[PATCH] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[PATCH] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget]

From: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>

Cleaning up every branch whose work has landed upstream required
typing '*/*' as the pattern.

Let a bare "git branch --delete-merged" consider every upstream. As
with "--merged" without a commit, this applies only when the option
comes last, so "git branch --dry-run --delete-merged" previews the
cleanup.

Signed-off-by: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
---
    branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream
    
    A bare git branch --delete-merged now considers every upstream.

Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-2428%2FHaraldNordgren%2Fbranch-delete-merged-default-v1
Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-2428/HaraldNordgren/branch-delete-merged-default-v1
Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/2428

 Documentation/git-branch.adoc |  6 ++++--
 builtin/branch.c              | 14 +++++++++++---
 t/t3200-branch.sh             | 25 ++++++++++++++++++++++---
 3 files changed, 37 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-branch.adoc b/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
index bfdf459329..4a91ae6879 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ git branch (-m|-M) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>
 git branch (-c|-C) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>
 git branch (-d|-D) [-r] <branch-name>...
 git branch --edit-description [<branch-name>]
+git branch [--dry-run] --delete-merged
 git branch [--dry-run] (--delete-merged <pattern>)... [<branch-pattern>...]
 
 DESCRIPTION
@@ -202,14 +203,15 @@ This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.
 	Print the name of the current branch. In detached `HEAD` state,
 	nothing is printed.
 
-`--delete-merged <pattern>`::
+`--delete-merged [<pattern>]`::
 	Delete local branches whose configured upstream matches
 	_<pattern>_, but only when their tip is reachable from that
 	upstream. In other words, the work on the branch has already
 	landed on the upstream it tracks, so the local copy is no longer
 	needed. _<pattern>_ may name a ref, a remote (using the branch its
 	`HEAD` points at), or a shell-style glob. The option can be
-	repeated to widen the upstream match.
+	repeated to widen the upstream match. Without _<pattern>_, every
+	upstream matches.
 	Optional _<branch-pattern>_ arguments limit which local branches
 	are considered, e.g. `git branch --delete-merged 'origin/*'
 	'topic-*'`.
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index a613148fc7..f2a4e117dc 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ static const char * const builtin_branch_usage[] = {
 	N_("git branch [<options>] (-c | -C) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>"),
 	N_("git branch [<options>] [-r | -a] [--points-at]"),
 	N_("git branch [<options>] [-r | -a] [--format]"),
+	N_("git branch [<options>] --delete-merged"),
 	N_("git branch [<options>] (--delete-merged <pattern>)... "
 	   "[<branch-pattern>...]"),
 	NULL
@@ -1029,9 +1030,16 @@ int cmd_branch(int argc,
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "create-reflog", &reflog, N_("create the branch's reflog")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "edit-description", &edit_description,
 			 N_("edit the description for the branch")),
-		OPT_CALLBACK_F(0, "delete-merged", &delete_merged, N_("pattern"),
-			N_("delete merged branches whose upstream matches <pattern> (repeatable)"),
-			PARSE_OPT_NONEG, parse_opt_strvec),
+		{
+			.type = OPTION_CALLBACK,
+			.long_name = "delete-merged",
+			.value = &delete_merged,
+			.argh = N_("pattern"),
+			.help = N_("delete merged branches whose upstream matches <pattern> (repeatable)"),
+			.flags = PARSE_OPT_LASTARG_DEFAULT | PARSE_OPT_NONEG,
+			.callback = parse_opt_strvec,
+			.defval = (intptr_t) "**",
+		},
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "dry-run", &dry_run,
 			N_("with --delete-merged, only print which branches would be deleted")),
 		OPT__FORCE(&force, N_("force creation, move/rename, deletion"), PARSE_OPT_NOCOMPLETE),
diff --git a/t/t3200-branch.sh b/t/t3200-branch.sh
index cdb6c6a634..e60f4794c8 100755
--- a/t/t3200-branch.sh
+++ b/t/t3200-branch.sh
@@ -2133,9 +2133,28 @@ test_expect_success '--delete-merged result is independent of stacked branch nam
 	)
 '
 
