Safe File Removal Skill

Safe File Removal

Rename files to .obsolete instead of permanent deletion via safe-rm command.

When to Use

Removing temp files, build artifacts, old code, deprecated tests
After refactoring (keep backup during testing)
Any situation where rm is blocked by pre-tool hooks
Need reversible "deletion"

Why Not `rm`

Project setting: .claude/settings.json:132 → "RM_BASH_BLOCK": "true"

| Issue | Solution | |-------|----------| | rm permanently deletes | safe-rm renames (reversible) | | Blocked by pre-tool hooks | Works within safety constraints | | No recovery | mv file.obsolete file restores |

Command

./.claude/bin/safe-rm [file1] [file2] [dir/]

Path: .claude/bin/safe-rm:1-72

Features

| Feature | Benefit | |---------|---------| | Reversible | mv file.obsolete file recovers | | Multi-file | Handle multiple args in one command | | Collision safe | Adds timestamp if .obsolete exists | | Color output | Green ✓ / Yellow ⚠ / Red ✗ | | Statistics | Reports renamed/failed count |

Basic Usage

| Operation | Command | Result | |-----------|---------|--------| | Single file | ./.claude/bin/safe-rm file.txt | file.txt.obsolete | | Multiple | ./.claude/bin/safe-rm f1 f2 dir/ | All get .obsolete suffix | | Restore | mv file.obsolete file | Original restored |

Recovery

| Scenario | Command | |----------|---------| | Single | mv file.obsolete file | | With timestamp | mv file.obsolete.20251109_110500 file | | Find all | find . -name "*.obsolete" | | Restore all | find . -name "*.obsolete" \| while read f; do mv "$f" "${f%.obsolete}"; done |

Workflow

Mark obsolete → safe-rm [files]
Verify works → npm test && npm run build
Review periodic → find . -name "*.obsolete"
Permanent delete (when confident) → /bin/rm [file].obsolete

When NOT to Use

| Scenario | Use safe-rm? | Why | |----------|-----------|-----| | Secrets (.env, keys) | ❌ | Needs secure deletion + git history rewrite | | .git folder | ❌ | Too risky | | node_modules | ⚠️ | rm -rf safe, but safe-rm works | | Temp/build | ✅ | Reversible, safe |

Output Examples

Success:

✓ Renamed: file.txt → file.txt.obsolete
─────────────────────────────────────
Renamed: 1

Collision (timestamp fallback):

⚠ Already exists: file.obsolete
  Using: file.obsolete.20251109_110500
✓ Renamed: file → file.obsolete.20251109_110500

Error:

✗ Not found: missing.txt
─────────────────────────────────────
Failed: 1

Quick Reference

| Task | Command | |------|---------| | Remove single | ./.claude/bin/safe-rm file.txt | | Remove multiple | ./.claude/bin/safe-rm f1 f2 dir/ | | Restore | mv file.obsolete file | | List obsolete | find . -name "*.obsolete" | | Count | find . -name "*.obsolete" \| wc -l |

Supporting Files

EXAMPLES.md - 10 scenarios: temp files, refactoring, tests, collisions, assets, docs, batch ops, scripting, git, hooks
TEMPLATES.md - Copy-paste commands for all operations
VALIDATION.md - Safety checklists, verification commands

Key Insight

Safety by design: No permanent deletion → collision protection → hook compliance → audit trail. Development workflow: Refactor → safe-rm → Test → Review period → Permanent delete after confidence.

Agent Skills: Safe File Removal

Skill Files