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								tags: [git]
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								# Stale branches and pruning
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								A **stale branch** is a
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								[remote tracking branch](Remote_tracking_branches.md) that **no
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								longer tracks anything** because the actual branch on the remote has been
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								deleted.
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								If _you_ delete the remote branch, the remote tracking branch will also be
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								deleted. However if a _collaborator_ deletes the remote branch, your remote
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								tracking branch will remain, becoming a stale branch.
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								In order to get rid of it, we need to manually remove it. We can do this with
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								the general `prune` command:
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								```sh
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								git remote prune origin
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								# or run a preview of the action
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								git remote prune origin --dry-run
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								```
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