remove, restore, reset, remove-backups

Removing a file the template ships, and getting it back. Nothing is deleted without a reference check and a backup first.

remove

npm run smart-admin -- remove <target> [--backup|--no-backup]

The target is a path from the project root. There is no --help on this command — it would be read as a filename.

It refuses while anything imports the file

Checking references to src/shared/components/common/SaRating.vue...

Refusing — 1 file(s) reference this:
  src/modules/ui-kit/pages/ratings.vue

Detection is regex-based (basename match). If these matches are false
positives — comments, unrelated identifiers, dynamic imports — remove
the references manually first.

The check is a basename regex, and the command says so. It over-matches rather than under-matches: a comment mentioning the file counts as a reference. That is the right way round — a false refusal costs you one manual edit, a missed reference costs you a broken build.

When nothing references it

Checking references to src/shared/utils/scratch-demo.ts...

✔ Removed src/shared/utils/scratch-demo.ts
  Backup: .smart-admin/backups/1790267645352/src/shared/utils/scratch-demo.ts
  Restore: npm run smart-admin -- restore src/shared/utils/scratch-demo.ts
  Delete backups: npm run smart-admin -- remove-backups

Every message carries the command that undoes it.

restore

npm run smart-admin -- restore <target>

✔ Restored src/shared/utils/scratch-demo.ts
  From: .smart-admin/backups/1790267645352/src/shared/utils/scratch-demo.ts

With no backup for that path it says so and does nothing.

reset

Restores every backed-up file whose destination is currently missing. It is a dry run unless you pass --yes.

npm run smart-admin -- reset
npm run smart-admin -- reset --yes

Found 6 backed-up file(s):

  src/assets/styles/locales.css  present — skip
  src/core/config/defaultConfig.ts  present — skip
  src/core/i18n/index.ts  present — skip
  src/core/i18n/localeMeta.ts  present — skip
  src/locales/nl.json  from 2026-09-24T16:33:09.377Z
  src/shared/utils/scratch-demo.ts  present — skip

Dry run — would restore 1 file(s). Pass --yes to apply.

A file that is already there is skipped, not overwritten. reset puts back what is missing; it does not roll your edits back to the backup.

remove-backups

Deletes the backups themselves. Also a dry run unless you pass --yes.

Usage: smart-admin remove-backups [--yes] [--backup <timestamp>]

2 backup(s) in .smart-admin/backups/:

  1790267645352  2026-09-24T16:34:05.352Z  ·  1 file(s), 24 B
  1790267589377  2026-09-24T16:33:09.377Z  ·  5 file(s), 305.2 kb

Dry run — would delete 2 backup(s), 6 file(s), 305.2 kb. Pass --yes to apply.
This cannot be undone — anything removed but not committed goes with them.

With --yes:

  deleted   .smart-admin/backups/1790267645352/
  deleted   .smart-admin/backups/1790267589377/
  removed the empty .smart-admin/backups/

✔ Deleted 2 backup(s), 305.2 kb freed.

Pass --backup <timestamp> to delete one rather than all of them.

Where backups live

.smart-admin/backups/{timestamp}/, keeping each file's original path underneath. .gitignore already covers that directory, and the CLI says "already covers" rather than adding a duplicate rule.

Turning them off

--backup and --no-backup answer that question up front, so a script or a CI run never blocks on a terminal that is not there.

To skip them outside development, create .smart-admin/config.json:

{
  "backups": {
    "devOnly": true
  }
}

Backups are then skipped whenever NODE_ENV=production or CI is set. An explicit --backup still wins over it.

The shape of all four

Every destructive command here follows the same rules, which is what makes them safe to try:

• A dry run is the default for reset and remove-backups.
• A backup comes first for remove and remove-locale.
• The undo is printed in the success message.
• A refusal names the files that caused it.

Related

• remove-locale — the same backup machinery, for a language.
• CLI overview — the backup policy in one place.
• Project structure — what is safe to remove.