Reset a Next.js project's build state in one command. next-nuke finds every .next in your repo, shows you what it will delete and how much disk you get back, and can reinstall dependencies afterwards. Monorepo- and pnpm-aware.
Why not rm -rf .next?
Usually rm -rf .next is fine. Two cases where it isn't:
Turborepo can put the folder straight back. turbo build caches task outputs keyed on an input hash, and a standard Next.js pipeline lists .next/** among those outputs. Delete .next, rebuild without changing an input, and Turbo reports a cache hit and restores the build you just deleted. The clean rebuild you thought you did is the old build. next-nuke notices the .turbo cache and tells you; --turbo clears it.
A monorepo has more than one. You need to know where every app lives, and you probably want to skip some of them. next-nuke finds them, sizes them, and gives you a checklist.
There's also the reinstall. --full deletes node_modules alongside .next, works out which package manager your lockfile belongs to, and runs a single install at the workspace root.
Safety
next-nuke runs rm -rf, so it's built defensively:
- It only ever deletes folders named
.next,node_modules,.turbo,.next/cache, or.next/dev/cache— never your source files, configs, or documents. Every path is re-checked against this rule immediately before deletion. - It refuses to run at your home directory, the filesystem root, or any ancestor of home.
- It stays in scope — every target must be inside the directory you pointed it at.
- It never follows symlinks — symlinked build folders are skipped, not chased.
--dry-runshows exactly what would go, and there's a confirmation prompt before anything is deleted.
Every release is published from CI by npm OIDC trusted publishing, so each version on npm carries a signed provenance attestation linking the tarball to the exact GitHub Actions run and commit that built it.
Usage
npx next-nuke [path] [options]
# or: pnpm dlx next-nuke| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
next-nuke |
Delete the whole .next (regenerates on next dev/build) |
next-nuke --cache |
Delete only the Next.js caches (.next/cache and, on Next 16+, .next/dev/cache) — reclaim disk, keep the compiled build |
next-nuke --full |
Delete node_modules + .next, then reinstall dependencies |
next-nuke --turbo |
Also clear .turbo caches |
next-nuke --build |
Run the project's build after cleaning |
next-nuke --exclude <pattern> |
Skip apps whose path contains <pattern> (repeatable) |
next-nuke --dry-run |
Show the plan, delete nothing |
next-nuke -y, --yes |
Skip the confirmation prompt (scripts / CI) |
Flags compose: next-nuke --full --turbo --build.
Monorepos
Run it at the repo root and it finds every app's .next; when there's more than one, you get a checklist to pick which to reset. Run it inside a single app and it resets just that one. Discovery only ever looks at or below where you stand — it never reaches up and touches sibling apps.
Use --exclude to skip apps by path, which is what you want for non-interactive (--yes) or CI runs where there's no checklist. It's repeatable and matches a substring of each app's path:
next-nuke --full --yes --exclude apps/legacy --exclude packages/docs
pnpm / package managers
--full detects your package manager from the lockfile (pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, bun.lock[b]), deletes every node_modules in scope, and runs a single install at the workspace root. If it can't tell which manager to use, it refuses to reinstall rather than guess.
Why not npkill -t .next?
npkill already finds and deletes .next folders, and it's good at that. next-nuke is narrower and does two things npkill doesn't:
- Delete and reinstall (
--full) — wipenode_modules+.next, then run the rightinstallfor you. - Turbo-cache honesty — in a Turborepo, deleting
.nextalone can be undone by.turborestoring a stale build from cache.next-nukewarns you, and--turboclears it.
If you only ever want to reclaim disk across many projects, npkill -t .next is the right tool. If you want to reset the project you're working in, this is.
Requirements
- Node.js >= 20
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for local development and the release process.
License
MIT © Roy Bakker