-test_expect_success '--delete-merged requires a value' '
-	test_must_fail git -C forked branch --delete-merged 2>err &&
-	test_grep "requires a value" err
+test_expect_success '--delete-merged without a pattern matches every upstream' '
+	setup_repo_for_delete_merged &&
+	create_merged_branch merged &&
+	(
+		cd repo &&
+		git branch --track local-topic main &&
+		git checkout --detach &&
+
+		git branch --dry-run --delete-merged &&
+
+		check_branches <<-\EOF &&
+		local-topic
+		main
+		merged
+		EOF
+
+		git branch --delete-merged &&
+
+		check_branches <<-\EOF
+		main
+		EOF
+	)
 '
 
 test_expect_success '--delete-merged honours branch.<name>.deleteMerged=false' '

base-commit: a018953688f1b10bddf91bff8747068f5f4746a4
-- 
gitgitgadget

Re: [PATCH] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[Junio C Hamano]

"Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> From: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
>
> Cleaning up every branch whose work has landed upstream required
> typing '*/*' as the pattern.

This description and what the code actually does contradict with
each other, I wonder?

> Let a bare "git branch --delete-merged" consider every upstream. As
> with "--merged" without a commit, this applies only when the option
> comes last, so "git branch --dry-run --delete-merged" previews the
> cleanup.

There are many options ('--merged', '--no-merged', '--contains',
'--no-contains', '--unset-upstream', '--edit-description') that
default to the current branch, which is a very natural thing within
the context of git.  Is defaulting to '**' is a good comparison to
them?  I dunno.

> +			.defval = (intptr_t) "**",
> +		},

[PATCH v2] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget]

From: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>

Cleaning up every branch whose work has landed upstream required
typing '**' as the pattern.

Let a bare "git branch --delete-merged" consider every upstream. This
applies only when the option comes last, so
"git branch --dry-run --delete-merged" previews the cleanup.

Signed-off-by: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
---
    branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream
    
    A bare git branch --delete-merged now considers every upstream.
    
    Changes in v2:
    
     * Name the default pattern ** instead of */*. Drop reference to
       --merged.

Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-2428%2FHaraldNordgren%2Fbranch-delete-merged-default-v2
Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-2428/HaraldNordgren/branch-delete-merged-default-v2
Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/2428

Range-diff vs v1:

 1:  9a576d941c ! 1:  c496777c0b branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream
     @@ Commit message
          branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream
      
          Cleaning up every branch whose work has landed upstream required
     -    typing '*/*' as the pattern.
     +    typing '**' as the pattern.
      
     -    Let a bare "git branch --delete-merged" consider every upstream. As
     -    with "--merged" without a commit, this applies only when the option
     -    comes last, so "git branch --dry-run --delete-merged" previews the
     -    cleanup.
     +    Let a bare "git branch --delete-merged" consider every upstream. This
     +    applies only when the option comes last, so
     +    "git branch --dry-run --delete-merged" previews the cleanup.
      
          Signed-off-by: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
      


 Documentation/git-branch.adoc |  6 ++++--
 builtin/branch.c              | 14 +++++++++++---
 t/t3200-branch.sh             | 25 ++++++++++++++++++++++---
 3 files changed, 37 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-branch.adoc b/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
index bfdf459329..4a91ae6879 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ git branch (-m|-M) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>
 git branch (-c|-C) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>
 git branch (-d|-D) [-r] <branch-name>...
 git branch --edit-description [<branch-name>]
+git branch [--dry-run] --delete-merged
 git branch [--dry-run] (--delete-merged <pattern>)... [<branch-pattern>...]
 
 DESCRIPTION
@@ -202,14 +203,15 @@ This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.
 	Print the name of the current branch. In detached `HEAD` state,
 	nothing is printed.
 
