Fix · GitHub and Git

The repository is huge because node_modules was saved

What you may see

Pushing takes forever and the repository is hundreds of megabytes
GitHub shows thousands of files in node_modules

Most likely cause

The generated folder node_modules was committed, but it can be rebuilt with npm install and should never be saved.

Check first (about two minutes)

Run git ls-files | grep -c node_modules to count the saved files.

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows Git and GitHub very well and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

THE PROBLEM
The repository is huge because node_modules was saved

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
The generated folder node_modules was committed, but it can be rebuilt with npm install and should never be saved.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Add node_modules (and .next, dist, .env) to .gitignore.
2. Stop tracking them but keep them on disk: git rm -r --cached node_modules, then commit.
3. Explain that old commits still carry the weight and offer, but do not run, a history clean-up if the size is a problem.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- git ls-files | grep -c node_modules prints 0 and a new clone installs fine with npm install.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not delete node_modules before confirming package.json lists every dependency.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Add node_modules (and .next, dist, .env) to .gitignore.
Stop tracking them but keep them on disk: git rm -r --cached node_modules, then commit.
Explain that old commits still carry the weight and offer, but do not run, a history clean-up if the size is a problem.

Do not do this

Do not rewrite history on a shared branch without asking.
Do not delete node_modules before confirming package.json lists every dependency.

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