# How the Agent Reach Uninstall Command Cleans Up Components > Discover how the Agent Reach uninstall command efficiently removes configuration, skill installations, and MCP entries. Use dry run and keep config flags for safe, thorough cleanup. - Repository: [Pnant/Agent-Reach](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-06-19 --- **The Agent Reach uninstall command removes the configuration directory, skill installations for three agent platforms, and MCP entries, with optional `--dry-run` and `--keep-config` flags for safety.** The Agent Reach uninstall command provides a deterministic cleanup mechanism that mirrors the installation process. Located in the `Panniantong/Agent-Reach` repository, this CLI utility ensures complete removal of configuration files, skill registrations, and third-party MCP configurations while offering safety features to prevent accidental data loss. ## Components Removed by the Uninstall Command The uninstall routine lives in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) within the `_cmd_uninstall` function. It executes a sequential cleanup pipeline that targets three distinct categories of installed components. ### Configuration Directory The command first targets the `~/.agent-reach` directory, which stores YAML configuration files, tokens, cookies, and API keys. According to lines 1364-1376 in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py), the code checks for directory existence using `os.path.isdir` before attempting removal. If the `--keep-config` flag is not set and the directory exists, the routine either removes it using `shutil.rmtree` or displays a preview message in dry-run mode. ### Skill Installations for Agent Platforms The uninstaller iterates through a hard-coded list of skill paths to remove installations across three supported agent platforms: **OpenClaw**, **Claude Code**, and generic **`.agents`** directories. As implemented in lines 1383-1401, the code deletes both directories and symlinks located at platform-specific paths such as `~/.openclaw/skills/agent-reach`, `~/.claude/skills/agent-reach`, and `~/.agents/skills/agent-reach`. This logic reuses the shared `_uninstall_skill` helper to ensure consistency with the dedicated `skill --uninstall` sub-command. ### MCP Registry Entries For systems with `mcporter` installed, the command cleans up MCP (Model Context Protocol) entries including `exa` and `xiaohongshu`. Lines 1407-1423 verify that `mcporter` exists on the PATH before executing `mcporter config remove ` for each known entry. This step is silently skipped on systems where `mcporter` was never installed, preventing error states on minimal installations. ## Safety Features and Flags The Agent Reach uninstall command prioritizes data safety through defensive programming and user-controlled options. ### Dry-Run Mode (--dry-run) When invoked with `--dry-run`, the command operates in a read-only preview mode. As parsed in lines 1349-1353, setting `dry_run = args.dry_run` transforms every destructive action into a notification line prefixed with `[dry-run]`. This allows users and automation scripts to verify exactly what would be erased—configuration directories, skill paths, and MCP entries—without modifying the filesystem. ### Preserving Configuration (--keep-config) The `--keep-config` flag enables selective preservation of the `~/.agent-reach` directory while still removing skill files and MCP entries. This is useful when users intend to reinstall Agent Reach later without reconfiguring API credentials, or when temporarily removing skill functionality while maintaining authentication state. ## Implementation in agent_reach/cli.py The core logic resides in the `_cmd_uninstall` function spanning lines 1349-1445. The implementation follows an idempotent pattern where each removal step checks for existence before action and catches errors without aborting the entire process. Lines 1427-1445 generate the final summary output that lists completed actions and suggests optional manual cleanup commands for the Python package (`pip uninstall agent-reach`) and downstream tools like `mcporter` or `twitter-cli`. ## Usage Examples ### Standard Uninstall Execute a complete removal of all Agent Reach components: ```bash agent-reach uninstall ``` This produces output showing each removed component: ``` Agent Reach Uninstaller ======================================== Removed config directory: /home/user/.agent-reach Removed OpenClaw skill: /home/user/.openclaw/skills/agent-reach Removed Claude Code skill: /home/user/.claude/skills/agent-reach Removed Agent skill: /home/user/.agents/skills/agent-reach Removed mcporter entry: exa Removed mcporter entry: xiaohongshu Agent Reach data removed. Optional: remove the Agent Reach Python package itself: pip uninstall agent-reach ``` ### Preview Mode with Dry-Run Verify what would be deleted before making changes: ```bash agent-reach uninstall --dry-run ``` Output indicates preview status with `[dry-run]` prefixes: ``` Agent Reach Uninstaller ======================================== [dry-run] Would remove config directory: /home/user/.agent-reach [dry-run] Would remove OpenClaw skill: /home/user/.openclaw/skills/agent-reach [dry-run] Would remove Claude Code skill: /home/user/.claude/skills/agent-reach [dry-run] Would remove Agent skill: /home/user/.agents/skills/agent-reach [dry-run] Would remove mcporter entry: exa [dry-run] Would remove mcporter entry: xiaohongshu Dry run complete. No changes were made. Run without --dry-run to actually remove the above. ``` ### Selective Cleanup with Keep-Config Remove only skills and MCP entries while preserving configuration: ```bash agent-reach uninstall --keep-config ``` This skips the configuration directory as shown in the output: ``` Agent Reach Uninstaller ======================================== Skipping config directory (--keep-config): /home/user/.agent-reach Removed OpenClaw skill: /home/user/.openclaw/skills/agent-reach Removed Claude Code skill: /home/user/.claude/skills/agent-reach Removed Agent skill: /home/user/.agents/skills/agent-reach Removed mcporter entry: exa Removed mcporter entry: xiaohongshu Agent Reach data removed. ``` ## Summary - The Agent Reach uninstall command targets three component types: the `~/.agent-reach` configuration directory, skill installations for OpenClaw/Claude Code/.agents platforms, and MCP entries via `mcporter`. - All destructive operations are guarded by existence checks and error handling that prevents process abortion. - The `--dry-run` flag provides a read-only preview of all actions without filesystem modification. - The `--keep-config` flag preserves authentication data while removing functionality components. - Source code resides in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) with primary logic in `_cmd_uninstall` (lines 1349-1445) and shared skill removal via `_uninstall_skill`. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What happens if I run the uninstall command without flags? Running `agent-reach uninstall` without flags performs a complete cleanup. It removes the `~/.agent-reach` configuration directory, deletes skill installations from all three supported agent platforms (OpenClaw, Claude Code, and `.agents`), and removes MCP entries for `exa` and `xiaohongshu` if `mcporter` is installed. The command provides a summary of all actions taken and suggests commands for removing the Python package itself. ### Can I recover data after running the uninstall command? No, the uninstall command uses `shutil.rmtree` for directory removal, which permanently deletes files. If you need to preserve configuration data for potential reinstallation, use the `--keep-config` flag. For complete safety, always run `--dry-run` first to review what would be deleted. ### Why does the uninstall command mention `mcporter` entries I never created? The command maintains a hard-coded list of known MCP entries (including `exa` and `xiaohongshu`) that Agent Reach might configure during installation. The code checks if `mcporter` exists on your PATH before attempting removal. If you never installed `mcporter` or these specific entries, the command silently skips this step without error, making the uninstall process safe regardless of your specific installation history. ### Is the uninstall command safe to run multiple times? Yes, the implementation is idempotent. Each removal step checks for existence using `os.path.isdir` before attempting deletion, and errors are caught and reported without stopping execution. If components were already removed in a previous run, the command simply reports that nothing needed removal and completes successfully.