-`--delete-merged <pattern>`::
+`--delete-merged [<pattern>]`::
 	Delete local branches whose configured upstream matches
 	_<pattern>_, but only when their tip is reachable from that
 	upstream. In other words, the work on the branch has already
 	landed on the upstream it tracks, so the local copy is no longer
 	needed. _<pattern>_ may name a ref, a remote (using the branch its
 	`HEAD` points at), or a shell-style glob. The option can be
-	repeated to widen the upstream match.
+	repeated to widen the upstream match. Without _<pattern>_, every
+	upstream matches.
 	Optional _<branch-pattern>_ arguments limit which local branches
 	are considered, e.g. `git branch --delete-merged 'origin/*'
 	'topic-*'`.
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index a613148fc7..f2a4e117dc 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ static const char * const builtin_branch_usage[] = {
 	N_("git branch [<options>] (-c | -C) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>"),
 	N_("git branch [<options>] [-r | -a] [--points-at]"),
 	N_("git branch [<options>] [-r | -a] [--format]"),
+	N_("git branch [<options>] --delete-merged"),
 	N_("git branch [<options>] (--delete-merged <pattern>)... "
 	   "[<branch-pattern>...]"),
 	NULL
@@ -1029,9 +1030,16 @@ int cmd_branch(int argc,
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "create-reflog", &reflog, N_("create the branch's reflog")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "edit-description", &edit_description,
 			 N_("edit the description for the branch")),
-		OPT_CALLBACK_F(0, "delete-merged", &delete_merged, N_("pattern"),
-			N_("delete merged branches whose upstream matches <pattern> (repeatable)"),
-			PARSE_OPT_NONEG, parse_opt_strvec),
+		{
+			.type = OPTION_CALLBACK,
+			.long_name = "delete-merged",
+			.value = &delete_merged,
+			.argh = N_("pattern"),
+			.help = N_("delete merged branches whose upstream matches <pattern> (repeatable)"),
+			.flags = PARSE_OPT_LASTARG_DEFAULT | PARSE_OPT_NONEG,
+			.callback = parse_opt_strvec,
+			.defval = (intptr_t) "**",
+		},
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "dry-run", &dry_run,
 			N_("with --delete-merged, only print which branches would be deleted")),
 		OPT__FORCE(&force, N_("force creation, move/rename, deletion"), PARSE_OPT_NOCOMPLETE),
diff --git a/t/t3200-branch.sh b/t/t3200-branch.sh
index cdb6c6a634..e60f4794c8 100755
--- a/t/t3200-branch.sh
+++ b/t/t3200-branch.sh
@@ -2133,9 +2133,28 @@ test_expect_success '--delete-merged result is independent of stacked branch nam
 	)
 '
 
-test_expect_success '--delete-merged requires a value' '
-	test_must_fail git -C forked branch --delete-merged 2>err &&
-	test_grep "requires a value" err
+test_expect_success '--delete-merged without a pattern matches every upstream' '
+	setup_repo_for_delete_merged &&
+	create_merged_branch merged &&
+	(
+		cd repo &&
+		git branch --track local-topic main &&
+		git checkout --detach &&
+
+		git branch --dry-run --delete-merged &&
+
+		check_branches <<-\EOF &&
+		local-topic
+		main
+		merged
+		EOF
+
+		git branch --delete-merged &&
+
+		check_branches <<-\EOF
+		main
+		EOF
+	)
 '
 
 test_expect_success '--delete-merged honours branch.<name>.deleteMerged=false' '

base-commit: c46c1e37724f0478939de636ab8ea5a89086d532
-- 
gitgitgadget

Re: [PATCH] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[Phillip Wood]

Hi Harald

On 02/10/2026 17:55, Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget wrote:
> From: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
> 
> Cleaning up every branch whose work has landed upstream required
> typing '*/*' as the pattern.
> 
> Let a bare "git branch --delete-merged" consider every upstream. As
> with "--merged" without a commit, this applies only when the option
> comes last, so "git branch --dry-run --delete-merged" previews the
> cleanup.

PARSE_OPT_LASTARG_DEFAULT is a usability footgun that I think it is best 
to avoid. If we ever wanted to add a new option that worked with 
"--delete-merged" (for example to control whether it looked for branches 
that had been squashed) then

	git branch --delete-merged --foo

would behave differently to

	git branch --foo --delete-merged

With hindsight maybe

	git branch --delete-merged [<upstream>...] -- [<branch>...]

and

	git branch --forked [<upstream>...] -- [<branch>...]

would have been a better design. That's the sort of design mistake that 
is much more likely to happen when a contributor sends an endless stream 
of patches because they're eager to get something merged, rather than 
engaging in a thoughtful discussion with the reviewer.

