Safe File Operations

Purpose

A skill for safely deleting files and folders. Git-tracked files are removed using git rm for safe version control removal, while non-tracked files are moved to the .trash directory for possible recovery.

Core Principles

1. Git-tracked files: Use git rm for safe deletion (maintains version history)
2. Non-tracked files: Move to .trash/ directory (recoverable)
3. Safety: Never permanently delete - keep in trash for recovery
4. Auto-detection: Automatically detect if files are git-tracked

Use Cases

• When you need to delete files or folders
• When cleaning up folders that are no longer needed
• When deleting a mix of git-tracked and non-tracked files

Workflow

Step 1: Collect File/Folder List

Confirm the paths of files or folders the user wants to delete:

Please provide the paths of files or folders you want to delete.
(e.g., src/old-component.ts, tests/deprecated/, docs/draft.md)

Step 2: Check Git Tracking Status

Check if each file/folder is tracked by Git:

# Check if file is tracked by git
git ls-files --error-unmatch <filepath>

# Check git-tracked files in folder
git ls-files <folderpath>

Step 3: Separate Handling

Git-tracked files:

# Delete file (remove from staging area)
git rm <filepath>

# Delete folder (recursively)
git rm -r <folderpath>

Non-tracked files:

# Create .trash directory (if not exists)
mkdir -p .trash

# Move file (avoid path conflicts)
mv <filepath> .trash/

# Move folder
mv <folderpath> .trash/

Step 4: Report Summary

Report the list of processed files and their locations:

✅ Git-tracked files (deleted with git rm):
  - src/old-component.ts
  - lib/deprecated/

✅ Non-tracked files (moved to .trash/):
  - cache/temp.dat
  - logs/old-logs/

📁 All preserved files: .trash/

Examples

Example 1: Delete Single File

# Input: "Delete src/utils/legacy.ts"

# Check git status
$ git ls-files --error-unmatch src/utils/legacy.ts
src/utils/legacy.ts  # Git-tracked file confirmed

# Execute deletion
$ git rm src/utils/legacy.ts
rm 'src/utils/legacy.ts'

✅ Removed src/utils/legacy.ts from git.

Example 2: Delete Mixed Files/Folders

# Input: "Delete build/ folder and temp.dat file"

# Check git status
$ git ls-files build/
build/index.html    # Git-tracked
build/bundle.js     # Git-tracked

$ git ls-files --error-unmatch temp.dat
# (No output - non-tracked file)

# Separate handling
$ git rm -r build/
$ mkdir -p .trash
$ mv temp.dat .trash/

✅ Git-tracked files (deleted with git rm):
  - build/

✅ Non-tracked files (moved to .trash/):
  - temp.dat

Important Notes

1. No permanent deletion: All files are kept in recoverable state
2. Git commit required: Files deleted with git rm need to be committed
3. .trash management: Periodically cleaning .trash/ directory is recommended
4. Path conflicts: Files with same name in .trash/ will be overwritten

Clean Up .trash

To empty the .trash directory:

# Completely delete .trash directory
rm -rf .trash/

# Or delete only files older than 30 days
find .trash/ -type f -mtime +30 -delete

Related Operations

• Undo: Recover git-tracked files with git checkout HEAD -- <file>
• Commit: Commit deletions with git commit -m "Remove old files"
• Cleanup: Periodic .trash/ directory cleaning recommended

Reference: This skill is based on Claude Code official Skills documentation. (https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills)