Description

Shell command to recursively find and delete all node_modules directories (or any other directory) from the current directory tree. This is useful for reclaiming disk space or ensuring a clean state before reinstalling dependencies.

Beyond just node_modules, this same pattern can be used to clean other build artifacts and cache directories in monorepos like .turbo, dist, .swc, .next, and coverage directories, giving you a true “clean start” for your projects.

Code Byte

# Remove all node_modules directories
find . -name "node_modules" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} \; -print

# Silent version (no output)
find . -name "node_modules" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} +

# Monorepo clean start - remove all build artifacts
find . \( -name "node_modules" -o -name ".turbo" -o -name "dist" -o -name ".swc" -o -name ".next" -o -name "coverage" \) -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} \; -print

Example usage:

# Remove all node_modules in current directory tree
find . -name "node_modules" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} \; -print

# Dry run - see what would be deleted without removing
find . -name "node_modules" -type d -prune

# Check disk space saved
du -sh . && find . -name "node_modules" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} + && du -sh .

# Remove specific directories in monorepos
find . -name ".turbo" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} +     # Turborepo cache
find . -name "dist" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} +       # Build outputs
find . -name ".next" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} +      # Next.js cache
find . -name "coverage" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} +   # Test coverage

# Create an alias for quick access
alias clean-node='find . -name "node_modules" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} \; -print'
alias clean-mono='find . \( -name "node_modules" -o -name ".turbo" -o -name "dist" -o -name ".swc" -o -name ".next" -o -name "coverage" \) -type d -prune -exec rm -rf {} \; -print'

Why This Works

• -name "node_modules" - Match directories with this exact name
• -type d - Only match directories
• -prune - Don’t descend into matched directories (more efficient)
• -exec rm -rf {} \; - Execute removal on each found directory
• -print - Show what’s being removed

This approach avoids the “argument list too long” error that occurs with glob patterns when there are many matches.