How do you clean up old branches automatically?

Short answer: Old branches can clutter your repo. You can clean them locally and remotely. Commands: To delete merged branches locally: git branch --merged main | grep -v "main" | xargs git branch -d To prune deleted remote branches: git fetch --prune Example: After several months, your repo has 50 old feature branches. You can prune them automatically in CI or periodically with these commands.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Feature work for “UPI payment” lives on feature/upi-payment. Open a PR to main; resolve conflicts before merge.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.