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cleanup-podman-dead

Removes exited podman containers and pods while handling dependency errors.

10|1|Updated Jul 7, 2026
Search Tags:#devops#podman#container cleanup#exited containers#storage reclaim#pod removal
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/catalystctl/catcode --skill cleanup-podman-dead-catalystctl
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: cleanup-podman-dead
Source: https://github.com/catalystctl/catcode/tree/main/.catalyst-code/skills/cleanup-podman-dead
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/catalystctl/catcode --skill cleanup-podman-dead-catalystctl

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Dead and exited podman containers accumulate over time, consuming disk space and cluttering container listings, and removing them manually often fails due to dependency errors between containers. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Audit and Removal: Lists all exited containers and pods, then force-removes them by name without interactive prompts. - Dependency Error Handling: Resolves "dependent containers must be removed first" errors by retrying removals and locating orphaned containers. - Verification and Reclaim: Confirms only running containers remain and checks reclaimed storage with podman system df. - Use Case: After weeks of local development, a developer has dozens of exited rootless containers consuming gigabytes of storage; this Skill audits, removes, and verifies cleanup in one pass. ## Quick Start Clean up all my exited podman containers and pods, then show me how much storage was reclaimed.

Frequently Asked Questions about cleanup-podman-dead

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I remove all exited podman containers?▼

List exited containers with podman ps -a --filter "status=exited", then remove them by name using podman rm -f followed by the container names. Do not combine --all with explicit names, as that causes an error.

How to remove exited podman pods?▼

Find exited or created pods with podman pod ps --filter "status=exited" --filter "status=created", then delete them with podman pod rm -f followed by the pod names.

Why does podman rm fail with dependent containers error?▼

The error occurs when a container has dependent containers that must be removed first. Retry the removal with the container name alone, and if it persists, list all exited containers with --no-trunc to find and remove the orphans.

Can rootless podman containers start automatically on boot?▼

No, rootless containers live in the user session and only start after login. For containers that must start before login without user session, use rootful podman with --restart=always and system systemd units.

How do I check storage reclaimed after podman cleanup?▼

Run podman system df to see disk usage before and after cleanup. Rootless setups often reclaim gigabytes from dead container layers once exited containers are removed.

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