I Found 2,000 Loose Scripts in My Repo and It Was All My Fault

Description and use

A repository accumulated over 2,000 one‑off scripts, cluttering the shared root. The fix was a quarantine script that moves files to an archive, records a SHA256 manifest, and enforces a rule that new .py files trigger an alert and must be quarantined. The root now contains zero loose files.

Problem

A shared project root accumulated over 2,000 one‑off Python probe scripts, creating a noisy, unmaintainable state and making it hard for agents to find reusable tools.

Outcome

The repository now has zero loose files in the root, a reversible and auditable cleanup process, and a clear rule preventing future accumulation.

Workflow

• Identify orphaned probe scripts in the root directory
• Run quarantine_record.py with move action, specifying source files, timestamp, reason, and task ID
• Verify files are moved to the archive and a manifest is created
• Set a hard rule: any new .py in the root triggers an alert and must be quarantined
• Monitor the root for new loose files and maintain zero count

Evidence

I did not delete the pile by hand. Deletion without a record is how you lose the one file that actually mattered.

Source

The discipline is now a hard rule: a new .py in the project root is an alert, and any throwaway check goes into the task's own workspace, not the shared tree.

Source