shush 🤫

Remove comments from source code files blazingly fast using sed under the hood. Features git-aware processing and Claude Code integration.

Installation

Quick Install (Linux/macOS)

curl -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/carlosarraes/shush/main/install.sh | sh

Manual Download

Download the binary for your platform from the releases page.

Usage

# Remove all comments from a file
shush file.py

# Remove all comments from a directory
shush src/

# Process directories recursively
shush src/ --recursive

# Remove only line comments (// or #)
shush file.js --inline

# Remove only block comments (/* */)
shush file.c --block

# Preview what would be removed (dry run)
shush script.sh --dry-run

# Create a backup before modifying
shush config.lua --backup

# Verbose output
shush app.go --verbose

# Git-aware processing (only process changed lines)
shush --staged                    # Clean comments from staged changes
shush --unstaged                  # Clean comments from unstaged changes  
shush --changes-only              # Clean comments from all changes

# Combine flags for complex operations
shush src/ --recursive --inline --dry-run --verbose

Supported Languages

Language	Line Comments	Block Comments
Python	#	-
JavaScript/TypeScript	//	/* */
Go	//	/* */
C/C++	//	/* */
Java	//	/* */
Lua	--	-
Shell/Bash	#	-
Ruby	#	-
Perl	#	-
YAML	#	-

Options

--inline       Remove only line comments
--block        Remove only block comments
-r, --recursive Process directories recursively
--dry-run      Show what would be removed without making changes
--backup       Create backup files before modification
--verbose      Show detailed output

# Git-aware flags
--changes-only Remove comments only from git changes (staged + unstaged + untracked)
--staged       Remove comments only from staged git changes
--unstaged     Remove comments only from unstaged git changes

# Utility flags
--version      Show version information
--llm          Show LLM-friendly usage guide
--help         Show help message

Examples

Python

# Before
# This is a comment
def hello():
    print("Hello")  # Inline comment

# After running: shush example.py
def hello():
    print("Hello")

JavaScript

# Remove only line comments, preserve block comments
shush app.js --inline

# Remove only block comments, preserve line comments
shush app.js --block

Directory Processing

# Process all supported files in a directory
shush src/ --verbose

# Process directories recursively
shush . --recursive --dry-run

# Process only specific comment types in entire project
shush . --recursive --inline --backup

Git-Aware Processing

# Clean comments from staged changes before commit
shush --staged --dry-run          # Preview changes
shush --staged --backup           # Apply with backup

# Clean comments from current work
shush --unstaged --inline         # Remove only line comments
shush --changes-only              # Clean all changes (staged + unstaged + untracked)

# Pre-commit workflow
shush --staged --dry-run          # 1. Review what will be cleaned  
shush --staged                    # 2. Clean staged changes
git commit -m "Clean code"        # 3. Commit cleaned code

Backup and Preview

# Always create backup before modifying
shush important.go --backup

# See what would be removed first
shush config.yaml --dry-run --verbose

Claude Code Integration 🤖

Coming soon in v0.2.0 - Seamless integration with Claude Code via hooks:

# Install automatic comment cleanup after Claude modifies files
shush --install-hooks              # User-wide (all projects)
shush --install-hooks project      # Project-specific only

# Check hook status  
shush --hooks-status               # See current configuration

Once installed, comments will be automatically cleaned whenever Claude Code uses Write, Edit, or MultiEdit tools. No manual intervention required!

How It Works

shush uses optimized sed commands to remove comments while preserving code structure. It:

• Auto-detects language from file extension
• Builds appropriate sed patterns for the detected language
• Git-aware processing: Only processes changed lines for surgical precision
• Preserves strings and code that might look like comments
• Claude Code integration: Automatic cleanup via PostToolUse hooks

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/carlosarraes/shush.git
cd shush
go build -o shush

Requirements

• sed (available on all Unix-like systems)
• Linux or macOS (x86_64 or ARM64)

License

MIT