/git-delete

Git History Delete Command

⚠️ DESTRUCTIVE OPERATION WARNING ⚠️

This command will permanently and irreversibly delete the entire git history for this repository, both locally and remotely.

What This Command Does

1. Deletes the entire local .git directory (all history, branches, tags, stashes)
2. Initializes a fresh git repository with zero history
3. Creates a single new commit with the current state of files
4. Force-pushes to remote, overwriting all remote history

Consequences

• All commit history permanently deleted - cannot be recovered
• All branches and tags lost - only main branch will exist
• All contributor history erased - author information gone
• Breaks existing clones - collaborators cannot pull/push normally
• Remote repository overwritten - remote history destroyed for everyone

Before You Proceed

CRITICAL CHECKS:

1. Do you have backups of important commits or branches?
2. Have you notified all collaborators?
3. Do you understand this cannot be undone?
4. Is there a less destructive alternative that meets your needs?

Execution Instructions

Follow these steps to execute the git history deletion:

Step 1: Confirmation

Use the AskUserQuestion tool to confirm the user wants to proceed:

Question: "Are you absolutely certain you want to permanently delete all git history? This operation cannot be undone and will affect all collaborators."

Options:

• "Yes, permanently delete all history" (proceed to Step 2)
• "No, cancel this operation" (abort immediately)

Step 2: Get Remote Repository URL

Ask the user to provide the new repository URL where the cleaned history will be pushed:

Question: "What is the remote repository URL? (e.g., https://github.com/username/repo.git or git@github.com:username/repo.git)"

If the user wants to keep the existing remote, ask them to confirm they understand the remote will be force-overwritten.

Step 3: Show Current State

Before deletion, show the user:

• Current branch
• Number of commits that will be lost
• Current remote URL
• List of all branches that will be deleted

Use these commands:

git rev-list --count HEAD
git branch -a
git remote -v

Step 4: Final Confirmation

Present a final summary and ask for explicit confirmation:

Summary to show:

• X commits will be permanently deleted
• Y branches will be lost
• Remote repository will be force-overwritten
• Current working directory files will be preserved

Final question: "Type 'DELETE HISTORY' to confirm and proceed, or anything else to cancel."

Step 5: Execute Deletion

Only if user provided exact confirmation, execute these commands sequentially:

# Remove all git history
rm -rf .git

# Initialize fresh repository
git init

# Stage all current files
git add .

# Create initial commit
git commit -m "Initial clean commit"

# Rename branch to main
git branch -M main

# Add remote (use URL from Step 2)
git remote add origin <repository-url>

# Force push to remote (overwrites remote history)
git push -u origin main --force

Step 6: Verification and Summary

After execution, verify success:

# Verify clean state
git log --oneline
git status
git remote -v

Show the user:

• ✅ Git history successfully deleted
• ✅ Fresh repository initialized with 1 commit
• ✅ Remote repository overwritten
• ⚠️ All collaborators must re-clone the repository

Step 7: Next Steps for Collaborators

Inform the user to notify all collaborators to:

# Delete their local clone
cd ..
rm -rf <repo-directory>

# Clone fresh copy
git clone <repository-url>

Error Handling

• If any command fails, stop immediately and report the error
• Do not proceed to force push if earlier steps fail
• Preserve the .git directory if initialization fails

Safety Notes

• This command does NOT delete working directory files
• Only git metadata and history are removed
• Files in .gitignore remain untracked
• Current file state becomes the "initial commit"

Execute these steps carefully and ensure the user fully understands the consequences at each confirmation point.