---
title: "overlane observe retention purge"
description: "Delete telemetry older than the plan keeps"
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.overlane.app/llms.txt
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# overlane observe retention purge

{/* Generated by apps/docs/scripts/generate.mjs (CLI pages from the command registry in packages/cli). Do not edit; run `pnpm --filter @overlane/docs gen`. */}

Deletes logs, spans, metrics, run events and resolved incidents older than the plan's retention period and prints how many of each. The task ledger, evidence, audit log, billing and decision records are never touched. The service also runs this on a schedule. Destructive: it needs --force without a terminal.

## Usage

```sh
overlane observe retention purge [--dry-run] [--force]
```

## Flags

| Flag | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `--dry-run` | boolean | no |  | Print the requests and file changes this command would make, then stop. Needs no credentials. |
| `--force` | boolean | no |  | Confirm a destructive action when there is no terminal to ask on. Without it, exit 2. |

## Examples

```sh
overlane observe retention purge --force
overlane observe retention purge --dry-run
```

## Behavior

- Effect: `destructive` (deletes or reverts; needs `--force` without a terminal).
- Needs credentials: yes. Uses the network: yes.
- Supports `--dry-run`: yes. Accepts `--force`: yes.
- Machine-readable description: `overlane schema observe retention purge`.

## Result

With `--json` (the default when stdout is not a terminal) the command prints this JSON Schema's shape on stdout.

```json
{
  "anyOf": [
    {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "tenantId": {
          "type": "string",
          "minLength": 1,
          "maxLength": 128,
          "pattern": "^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9_.:-]*$",
          "description": "tenant identifier"
        },
        "plan": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "free",
            "pro",
            "team",
            "business",
            "enterprise"
          ]
        },
        "retentionDays": {
          "anyOf": [
            {
              "type": "integer",
              "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
              "maximum": 9007199254740991
            },
            {
              "type": "null"
            }
          ]
        },
        "cutoff": {
          "anyOf": [
            {
              "type": "string",
              "format": "date-time",
              "pattern": "^(?:(?:\\d\\d[2468][048]|\\d\\d[13579][26]|\\d\\d0[48]|[02468][048]00|[13579][26]00)-02-29|\\d{4}-(?:(?:0[13578]|1[02])-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|3[01])|(?:0[469]|11)-(?:0[1-9]|[12]\\d|30)|(?:02)-(?:0[1-9]|1\\d|2[0-8])))T(?:(?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d:[0-5]\\d(?:\\.\\d+)?(?:Z|([+-](?:[01]\\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\\d)))$"
            },
            {
              "type": "null"
            }
          ]
        },
        "deleted": {
          "type": "object",
          "propertyNames": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "additionalProperties": {
            "type": "integer",
            "minimum": 0,
            "maximum": 9007199254740991
          }
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "tenantId",
        "plan",
        "retentionDays",
        "cutoff",
        "deleted"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false
    },
    {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "dryRun": {
          "type": "boolean",
          "const": true
        },
        "service": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "requests": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "method": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "path": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "body": {},
              "note": {
                "type": "string"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "method",
              "path"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "commands": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        },
        "writes": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "path": {
                "type": "string"
              },
              "action": {
                "type": "string",
                "enum": [
                  "write",
                  "append",
                  "delete"
                ]
              },
              "description": {
                "type": "string"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "path",
              "action",
              "description"
            ],
            "additionalProperties": false
          }
        },
        "notes": {
          "type": "array",
          "items": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "dryRun",
        "requests",
        "commands",
        "writes",
        "notes"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": false
    }
  ]
}
```

See [exit codes](/cli/#exit-codes) for the status the process returns.

Source: https://docs.overlane.app/cli/observe-retention-purge/index.mdx