---

name: safe-delete description: Safely delete files by moving them to .deleted/ folder instead of permanent deletion. Use this when removing files, cleaning up code, or deleting unused components. Preserves files for recovery. allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Glob

Safe Delete Skill

Move files to .deleted/ folder instead of permanently deleting them, preserving the ability to recover.

When to Use

• Removing unused files
• Cleaning up deprecated code
• Deleting old components
• Any file deletion in the project

Instructions

NEVER permanently delete files. Always move them to .deleted/ to preserve for potential recovery.

Basic Usage

Copy# Move file to .deleted/ preserving path structure
mkdir -p .deleted/$(dirname <filepath>)
git mv <filepath> .deleted/<filepath>

Script Helper

For convenience, use this pattern:

Copy# Delete a single file
filepath="path/to/file.ts"
mkdir -p ".deleted/$(dirname "$filepath")"
git mv "$filepath" ".deleted/$filepath"

Examples

Delete a Component

Copyfilepath="components/unused-button.tsx"
mkdir -p ".deleted/$(dirname "$filepath")"
git mv "$filepath" ".deleted/$filepath"

Result: components/unused-button.tsx → .deleted/components/unused-button.tsx

Delete Multiple Files

Copyfor file in components/old-*.tsx; do
  mkdir -p ".deleted/$(dirname "$file")"
  git mv "$file" ".deleted/$file"
done

Delete a Directory

Copydirpath="components/deprecated"
mkdir -p ".deleted/$dirpath"
git mv "$dirpath"/* ".deleted/$dirpath/"
rmdir "$dirpath"

Recovery

To recover a deleted file:

Copy# Move back from .deleted/
git mv .deleted/path/to/file.ts path/to/file.ts

Cleanup

Periodically clean up .deleted/ folder after confirming files are not needed:

Copy# List what's in .deleted/
find .deleted -type f

# Remove old deleted files (after reviewing)
git rm -r .deleted/

.gitignore Consideration

Decide whether to track .deleted/:

Track it (recommended for teams): Files remain recoverable from git history

Copy# Don't ignore .deleted/

Ignore it (local only): Personal trash, not shared

Copy.deleted/

Important Notes

• The .deleted/ folder mirrors the original directory structure
• Files in .deleted/ are still tracked by git (unless ignored)
• This provides a "soft delete" before permanent removal
• Clean up .deleted/ periodically to avoid bloat