GitLab Stale Branch Cleaner

Safely clean up stale, unmerged GitLab branches using a configurable CLI with dry-run support.
Built for engineering teams that want repository hygiene without accidental deletions.

Why this exists

Over time, GitLab repositories accumulate:

• Old feature branches
• Abandoned experiments
• Forgotten WIP branches

These lead to:

• Slower navigation
• Higher cognitive load
• Maintenance and ownership risk

GitLab Stale Branch Cleaner automates this cleanup in a safe, predictable, and CI-friendly way.

Key Features

• Dry-run mode (preview before deleting)
• Configurable stale threshold (e.g. 30 / 60 / 90 days)
• Protected & custom branch exclusions
• Targets only stale, inactive branches
• GitLab CI ready (ideal for scheduled jobs)
• Simple CLI — no dashboards, no lock-in

Installation

The tool is safe by default and runs in dry-run mode unless explicitly disabled.

No global install required. Run directly using npx:

npx gitlab-stale-branch-cleaner

Or install globally:

npm install -g gitlab-stale-branch-cleaner

Prerequisites

You will need:

• GitLab Project ID

• GitLab Personal Access Token

  • Required scope: api

Recommended: set token as an environment variable

export GITLAB_TOKEN=your_token_here

Usage

The CLI supports two modes:

Non-interactive mode (recommended for CI / automation)

Provide all required options via flags.

Interactive mode (local usage)

If required options are not provided, the CLI will prompt interactively:

You will be prompted for:

• GitLab access token
• Project ID
• Main branch
• Stale days threshold
• Excluded branches
• Dry-run preference

Dry-run (recommended first)

npx gitlab-stale-branch-cleaner \
  --project-id 123456 \
  --token $GITLAB_TOKEN \
  --stale-days 60 \
  --dry-run

Example output:

[DRY RUN] Found 12 stale branches
[DRY RUN] Would delete: feature/login-refactor
[DRY RUN] Would delete: bugfix/old-validation

Nothing is deleted in dry-run mode.

Actual deletion

npx gitlab-stale-branch-cleaner \
  --project-id 123456 \
  --token $GITLAB_TOKEN \
  --stale-days 60 \
  --dry-run=false

CLI Options

| Option | Description | Required | | -------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | -------- | | --project-id | GitLab project ID | ✅ | | --token | GitLab API token | ✅ | | --stale-days | Inactivity threshold in days (default: 90) | ❌ | | --dry-run | Preview deletions without deleting (default: true) | ❌ | | --exclude | Comma-separated branch names to exclude | ❌ | | --dry-run | Preview deletions without deleting (default: true) | ❌ | | --help | Show help | ❌ | | --version | Show version | ❌ |

Example:

--exclude main,develop,release

GitLab CI Integration (Recommended)

Run branch cleanup automatically on a schedule:

cleanup_stale_branches:
  image: node:18
  stage: cleanup
  script:
    - npx gitlab-stale-branch-cleaner \
        --project-id $CI_PROJECT_ID \
        --token $GITLAB_TOKEN \
        --stale-days 60 \
        --dry-run=false
  rules:
    - if: '$CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule"'

Exit Codes

The CLI uses the following exit codes:

| Code | Meaning | |----|--------| | 0 | Execution successful (including no stale branches found) | | 1 | Invalid usage or missing required inputs | | 2 | Runtime failure (GitLab API error, network issue, or partial deletion failure) |

These exit codes make the tool safe to use in CI pipelines.

Best practice

Run initially with --dry-run=true, review output, then enable deletion.

Safety Guarantees

This tool will not:

• Delete protected branches

• Delete recently updated branches

• Delete anything unless --dry-run=false is explicitly set

Designed to be boring, predictable, and safe.

Security Considerations

• This tool uses a GitLab Personal Access Token only to:

  • Read branch metadata
  • Delete branches explicitly identified as stale

• The token is:

  • Never logged
  • Never persisted
  • Never transmitted outside GitLab APIs

• Recommended practices:

  • Use a token with minimum required scope (api)
  • Prefer environment variables over CLI arguments
  • Rotate tokens periodically

When should you use this?

• Medium to large GitLab repositories

• Teams with frequent feature branching

• CI-driven repo maintenance

• Engineering teams that value automation & hygiene

Contributing

Issues, suggestions, and PRs are welcome.

If something feels unsafe or unclear, please open an issue — safety comes first.

If this tool saved you time, consider ⭐ starring the repository.

License

MIT