Building CLI tool with Go to clean up node_modules

Migrating to a new computer can be a hard task, especially when you realize that a significant amount of disk space is consumed by node_modules directories. As a developer, I encountered this issue and decided to create a command-line tool (CLI) to manage and delete old node_modules directories. This post details the journey of building and publishing the dead_modules CLI tool using Go, Homebrew, and GitHub Actions.

While migrating my computer, I noticed that node_modules directories were taking up a substantial amount of space. These directories, often left over from various projects, can accumulate quickly. A CLI tool to manage and delete these directories seemed like a perfect solution to reclaim disk space efficiently.

First, I set up a new Go project. The CLI tool needed to search for node_modules directories and delete selected ones.

Here is the initial code to create the dead_modules CLI tool:

After writing the code, I built and tested the CLI tool:

To make the tool easily installable, I decided to publish it via Homebrew. I created a new GitHub repository for the Homebrew tap:

Next, I wrote the formula for the dead_modules tool:

To automate the process of updating the Homebrew formula, I set up GitHub Actions:

I added my GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT) as a secret in my GitHub repository settings, naming it GH_PAT.

I created a new release on GitHub to trigger the GitHub Actions workflow and update the Homebrew tap formula:

By following this journey, I successfully created and published a CLI tool to manage and delete old node_modules directories. The tool is now easily installable via Homebrew, thanks to the automated workflow set up with GitHub Actions. This solution not only helped me clean up my computer but also provides a useful tool for other developers facing the same issue.

To install dead_modules, you can run:

Run the following command to use the tool: