CleanAI vs ts-prune: Which Dead Code Tool Should You Use?

ts-prune is a popular open-source CLI tool that finds unused exports in TypeScript projects. CleanAI is a VS Code/Cursor extension that combines ts-prune with other analysis tools for comprehensive dead code detection. This article compares them across the dimensions that matter for day-to-day development.

What ts-prune Does

ts-prune analyzes your TypeScript project's dependency graph and reports exports that are never imported anywhere. You run it from the command line:

npx ts-prune

It outputs a list of unused exports with file paths and line numbers:

src/utils/formatCurrency.ts:3 - formatCurrency
src/helpers/legacy.ts:1 - default
src/components/OldButton.tsx:5 - OldButton

Strengths of ts-prune:

• Fast and focused -- does one thing well
• No configuration required for most projects
• Works with any TypeScript project that has a tsconfig.json
• Free and open source

Limitations of ts-prune:

• Only detects unused exports (not unused imports, variables, or unreachable code)
• TypeScript only (no JavaScript, Swift, or Python)
• CLI-only output -- no visual UI or IDE integration
• No automated removal -- you must delete code manually
• Does not verify that removal is safe (no build verification)

What CleanAI Does

CleanAI is a VS Code and Cursor extension that runs multiple analysis tools and presents unified results in a visual panel. Under the hood, it uses:

• ts-prune for unused TypeScript/JavaScript exports
• ESLint for unused imports and variables
• Periphery for unused Swift declarations
• Vulture for unused Python code

Results are displayed in a webview panel inside your editor, grouped by file, with one-click removal for each finding.

Strengths of CleanAI:

• Multi-language support (TypeScript, JavaScript, Swift, Python)
• Detects unused exports, imports, variables, and orphaned files
• Visual UI integrated into VS Code/Cursor
• One-click removal with undo support
• Auto Clean (Safe) mode: comments out code, runs your build, and only confirms removal if the build passes
• Tracks cleanup progress over time

Limitations of CleanAI:

• Requires VS Code or Cursor (no standalone CLI for full features)
• Free tier has scan limits (paid plans for unlimited)
• Depends on the underlying tools being installed (e.g., Periphery requires Xcode)

Feature Comparison

| Feature | ts-prune | CleanAI | |---------|----------|---------| | Unused exports | Yes | Yes (via ts-prune) | | Unused imports | No | Yes (via ESLint) | | Unused variables | No | Yes (via ESLint) | | Orphaned files | No | Yes | | TypeScript | Yes | Yes | | JavaScript | Partial | Yes | | Swift | No | Yes (via Periphery) | | Python | No | Yes (via Vulture) | | IDE integration | No | VS Code + Cursor | | One-click removal | No | Yes | | Build verification | No | Yes (Auto Clean Safe) | | Price | Free | Free tier + paid plans |

When to Use ts-prune

ts-prune is the right choice when:

• You only work with TypeScript
• You want a quick CLI check for unused exports
• You are comfortable manually deleting code
• You want a free, zero-dependency tool
• You are integrating dead code detection into a CI script

When to Use CleanAI

CleanAI is the right choice when:

• You work with multiple languages (TypeScript + Swift, or TypeScript + Python)
• You want a visual UI that shows findings in context
• You want automated, safe removal with build verification
• You want to detect unused imports and variables, not just exports
• You want to track cleanup progress over time

Using Them Together

Since CleanAI uses ts-prune internally, you get the best of both worlds by using CleanAI in your editor and ts-prune in your CI pipeline:

1. In development: Use CleanAI's visual panel to review and remove dead code interactively
2. In CI: Run npx ts-prune as a check that fails if new unused exports are introduced
3. Periodically: Run a full CleanAI scan to catch dead code that ts-prune alone misses (unused imports, orphaned files, multi-language issues)

Conclusion

ts-prune is an excellent, focused tool for finding unused TypeScript exports. CleanAI builds on top of it to provide a more complete dead code solution with multi-language support, visual UI, and automated safe removal. For most teams, using CleanAI in the editor and ts-prune in CI gives the best coverage.