my-git

Repo Maintenance

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Large repositories require periodic maintenance.

Repository maintenance is not just about running git gc; it also includes managing file boundaries, history volume, branch cleanup, dependency governance, and document timeliness.

Checklist

• Are there any large files mistakenly committed?
• Are there any generated files checked into the repository?
• Are there any long-standing unused branches?
• Are there any broken submodules?
• Are there any outdated documents and links?
• Are there any leaked secrets?
• Are there any long-unmaintained CI jobs?

Local Object Inspection

git count-objects -vH

This command displays object counts and sizes, useful for determining if the repository needs cleanup.

Local Maintenance Commands

git gc
git maintenance start
git commit-graph write --reachable

Whether these commands are appropriate needs to be verified against the team’s environment, Git version, and repository scale.

Branch Cleanup

View merged branches:

git branch --merged

Delete local branch:

git branch -d feature/old-task

Prune deleted remote branch references:

git fetch --prune

Large File Governance

Periodic checks:

• Are there files exceeding the team’s threshold?
• Are there logs, dumps, zips, or build artifacts?
• Should they be migrated to Git LFS?
• Is history cleanup necessary?

Document Maintenance

This repository itself also needs maintenance:

• Are old links broken?
• Is older advice outdated?
• Is there more authoritative official documentation available?
• Is the document content consistent with current Git/GitHub behaviors?

Further Reading

• git maintenance official documentation
• git gc official documentation
• git commit-graph official documentation
• Large Repository Git Practices

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