exports-cleanup

Find unused exports in your codebase - clean up dead code and reduce bundle size

Problem

You export 100 functions. Only 20 are actually used. Dead code bloats your bundle.

Solution

exports-cleanup scans your codebase, tracks all imports, and finds exports that are never used anywhere.

Features

• Fast scanning - Uses regex-based parsing for speed
• Auto-fix - Remove unused exports with --fix
• Bundle size estimation - Shows potential savings in KB
• TypeScript + JavaScript - Works with .ts, .tsx, .js, .jsx, .mjs
• Type-aware - Optionally include/exclude type exports
• Safelist support - Keep intentional exports with // exports-cleanup-ignore
• CI/CD ready - Exit code 1 when unused exports found, Markdown output for PRs
• Zero config - Just run it

Installation

# Run directly with npx (recommended)
npx exports-cleanup

# Or install globally
npm install -g exports-cleanup

Usage

Basic Scan

# Scan current directory
npx exports-cleanup

# Scan specific directory
npx exports-cleanup ./src

# Compact output
npx exports-cleanup --compact

Include Types

# Also check type and interface exports
npx exports-cleanup --include-types

Show All Exports

# Show used exports too
npx exports-cleanup --show-used

Auto-Fix (Remove Unused Exports)

# Preview what would be removed
npx exports-cleanup --fix --dry-run

# Remove unused exports (creates backups)
npx exports-cleanup --fix --backup

# Remove without backups
npx exports-cleanup --fix

Safelist Exports

Keep intentional exports (public APIs, entry points) by adding a comment:

// exports-cleanup-ignore
export function publicApiMethod() {
  // This export will be ignored
}

/* exports-cleanup-ignore */
export const PUBLIC_CONSTANT = 'value';

Markdown Output (for CI/PRs)

# Output as Markdown
npx exports-cleanup --markdown

# Save to file
npx exports-cleanup --markdown -o report.md

Example Output

🔍 Unused Exports (47 found):

Summary:
  Total exports:  120
  Unused:        47
  Used:          73
  Potential savings: 23.4 KB

📁 src/utils/helpers.ts
  ❌ formatDate() [function]
     Line 12 - exported but never imported
  ❌ calculateTax() [function]
     Line 45 - exported but never imported
  ❌ DEPRECATED_CONSTANT [const]
     Line 78 - exported but never imported

📁 src/utils/validation.ts
  ❌ validateEmail() [function]
     Line 5 - exported but never imported
  ❌ validatePhone() [function]
     Line 23 - exported but never imported

──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Potential bundle reduction: 23.4 KB

💡 Tips:
  • Remove unused exports to reduce bundle size
  • Some exports may be used dynamically (check manually)
  • Entry points and public APIs may show as "unused"

──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Cleaned up dead code? Consider supporting:
☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/willzhangfly

Compact Output

🔍 Found 47 unused exports:

  src/utils/helpers.ts
    formatDate, calculateTax, DEPRECATED_CONSTANT
  src/utils/validation.ts
    validateEmail, validatePhone
  src/components/OldButton.tsx
    OldButton, OldButtonProps

Potential savings: 23.4 KB

Comparison with Alternatives

| Feature | exports-cleanup | TypeScript | ESLint | ts-prune | knip | |---------|---------------|------------|--------|----------|------| | Find unused exports | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Bundle size estimate | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Zero config | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ | ❌ | | Fast | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ | | CI/CD exit codes | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | | Actively maintained | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ (2021) | ✅ |

CLI Options

Usage: exports-cleanup [options] [path]

Arguments:
  path                    Directory to scan (default: ".")

Options:
  --json                  Output results as JSON
  --markdown              Output as Markdown (for CI/PRs)
  --compact               Compact output format
  -o, --output <file>     Save report to file
  --include-types         Include type and interface exports
  --show-used             Also show used exports
  --ignore <patterns>     Additional patterns to ignore (comma-separated)
  --fix                   Auto-remove unused exports
  --dry-run               Preview fixes without modifying files
  --backup                Create .backup files before fixing
  -V, --version           Output version number
  -h, --help              Display help

CI/CD Integration

# GitHub Actions - Basic check
- name: Check for unused exports
  run: npx exports-cleanup
  # Exits with code 1 if unused exports found

# With Markdown comment on PR
- name: Check unused exports
  run: |
    npx exports-cleanup --markdown -o unused-exports.md
    if [ -s unused-exports.md ]; then
      echo "## Unused Exports Found" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
      cat unused-exports.md >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
    fi

# With threshold (using jq)
- name: Check unused exports count
  run: |
    npx exports-cleanup --json > unused.json
    COUNT=$(cat unused.json | jq '.unusedExports')
    if [ "$COUNT" -gt 10 ]; then
      echo "Too many unused exports: $COUNT"
      exit 1
    fi

Programmatic Usage

import { analyzeExports } from 'exports-cleanup';

const result = await analyzeExports('./src', {
  includeTypes: false,
  exclude: ['**/*.test.ts'],
});

console.log(`Found ${result.unusedExports} unused exports`);
console.log(`Potential savings: ${result.estimatedSavings} bytes`);

// Get unused export names
for (const file of result.files) {
  for (const exp of file.exports) {
    if (exp.isUnused) {
      console.log(`${exp.export.name} in ${file.file}`);
    }
  }
}

False Positives

Some exports may appear unused but are actually used:

1. Entry points - Main exports used by consumers of your package
2. Dynamic imports - import() expressions aren't always detected
3. Re-exports - export * from './module'
4. Framework conventions - Next.js pages, React components loaded by name
5. Public APIs - Exports meant for external use

Review results manually before removing exports.

Ignored by Default

• node_modules/
• dist/, build/
• .next/
• coverage/
• *.d.ts (declaration files)
• *.test.*, *.spec.*
• __tests__/

Requirements

• Node.js 18.0.0 or higher

Support

This project is maintained in my free time. If it helped clean up your codebase, I'd really appreciate your support:

• ⭐ Star the repo—it helps others discover this tool
• 📢 Share with your team or on social media
• 🐛 Report bugs or suggest features
• ☕ Buy me a coffee if you'd like to support development

Thank you to everyone who has contributed, shared feedback, or helped spread the word!

License

MIT

Made with ❤️ for cleaner codebases