Remove comments from source code files blazingly fast using in-memory processing. Features git-aware processing, smart comment preservation, 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

# Keep comment-only lines as empty lines (indentation always preserved)
shush script.py --preserve-lines

# 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

# Configuration and hooks management
shush --create-config             # Create .shush.toml configuration
shush --config                    # Show current configuration
shush --install-hook              # Install Claude Code hooks (user-wide)
shush --install-hook -s project   # Install project-specific hooks
shush --hook-status               # Check hook installation status

# 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

# Comment filtering
--inline       Remove only line comments
--block        Remove only block comments

# Processing modes
-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
--preserve-lines   Keep comment-only lines as empty lines (indentation always preserved)

# 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

# Configuration management
--config       Show current configuration and location
--create-config Create example .shush.toml configuration file

# Claude Code hooks
--install-hook   Install Claude Code hooks for automatic comment cleanup
--uninstall-hook Uninstall Claude Code hooks  
--list-hooks     List current Claude Code hooks configuration
--hook-status    Check if shush hooks are installed
-s, --hook-scope Hook scope: 'project' for local, default for user-wide

# 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():
    # Comment-only line
    print("Hello")  # Inline comment

# After running: shush example.py (default - comment-only lines deleted)
def hello():
    print("Hello")

# After running: shush example.py --preserve-lines (comment-only lines kept as empty)
def hello():
    
    print("Hello")

# Note: Code indentation is ALWAYS preserved in both modes

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

Line Structure Control

# Default: Comment-only lines are deleted entirely
shush script.py                      # Clean removal

# Keep comment-only lines as empty lines (preserves line numbers)
shush script.py --preserve-lines     # Useful for debugging/line references

# Code indentation is ALWAYS preserved regardless of flag
shush python_code.py --preserve-lines --dry-run

Backup and Preview

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

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

Comment Preservation Configuration 🎯

Shush supports smart comment preservation through .shush.toml configuration files:

# Create example configuration file
shush --create-config

# Check current configuration  
shush --config

Configuration File (`.shush.toml`)

# Patterns to preserve in comments (supports wildcards with *)
preserve = [
    "TODO:",
    "FIXME:",
    "HACK:",
    "XXX:",
    "@ts-ignore",
    "@ts-expect-error",
    "eslint-",
    "prettier-ignore",
    "pylint:",
    "mypy:",
    "type: ignore",
    "*IMPORTANT*",   # Wildcard: preserves any comment containing IMPORTANT
    "*DEBUG*",       # Wildcard: preserves any comment containing DEBUG
]

Configuration Discovery

Shush searches for configuration in this order:

.shush.toml (current directory)
.shush.toml (git repository root)
~/.config/.shush.toml (global user config)

Claude Code Integration 🤖

Seamless integration with Claude Code via hooks - available now:

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

# Manage hooks
shush --hook-status                # Check installation status
shush --list-hooks                 # Show all configured hooks
shush --uninstall-hook             # Remove hooks

# Hook scope conflict detection
# Prevents duplicate execution when both user and project hooks exist

Once installed, comments will be automatically cleaned whenever Claude Code uses Write, Edit, or MultiEdit tools. Respects your .shush.toml configuration for comment preservation!

How It Works

shush uses optimized processing to remove comments while preserving code structure:

Language Detection: Auto-detects language from file extension
String-Aware Parsing: Preserves URLs and strings that contain comment markers (e.g., "https://example.com")
Git-Aware Processing: Only processes changed lines for surgical precision
Smart Preservation: Configurable comment preservation via .shush.toml patterns
Unified In-Memory Processing:
- String-aware parsing for all file operations
- Line-based processing with comment preservation for all modes
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

Linux or macOS (x86_64 or ARM64)

License

MIT

README.md

shush 🤫