tl-knip（特尔克尼普）

Knip: Dead Code Detection & Removal

Knip finds unused files, dependencies, and exports across TypeScript and JavaScript projects. It understands your project's entry points, plugin ecosystem, and module graph — reporting only real dead code, not false positives.

What Knip detects:

• Unused files (not imported anywhere in the module graph)
• Unused npm dependencies and devDependencies
• Unused exports, types, enum members, and class members
• Barrel file re-exports that are never consumed externally
• Duplicate exports across files

Suite

This is a standalone skill with no related suite members.

When to Use

Agent triggers — activate this skill when the user says:

• "Find dead code in this project"
• "Clean up unused dependencies"
• "Why is this export showing as unused?"
• "Set up Knip for this monorepo"
• "Add Knip to CI"
• "Our barrel files are causing false positives"
• "How do I ignore this export?"
• Anything about unused imports, orphaned files, or dependency hygiene

Resources

Load these on demand when the user's question goes deeper than SKILL.md covers:

• references/configuration.md — Complete knip.json / knip.ts option reference with examples
• references/plugins.md — Full plugin ecosystem: all frameworks, test runners, build tools
• references/barrel-files.md — Barrel file and re-export handling: false positives, public API tagging, index.ts patterns
• references/troubleshooting.md — Systematic diagnosis: false positives, performance, monorepo issues, exit codes
• scripts/knip-check.sh — Health check script (bash)
• scripts/knip-check.ps1 — Health check script (PowerShell)

Quick Commands

npx knip                              # Full analysis
npx knip --production                 # Production code only (excludes tests/devDeps)
npx knip --dependencies               # Only unused deps — fastest CI check
npx knip --exports                    # Only unused exports
npx knip --files                      # Only unused files
npx knip --fix                        # Auto-remove safe issues
npx knip --fix --allow-remove-files   # Auto-remove including file deletion
npx knip --reporter json              # JSON output for tooling/CI
npx knip --reporter compact           # Compact human-readable output
npx knip --workspace packages/api     # Specific monorepo workspace only

Debug commands:

npx knip --debug                           # Full config resolution + entry point trace
npx knip --trace-file src/utils.ts         # Why is this file included/excluded?
npx knip --trace-export myFunction         # Why is this export flagged?

Configuration-First Workflow

Always configure before acting on reported issues. Cleaning up issues before fixing configuration causes churn — removed items may be re-flagged or real issues masked.

Step 1 — Understand the project

• Check package.json for frameworks, test runners, build tools
• Look for existing Knip config: knip.json, knip.jsonc, knip.ts, or "knip" key in package.json
• Review existing config for problems before running

Step 2 — Run and read configuration hints first

npx knip

Configuration hints appear at the top of output before issue lists. Address these first — they identify missing entry points, unrecognized plugins, and path alias gaps that cause false positives.

Step 3 — Adjust config to eliminate false positives

Common adjustments:

Step 4 — Repeat until hints are resolved

Re-run after each config change. Only address reported issues once hints are gone and false positives are minimal.

Step 5 — Address issues in priority order

1. Unused files — tackle first; removing files exposes newly-unused exports downstream
2. Unused dependencies — remove from package.json
3. Unused devDependencies — remove from package.json
4. Unused exports — remove export keyword or delete the item
5. Unused types/interfaces — remove or add ignoreExportsUsedInFile

Step 6 — Re-run and repeat

Each cleanup pass exposes more dead code. Repeat until output is clean or only intentionally-ignored items remain.

Minimal Working Config

{
  "$schema": "https://unpkg.com/knip@latest/schema.json",
  "entry": ["src/index.ts", "src/cli.ts", "scripts/**/*.ts"],
  "project": ["src/**/*.{ts,tsx}", "scripts/**/*.ts"],
  "ignoreDependencies": ["@types/*", "typescript", "tslib"],
  "ignoreExportsUsedInFile": {
    "interface": true,
    "type": true
  }
}

Critical rules:

See references/configuration.md for all options.

Barrel Files

Barrel files (index.ts files that re-export from multiple modules) are the most common source of Knip false positives. Knip tracks whether re-exported items are actually consumed outside the barrel — if nothing imports them externally, they're flagged.

Barrel file patterns and fixes — see references/barrel-files.md.

Quick reference:

{
  "ignoreExportsUsedInFile": true,
  "includeEntryExports": true
}

Tag intentional public API exports with JSDoc:

/** @public */
export const myPublicFunction = () => {};

Agent Cleanup Guidance

When executing a Knip cleanup as an agent, categorize before acting.

Auto-delete without asking

• Unused internal exports (not in index.ts, lib/, sdk/, or api/ paths)
• Unused exported types and interfaces
• Unused npm dependencies (run npm uninstall <pkg>)
• Clearly orphaned files with no dynamic import possibility

Ask before acting

• Files that could be entry points or dynamically imported
• Exports in index.ts, lib/, sdk/, api/, or public/ paths
• Dependencies that might be used as CLI tools or peer dependencies
• Anything the user has previously mentioned keeping

Batch all clarifying questions into a single prompt — never ask one at a time.

Re-run loop

Run → Categorize → Auto-delete safe → Ask about uncertain → Re-run → Repeat

Stop when output is clean or only intentional suppressions remain.

CI Integration

name: Knip
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  knip:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with: { node-version: 20 }
      - run: npm ci
      - name: Unused dependencies
        run: npx knip --dependencies --max-issues 0
      - name: Unused exports (PRs only)
        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        run: npx knip --exports

Issue Type Reference

References

First-Party Documentation

• Knip Documentation — Official documentation
• Knip GitHub — Source code and issues
• Knip Reporters — Output formats (JSON, SARIF)
• Knip Plugins — Framework integrations

Related Tools

• ts-prune — TypeScript-specific unused export finder
• depcheck — Unused dependency checker
• unimported — Find unimported files

Pre-commit Integration

# .husky/pre-commit
npx knip --dependencies --max-issues 0

Attribution

Knip (the tool)

This skill documents Knip by webpro-nl.

Knip is © webpro-nl and contributors, licensed under the ISC License. This skill is independent documentation and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Knip project.

Source skills

This skill synthesizes content from 5 community Knip skills: