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wtf is awesome_rmdir?

araq/awesome_rmdir — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2013-12-25

★ 3NimrodAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A smarter rmdir command-line tool that auto-deletes hidden system files like .DS_Store or Thumbs.db so 'empty' folders actually get removed.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((awesome_rmdir))
    What it does
      Delete stubborn folders
      Clean hidden system files
      Retry deletion
    Tech stack
      Nimrod
      CLI
    Use cases
      Remove DS Store blocks
      Clean project folders
      Replace default rmdir
    Audience
      Developers
      Sysadmins
      Power users
    Setup
      Compile from source
      Download binary
      No undo

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Delete a folder that fails to remove because of hidden .DS_Store or Thumbs.db files.

REASON 2

Alias rmdir to this tool so hidden-file cleanup happens automatically.

REASON 3

Clean up project or system directories from the command line without manual file hunting.

What's in the stack?

Nimrod

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Deletion is permanent, there's no recycle bin or undo.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me compile this Nimrod project from source so I can run awesome_rmdir on my machine.
Prompt 2
Show me how to alias my default rmdir command to use this smarter version automatically.
Prompt 3
Explain what files this tool considers safe to auto-delete before retrying a directory removal.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is awesome_rmdir?

A smarter rmdir command-line tool that auto-deletes hidden system files like .DS_Store or Thumbs.db so 'empty' folders actually get removed.

What language is awesome_rmdir written in?

Mainly Nimrod. The stack also includes Nimrod.

Is awesome_rmdir actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2013-12-25).

How hard is awesome_rmdir to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is awesome_rmdir for?

Mainly developer.

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