Knip

Knip is an open-source static analysis tool that declutters JavaScript and TypeScript projects by finding unused dependencies, unused exports, and unused files. Less code and fewer dependencies lead to improved performance, less maintenance, and easier refactorings.

Knip works by building a dependency graph of your codebase starting from fine-grained entry points based on the actual frameworks and tooling in use. This results in accurate, actionable findings rather than the false positives common in older dead-code tools.

What it detects

• Unused files
• Unused dependencies and devDependencies in package.json
• Unlisted dependencies (used but not declared)
• Unused exports and exported types
• Unused enum members and class members
• Duplicate exports
• Configuration hints to tighten your setup

Plugins for the ecosystem

Knip ships with around 150 plugins covering tools and frameworks like Astro, Cypress, ESLint, Jest, GitHub Actions, Next.js, Nx, Remix, Storybook, Svelte, Vite, Vitest, Webpack, and many more. Plugins teach Knip about each tool's entry points and config files so detection stays accurate in real-world projects, including monorepos.

Editor and agent support

Knip publishes a VS Code extension (also on Open VSX) and an MCP server (@knip/mcp) so coding agents can run Knip, retrieve documentation, and generate a knip.json configuration through guided workflows. A language server package (@knip/language-server) is also available.

Installation

Knip v6 requires Node.js v20.19.0 or newer (or Bun). The recommended install uses the create-config script:

npm init @knip/config

Then run:

npm run knip

It can also be run without installation via npx knip, pnpm dlx knip, or bunx knip.

Pricing

Knip is free and open-source under the ISC License. The project is funded through GitHub Sponsors and Open Collective.

Why teams use it

Knip is used by teams at Vercel, Shopify, TanStack, Backstage, Sentry, and thousands of other projects. It's commonly run locally and in CI to keep codebases clean as they evolve.