Skip to main content
bun prune deletes everything in node_modules that the current bun.lock would not install: packages left behind after switching branches, removing a dependency, or installing with another package manager. With the isolated linker, this includes stale entries in node_modules/.bun. bun prune never contacts the registry, never runs lifecycle scripts, and never modifies bun.lock or package.json.
terminal
Packages removed from a workspace or nested node_modules folder show the folder in parentheses, e.g. - typescript@5.4.0 (packages/app/node_modules).

​
--production

Also remove everything bun install --production would not install (i.e. devDependencies). This lets you build with dev dependencies and ship without them:
--omit=dev, --omit=optional, and --omit=peer work the same way they do for bun install.

​
--dry-run

List what would be removed without deleting anything:
terminal

​
--filter

Prune only the selected workspaces’ node_modules folders (same patterns as bun install --filter). Bun also cleans shared locations: the root node_modules, or node_modules/.bun with the isolated linker. In those locations, Bun keeps anything an unselected workspace still needs.
terminal

​
Notes

  • Always runs from the workspace root and covers every workspace’s node_modules, even when invoked inside a workspace package.
  • Requires bun.lock to match package.json. If you edited dependencies since the last install, run bun install first.
  • Uses the same linker as bun install would. If node_modules was created with the other linker, bun prune refuses to run. Pass the matching --linker, or run bun install.
  • Matches packages by name. If a package is at the wrong version, Bun leaves it for bun install to replace. Bun only removes a nested copy (node_modules/a/node_modules/b) once the correct version is installed above it; otherwise Bun keeps it and prints a warning.
  • Never removes workspace folders, .bin entries still in use, dot-directories like .cache, plain files, or anything outside node_modules.
  • Removes packages disabled for the current os/cpu. Pass --os/--cpu to prune for another platform.
  • Works on a pruned monorepo checkout (e.g. turbo prune output) the same way bun install --frozen-lockfile does.
  • If any entry fails to delete, the command still removes the rest and exits 1.
  • --global is not supported.
  • To clean the global cache instead, use bun pm cache rm.