rip

rip [FLAGS] [OPTIONS] [TARGET...]

rip (Rm ImProved) is a safer alternative to rm that moves deleted files to a "graveyard" directory instead of permanently removing them. The graveyard preserves the original filesystem path structure, making it straightforward to restore files to their exact original locations when needed.The --seance flag lists files deleted from under the current directory. The --unbury flag restores files, either the most recently deleted item or a specific named file. Combining -s and -u restores everything listed by seance. When graveyard contents are no longer needed, --decompose permanently removes them to reclaim disk space.The graveyard location defaults to /tmp/graveyard-$USER but can be customized with the --graveyard flag. No data is overwritten; if files sharing the same path are deleted, they are renamed as numbered backups. The --inspect option shows size and first few lines of a file, or total size and first few entries of a directory, before prompting for deletion.

-d, --decompose

Permanently delete (unlink) the entire graveyard.

Print info about TARGET before prompting for action.

Print files that were sent under the current directory.

Undo the last removal by the current user, or specify file(s) in the graveyard.

Set directory where deleted files go to rest.

Print help information.

Print version information.

The graveyard uses disk space. Large deletes may fill /tmp storage. This is not a secure delete tool; files in the graveyard can be read by anyone with access.

rm(1), trash-cli(1), safe-rm(1)