "Project is already clean"
       exit 0
     fi
     

   • Exit immediately if no artifacts found
   • Saves 500-700 tokens on clean projects

5. Dry-Run Preview with Bash (prevents wasted operations)

   • Show what will be deleted: find . -name "*.log" -type f
   • Count files: find . -name "*.log" -type f | wc -l
   • Display sizes: find . -name "*.log" -type f -exec du -h {} + | awk '{sum+=$1} END {print sum}'
   • No Read operations for preview

6. Batch Deletion Operations (80% savings)

   • Delete all matching files in one command
   • Use -delete flag or -exec rm {} + for efficiency
   • Process entire directories: rm -rf .cache/ .tmp/
   • Never iterate through files individually

7. Protected Path Filtering (template-based)

   • Exclude patterns in find command:
     bashCopy

     find . -path "./node_modules" -prune -o \
            -path "./.git" -prune -o \
            -path "./.claude" -prune -o \
            -name "*.log" -type f -print
     

   • No verification reads - trust path patterns

8. Progressive Cleanup Phases (optional for large projects)

   • Phase 1: Safe artifacts (*.log, *.tmp) - auto-delete
   • Phase 2: Debug files (debug_, test_output) - confirm before delete
   • Phase 3: Large caches (.cache/, .webpack/) - size-based decision
   • Each phase is a single Bash command

9. Git Checkpoint Management (minimal token cost)

   • Create checkpoint: git add -A && git commit -m "Pre-cleanup checkpoint"
   • Verify safety: git status (single call)
   • No file operations - only git commands

10. Cleanup Verification (Bash-only)

    • Post-cleanup status: git status --short
    • Disk space saved: du -sh .
    • Remaining artifacts: find . -name "*.log" | wc -l
    • No Read operations for verification

Caching Strategy:

Cache Location: .claude/cache/cleanproject/
Cached Data:
  - cleanup_patterns.json:
      common: ["*.log", "*.tmp", "*~", ".DS_Store"]
      node: ["npm-debug.log*", "yarn-error.log"]
      python: ["*.pyc", "__pycache__/"]
      editor: [".vscode/.history", ".idea/workspace.xml"]
  - protected_paths.json:
      always: [".git", ".claude", "node_modules"]
      conditional: [".cache", ".webpack"]
  - last_cleanup.json:
      timestamp, files_deleted, space_saved
Cache Validity: 7 days or until .gitignore changes
Cache Updates: After each successful cleanup

Tool Usage Patterns:

Optimized Workflow:

1. Check if clean → Bash: find/ls (50 tokens)
2. Early exit if clean → Exit (0 tokens saved: 500+)
3. Git checkpoint → Bash: git commit (50 tokens)
4. Preview targets → Bash: find (50 tokens)
5. Batch delete → Bash: find -delete (50 tokens)
6. Verify cleanup → Bash: git status (50 tokens)
Total: 250-500 tokens for typical cleanup

Anti-Patterns (Avoided):

❌ Read tool for file inspection (500+ tokens per file)
❌ Glob + Read iteration (200+ tokens per file)
❌ Individual file deletions (loops)
❌ Content verification before delete
❌ Detailed file analysis

Token Budget by Scenario:

Expected Performance:

• Baseline: 2,000-3,000 tokens (read-heavy approach)
• Optimized: 500-750 tokens (Bash-only approach)
• Reduction: 75% average (1,500-2,250 tokens saved)
• Best case: 90% reduction (already clean project)
• Optimization status: ✅ Fully Optimized (Phase 2 Batch 3D-F, 2026-01-26)

Strategic Thinking Process

1. Artifact Identification

   • What patterns indicate temporary/debug files?
   • Which files might look temporary but are actually important?
   • Are there project-specific conventions for temp files?
   • What about generated files that should be kept?

2. Safety Analysis

   • Which deletions are definitely safe?
   • Which require more careful inspection?
   • Are there active processes using these files?
   • Could removing these break the development environment?

3. Common Pitfalls

   • .env files might look like artifacts but contain config
   • .cache directories might be needed for performance
   • Some .tmp files might be active session data
   • Debug logs might contain important error information

4. Cleanup Strategy

   • Start with obvious artifacts (*.log, *.tmp, *~)
   • Check file age - older files are usually safer to remove
   • Verify with git status what's tracked vs untracked
   • Group similar files for batch decision making

Based on this analysis, I'll create a git checkpoint for safety:

git add -A
git commit -m "Pre-cleanup checkpoint" || echo "No changes to commit"

Important: I will NEVER:

• Add "Co-authored-by" or any Claude signatures
• Include "Generated with Claude Code" or similar messages
• Modify git config or user credentials
• Add any AI/assistant attribution to the commit
• Use emojis in commits, PRs, or git-related content

I'll identify cleanup targets using native tools:

• Glob tool to find temporary and debug files
• Grep tool to detect debug statements in code
• Read tool to verify file contents before removal

Critical directories are automatically protected:

• .claude directory (commands and configurations)
• .git directory (version control)
• node_modules, vendor (dependency directories)
• Essential configuration files

When I find multiple items to clean, I'll create a todo list to process them systematically.

I'll show you what will be removed and why before taking action:

• Debug/log files and temporary artifacts
• Failed implementation attempts
• Development-only files
• Debug statements in code

After cleanup, I'll verify project integrity and report what was cleaned.

If any issues occur, I can restore from the git checkpoint created at the start.

This keeps only clean, working code while maintaining complete safety.