Skip to main content

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Recommended

Answers to common questions about Custy's Backup Cleanup command.

Commandcusty cleanup backups

Category

Maintenance

Quick Command

custy cleanup backups
faqcleanupbackup

Overview​

This page answers the questions most commonly asked about Backup Cleanup and explains how it behaves during normal project maintenance.

What does Backup Cleanup remove?

Backup Cleanup removes obsolete backup files created by Custy.

Depending on the selected cleanup type, this may include:

  • commit message backups,
  • tag message backups,
  • or both.

Project source files are never removed.

Does Backup Cleanup modify my Git repository?

No.

Backup Cleanup only removes backup files stored within the configured backup directories.

It does not:

  • modify Git branches,
  • create commits,
  • remove tags,
  • push changes,
  • alter repository history.

Can I run Backup Cleanup manually?

Yes.

You can execute Backup Cleanup whenever you want to organize your backup directories.

Many workflow pipelines also execute Backup Cleanup automatically, but manual execution is always available.

Why weren't any backup files removed?

This is usually expected behavior.

Possible reasons include:

  • no backup files exist,
  • the retention policy already allows all existing backups,
  • no files matched the selected cleanup type.

Backup Cleanup completes successfully even when no files require removal.

How many backups are preserved?

The number of preserved backups is controlled by the configured retention count.

Projects may define their preferred retention policy in config.toml, while command-line options can temporarily override those values.

Can Backup Cleanup be previewed?

Yes.

Use Custy's global dry-run option:

custy --dry-run cleanup backups

This allows you to review the cleanup operation without deleting any backup files.

Does Backup Cleanup delete the newest backups?

No.

Custy always preserves the configured number of newest backup files.

Only older backup files that exceed the configured retention count are removed.

Can Backup Cleanup participate in workflow pipelines?

Backup cleanup participates internally in several larger profiles, but its internal profile name is not accepted by the current public Run argument. Run the focused operation with custy cleanup backups.

Backup Cleanup Complete

You have completed the Backup Cleanup documentation.

Continue with Branch Cleanup to learn how Custy safely removes obsolete Git branches using configurable filters while protecting important branches.