Dead Code Finder#

Detect and report dead code in JavaScript/TypeScript projects.

Quick Start#

bash

# Full scan — unused exports, files, and dependencies
python3 scripts/find_dead_code.py /path/to/project

# Exports only
python3 scripts/find_dead_code.py /path/to/project --mode exports

# Unused files only
python3 scripts/find_dead_code.py /path/to/project --mode files

# Unused dependencies only
python3 scripts/find_dead_code.py /path/to/project --mode deps

# JSON output for programmatic use
python3 scripts/find_dead_code.py /path/to/project --json

What It Detects#

1. Unused Exports#

Exported functions, classes, constants, types, and interfaces never imported anywhere.

• Named exports ( export function foo, export const bar)
• Re-exports ( export { x } from './y')
• Type exports ( export type, export interface)
• Barrel file analysis (index.ts re-exports)

2. Unreferenced Files#

Files never imported by any other file in the project.

• Skips entry points (configurable)
• Skips test files, config files, and scripts by default
• Handles path aliases (tsconfig paths)

3. Unused Dependencies#

npm packages in package.json never imported in code.

• Checks dependencies and devDependencies
• Recognizes CLI tools as potentially used
• Handles scoped packages and subpath imports

Configuration#

Default entry points: src/index.{ts,tsx,js,jsx}, src/main.*, src/app.*, pages/**/*, app/**/*.

Default ignores: node_modules, dist, build, .next, coverage, __tests__, *.test.*, *.spec.*, *.config.*, *.d.ts.

Override via flags:

bash

--entry "src/main.ts,src/worker.ts"
--ignore "generated,vendor"

Interpreting Results#

text

=== Dead Code Report ===

UNUSED EXPORTS (12 found):
  src/utils/helpers.ts: formatDate, parseQuery, slugify
  src/components/Button.tsx: ButtonProps (type)
  src/api/client.ts: createClient

UNREFERENCED FILES (3 found):
  src/legacy/oldAuth.ts
  src/utils/deprecated.ts
  src/components/unused/Card.tsx

UNUSED DEPENDENCIES (2 found):
  moment
  lodash.merge

Workflow#

1. Run scan on the project
2. Review report — some findings may be false positives (dynamic imports, reflection)
3. Verify each finding before removing
4. Remove confirmed dead code
5. Run tests to confirm nothing broke

Limitations#

• Dynamic imports with variable paths may cause false positives
• Code consumed by external packages (libraries) shows as unused
• CSS/SCSS imports not tracked
• export * partially supported