Stop and Remove Instances
This guide shows you how to stop running containers and remove instances when you're done with them.
Stop an instance
Stop the container but preserve the worktree:
hjk stop feat/auth
The instance remains in the catalog. Resume it later by running any hjk run command for that branch:
hjk run feat/auth --agent claude "Continue working on auth"
Kill a specific session
Terminate a single session without affecting other sessions or the instance:
hjk kill feat/auth/debug-shell
The format is <branch>/<session>. The branch can contain slashes (e.g., feat/auth/v2), so the session name is everything after the last slash.
Remove an instance entirely
Remove an instance, its container, and the git worktree:
hjk rm feat/auth
You'll be prompted to confirm:
This will remove instance abc123 for branch feat/auth.
Worktree at /path/to/worktrees/feat-auth will be deleted.
Are you sure? [y/N]
Warning: This deletes any uncommitted work in the worktree.
Force remove without confirmation
Skip the confirmation prompt:
hjk rm feat/auth --force
Check what's running before cleanup
List all instances:
hjk ps
List sessions for a specific instance:
hjk ps feat/auth
Clean up workflow
A typical cleanup workflow after finishing a feature:
-
Make sure your work is committed and pushed in the container session.
-
Kill any remaining sessions:
hjk kill feat/auth/claude-main
hjk kill feat/auth/debug-shell -
Remove the instance:
hjk rm feat/auth --force
See also
- Manage Sessions - check on sessions before stopping
- Recover from Container Crashes - handle unexpected failures