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

From

Harald Nordgren via GitGitGadget <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>

Date

Oct 4, 2026, 08:34 UTC

Message-ID

<pull.2428.v2.git.git.1791102886740.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>

In-Reply-To

<pull.2428.git.git.1790960147943.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>

From: Harald Nordgren <haraldnordgren@gmail.com>

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

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