---
title: npm-prune
section: 1
description: Remove extraneous packages
---

### Synopsis

```bash
npm prune [[<@scope>/]<pkg>...] [--production] [--dry-run] [--json]
```

### Description

This command removes "extraneous" packages.  If a package name is provided,
then only packages matching one of the supplied names are removed.

Extraneous packages are those present in the `node_modules` folder that are
not listed as any package's dependency list.

If the `--production` flag is specified or the `NODE_ENV` environment
variable is set to `production`, this command will remove the packages
specified in your `devDependencies`. Setting `--no-production` will negate
`NODE_ENV` being set to `production`.

If the `--dry-run` flag is used then no changes will actually be made.

If the `--json` flag is used, then the changes `npm prune` made (or would
have made with `--dry-run`) are printed as a JSON object.

In normal operation, extraneous modules are pruned automatically, so you'll
only need this command with the `--production` flag.  However, in the real
world, operation is not always "normal".  When crashes or mistakes happen,
this command can help clean up any resulting garbage.

### Configuration

<!-- AUTOGENERATED CONFIG DESCRIPTIONS START -->
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<!-- see lib/utils/config/definitions.js -->
#### `omit`

* Default: 'dev' if the `NODE_ENV` environment variable is set to
  'production', otherwise empty.
* Type: "dev", "optional", or "peer" (can be set multiple times)

Dependency types to omit from the installation tree on disk.

Note that these dependencies _are_ still resolved and added to the
`package-lock.json` or `npm-shrinkwrap.json` file. They are just not
physically installed on disk.

If a package type appears in both the `--include` and `--omit` lists, then
it will be included.

If the resulting omit list includes `'dev'`, then the `NODE_ENV` environment
variable will be set to `'production'` for all lifecycle scripts.

<!-- automatically generated, do not edit manually -->
<!-- see lib/utils/config/definitions.js -->

#### `dry-run`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

Indicates that you don't want npm to make any changes and that it should
only report what it would have done. This can be passed into any of the
commands that modify your local installation, eg, `install`, `update`,
`dedupe`, `uninstall`, as well as `pack` and `publish`.

Note: This is NOT honored by other network related commands, eg `dist-tags`,
`owner`, etc.

<!-- automatically generated, do not edit manually -->
<!-- see lib/utils/config/definitions.js -->

#### `json`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

Whether or not to output JSON data, rather than the normal output.

* In `npm pkg set` it enables parsing set values with JSON.parse() before
  saving them to your `package.json`.

Not supported by all npm commands.

<!-- automatically generated, do not edit manually -->
<!-- see lib/utils/config/definitions.js -->

#### `workspace`

* Default:
* Type: String (can be set multiple times)

Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the
current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by
this configuration option.

Valid values for the `workspace` config are either:

* Workspace names
* Path to a workspace directory
* Path to a parent workspace directory (will result to selecting all of the
  nested workspaces)

When set for the `npm init` command, this may be set to the folder of a
workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a
brand new workspace within the project.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

<!-- automatically generated, do not edit manually -->
<!-- see lib/utils/config/definitions.js -->

#### `workspaces`

* Default: false
* Type: Boolean

Enable running a command in the context of **all** the configured
workspaces.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

<!-- automatically generated, do not edit manually -->
<!-- see lib/utils/config/definitions.js -->

<!-- AUTOGENERATED CONFIG DESCRIPTIONS END -->

### See Also

* [npm uninstall](/commands/npm-uninstall)
* [npm folders](/configuring-npm/folders)
* [npm ls](/commands/npm-ls)
