git prune-packed

Tidies up after pack-objects.

🎯 What & why

git prune-packed deletes loose object files from .git/objects/xx/ whenever an identical object already lives inside a packfile. It is the tidy-up step that follows a successful git pack-objects or git repack.

🧠 Mental model

Loose objects are one file per object; packfiles are bundles. Once an object is safely inside a pack, the loose copy is dead weight. prune-packed is the broom that sweeps that dead weight away.

🛠️ Synopsis

git prune-packed [-n | --dry-run] [-q | --quiet]

No revision args, no path args. It walks `.git/objects/??/` and removes any loose object whose SHA is also present in a pack index.

🎚️ Switches & options

Flag	What it does
`-n, --dry-run`	List what would be removed; touch nothing on disk.
`-q, --quiet`	Suppress the per-object progress output.
`(implicit) packs scanned`	All `.idx` files under `objects/pack/` are consulted.
`(implicit) safety`	Only loose objects with a packed duplicate are removed.

💡 Use cases

Reclaim disk after a manual git repack -a -d that left loose duplicates.
Inside custom maintenance scripts that bypass git gc.
Verifying (with -n) what a future GC pass will throw away.
Cleaning up after a fetch that produced both pack and loose copies.

🧪 Examples

Dry-run before deleting

git prune-packed -n

Quiet sweep

git prune-packed -q

Repack then sweep

git repack -a -d && git prune-packed

Show what was packed

git prune-packed --dry-run | head

🎓 Recommendations

Prefer git gc for normal use; prune-packed is for scripted, surgical cleanup.
Always run -n first if you are unsure which objects are about to vanish.
Run after repack -a (not -A) to recover space promptly.

🪤 Common pitfalls

Does NOT delete unreachable objects; only loose-that-is-also-packed. Use git prune for that.
Running mid-repack on a busy repo can race; quiesce writers first.
Without -n the deletion is immediate and unrecoverable from the working tree.

🔗 Related modules

📝 Quiz

Hit each option, then Check answers. Score is recorded; Next is always open.