clean-gone-branches

You can safely delete local git branches with gone remotes by first running git fetch --prune to update remote tracking status, then verifying each branch was actually merged via gh pr list before forcing deletion with git branch -D.

The [gone] marker in git branch -vv indicates a local branch's remote tracking reference has been deleted. To clean them up, you verify their merge status through the gh CLI and then execute a forced branch deletion.

Yes, you need the gh CLI to verify merge status for each candidate branch before deletion. The gh pr list command validates that orphaned branches were actually merged, preventing accidental loss of unmerged work.

The cleanup workflow presents a summary of all detected orphaned branches and requires explicit confirmation before performing any deletion with git branch -D, ensuring you review candidates first.

Yes, this workflow is designed for post-release cleanups and repo transitions to keep your workspace tidy by safely removing local branches whose remotes are gone after confirming their merge status.

Verifying merge status via gh pr list before deleting git branches with gone remotes ensures no unmerged work is lost, because the [gone] status only indicates the remote was deleted, not that the code was merged.