Thanks

Phillip

> Signed-off-by: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>
> ---
>      branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream
>      
>      A bare git branch --delete-merged now considers every upstream.
> 
> Published-As: https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git/releases/tag/pr-git-2428%2FHaraldNordgren%2Fbranch-delete-merged-default-v1
> Fetch-It-Via: git fetch https://github.com/gitgitgadget/git pr-git-2428/HaraldNordgren/branch-delete-merged-default-v1
> Pull-Request: https://github.com/git/git/pull/2428
> 
>   Documentation/git-branch.adoc |  6 ++++--
>   builtin/branch.c              | 14 +++++++++++---
>   t/t3200-branch.sh             | 25 ++++++++++++++++++++++---
>   3 files changed, 37 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/git-branch.adoc b/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
> index bfdf459329..4a91ae6879 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
> +++ b/Documentation/git-branch.adoc
> @@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ git branch (-m|-M) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>
>   git branch (-c|-C) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>
>   git branch (-d|-D) [-r] <branch-name>...
>   git branch --edit-description [<branch-name>]
> +git branch [--dry-run] --delete-merged
>   git branch [--dry-run] (--delete-merged <pattern>)... [<branch-pattern>...]
>   
>   DESCRIPTION
> @@ -202,14 +203,15 @@ This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.
>   	Print the name of the current branch. In detached `HEAD` state,
>   	nothing is printed.
>   
> -`--delete-merged <pattern>`::
> +`--delete-merged [<pattern>]`::
>   	Delete local branches whose configured upstream matches
>   	_<pattern>_, but only when their tip is reachable from that
>   	upstream. In other words, the work on the branch has already
>   	landed on the upstream it tracks, so the local copy is no longer
>   	needed. _<pattern>_ may name a ref, a remote (using the branch its
>   	`HEAD` points at), or a shell-style glob. The option can be
> -	repeated to widen the upstream match.
> +	repeated to widen the upstream match. Without _<pattern>_, every
> +	upstream matches.
>   	Optional _<branch-pattern>_ arguments limit which local branches
>   	are considered, e.g. `git branch --delete-merged 'origin/*'
>   	'topic-*'`.
> diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
> index a613148fc7..f2a4e117dc 100644
> --- a/builtin/branch.c
> +++ b/builtin/branch.c
> @@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ static const char * const builtin_branch_usage[] = {
>   	N_("git branch [<options>] (-c | -C) [<old-branch>] <new-branch>"),
>   	N_("git branch [<options>] [-r | -a] [--points-at]"),
>   	N_("git branch [<options>] [-r | -a] [--format]"),
> +	N_("git branch [<options>] --delete-merged"),
>   	N_("git branch [<options>] (--delete-merged <pattern>)... "
>   	   "[<branch-pattern>...]"),
>   	NULL
> @@ -1029,9 +1030,16 @@ int cmd_branch(int argc,
>   		OPT_BOOL(0, "create-reflog", &reflog, N_("create the branch's reflog")),
>   		OPT_BOOL(0, "edit-description", &edit_description,
>   			 N_("edit the description for the branch")),
> -		OPT_CALLBACK_F(0, "delete-merged", &delete_merged, N_("pattern"),
> -			N_("delete merged branches whose upstream matches <pattern> (repeatable)"),
> -			PARSE_OPT_NONEG, parse_opt_strvec),
> +		{
> +			.type = OPTION_CALLBACK,
> +			.long_name = "delete-merged",
> +			.value = &delete_merged,
> +			.argh = N_("pattern"),
> +			.help = N_("delete merged branches whose upstream matches <pattern> (repeatable)"),
> +			.flags = PARSE_OPT_LASTARG_DEFAULT | PARSE_OPT_NONEG,
> +			.callback = parse_opt_strvec,
> +			.defval = (intptr_t) "**",
> +		},
>   		OPT_BOOL(0, "dry-run", &dry_run,
>   			N_("with --delete-merged, only print which branches would be deleted")),
>   		OPT__FORCE(&force, N_("force creation, move/rename, deletion"), PARSE_OPT_NOCOMPLETE),
> diff --git a/t/t3200-branch.sh b/t/t3200-branch.sh
> index cdb6c6a634..e60f4794c8 100755
> --- a/t/t3200-branch.sh
> +++ b/t/t3200-branch.sh
> @@ -2133,9 +2133,28 @@ test_expect_success '--delete-merged result is independent of stacked branch nam
>   	)
>   '
>   
> -test_expect_success '--delete-merged requires a value' '
> -	test_must_fail git -C forked branch --delete-merged 2>err &&
> -	test_grep "requires a value" err
> +test_expect_success '--delete-merged without a pattern matches every upstream' '
> +	setup_repo_for_delete_merged &&
> +	create_merged_branch merged &&
> +	(
> +		cd repo &&
> +		git branch --track local-topic main &&
> +		git checkout --detach &&
> +
> +		git branch --dry-run --delete-merged &&
> +
> +		check_branches <<-\EOF &&
> +		local-topic
> +		main
> +		merged
> +		EOF
> +
> +		git branch --delete-merged &&
> +
> +		check_branches <<-\EOF
> +		main
> +		EOF
> +	)
>   '
>   
>   test_expect_success '--delete-merged honours branch.<name>.deleteMerged=false' '
> 
> base-commit: a018953688f1b10bddf91bff8747068f5f4746a4

Re: [PATCH] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[Harald Nordgren]

> With hindsight maybe
>
>         git branch --delete-merged [<upstream>...] -- [<branch>...]
>
> and
>
>         git branch --forked [<upstream>...] -- [<branch>...]
>
> would have been a better design. That's the sort of design mistake that
> is much more likely to happen when a contributor sends an endless stream
> of patches because they're eager to get something merged, rather than
> engaging in a thoughtful discussion with the reviewer.

I appreciate all the help here, but it's not necessary to throw blame
either way. It sours the collaboration.


Harald

Re: [PATCH] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[Phillip Wood]

Hi Harald

On 04/10/2026 14:16, Harald Nordgren wrote:
>> With hindsight maybe
>>
>>          git branch --delete-merged [<upstream>...] -- [<branch>...]
>>
>> and
>>
>>          git branch --forked [<upstream>...] -- [<branch>...]
>>
>> would have been a better design. That's the sort of design mistake that
>> is much more likely to happen when a contributor sends an endless stream
>> of patches because they're eager to get something merged, rather than
>> engaging in a thoughtful discussion with the reviewer.
> 
> I appreciate all the help here, but it's not necessary to throw blame
> either way. It sours the collaboration.
I'm sorry if it sounded like I was blaming you. Getting a patch series 
merged is a collaborative effort and any issues we discover later are 
the collective responsibility of all those involved. I do though think 
it is helpful to think about what we can do to try and avoid design 
mistakes and feel that spending a bit more time discussing things and a 
bit less time re-rolling patches would help. I also think that would 
likely end up with things getting merged sooner as, if we've had a 
reasonably detailed discussion about the design and implementation, 
we're likely to have ironed out a lot of potential problems earlier in 
the evolution of the patch series.

Thanks

Phillip

Re: [PATCH] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[Harald Nordgren]

> >> With hindsight maybe
> >>
> >>          git branch --delete-merged [<upstream>...] -- [<branch>...]
> >>
> >> and
> >>
> >>          git branch --forked [<upstream>...] -- [<branch>...]
> >>
> >> would have been a better design. That's the sort of design mistake that
> >> is much more likely to happen when a contributor sends an endless stream
> >> of patches because they're eager to get something merged, rather than
> >> engaging in a thoughtful discussion with the reviewer.
> >
> > I appreciate all the help here, but it's not necessary to throw blame
> > either way. It sours the collaboration.
>
> I'm sorry if it sounded like I was blaming you. Getting a patch series
> merged is a collaborative effort and any issues we discover later are
> the collective responsibility of all those involved. I do though think
> it is helpful to think about what we can do to try and avoid design
> mistakes and feel that spending a bit more time discussing things and a
> bit less time re-rolling patches would help. I also think that would
> likely end up with things getting merged sooner as, if we've had a
> reasonably detailed discussion about the design and implementation,
> we're likely to have ironed out a lot of potential problems earlier in
> the evolution of the patch series.

That is fair. And you should know I am very thankful for the help and
the sometimes harsh feedback.


Harald

Re: [PATCH] branch: let --delete-merged default to every upstream

[Junio C Hamano]

Phillip Wood <phillip.wood123@gmail.com> writes:

> ... it is helpful to think about what we can do to try and avoid design 
> mistakes and feel that spending a bit more time discussing things and a 
> bit less time re-rolling patches would help. I also think that would 
> likely end up with things getting merged sooner ...

I share the sentiment on both counts, even though I do not have a
ready reference/example to point at.  Thanks for pointing it out.