tg-delete-collection

Delete a collection and all its data.

Synopsis 

tg-delete-collection COLLECTION [options]

Description

The tg-delete-collection command permanently deletes a collection and all associated data from TrustGraph. This includes documents, embeddings, knowledge graph triples, and any other data stored within the collection.

Warning: This operation is irreversible. All data in the collection will be permanently lost.

Arguments

Required Arguments

  • COLLECTION: Collection ID to delete

Optional Arguments

  • -u, --api-url URL: TrustGraph API URL (default: $TRUSTGRAPH_URL or http://localhost:8088/)
  • -U, --user USER: User ID (default: trustgraph)
  • -y, --yes: Skip confirmation prompt

Examples

Delete Collection with Confirmation 

tg-delete-collection old-research

The command will prompt for confirmation:

Are you sure you want to delete collection 'old-research' and all its data? (y/N):

Delete Collection Without Confirmation 

tg-delete-collection old-research -y

Delete Collection for Specific User 

tg-delete-collection customer-data -U alice -y

Using Custom API URL 

tg-delete-collection temp-data \
  -u http://production:8088/ \
  -y

Output Format

Successful Deletion 

Collection 'old-research' deleted successfully.

Cancelled Operation 

Operation cancelled.

Interactive Confirmation

By default, the command prompts for confirmation before deletion:

Are you sure you want to delete collection 'old-research' and all its data? (y/N):

Valid confirmation responses:

  • y or yes (case-insensitive) - Proceed with deletion
  • Any other input - Cancel operation

Use the -y/--yes flag to skip this prompt for automated scripts.

What Gets Deleted

When you delete a collection, the following data is permanently removed:

  • Collection Metadata: Name, description, tags, timestamps
  • Documents: All documents loaded into the collection
  • Embeddings: Document and graph embeddings
  • Knowledge Graph Data: Triples, entities, relationships
  • Structured Data: Any objects stored in the collection
  • Processing History: All processing logs and metadata

Use Cases

Cleanup Development Collections 

# Delete temporary testing collection
tg-delete-collection dev-testing -y

Remove Completed Projects 

# Archive and delete completed research project
# (assuming data has been backed up externally)
tg-delete-collection research-2023 -y

Multi-Tenant Management 

# Remove customer collection after contract end
tg-delete-collection customer-acme -U customer-acme -y

Automated Cleanup Scripts 

#!/bin/bash
# Delete all collections with specific tag
for collection in $(tg-list-collections -t temporary | tail -n +4 | awk '{print $2}'); do
    tg-delete-collection "$collection" -y
done

Environment Variables

  • TRUSTGRAPH_URL: Default API URL

Error Handling

Collection Not Found 

Exception: Collection 'invalid-name' not found

Solution: Verify the collection ID with tg-list-collections.

Permission Errors 

Exception: Permission denied

Solution: Ensure you’re deleting a collection owned by your user.

Connection Errors 

Exception: Connection refused

Solution: Verify the API URL and ensure TrustGraph is running.

Safety Considerations

Before Deletion

  1. Verify Collection: Use tg-list-collections to confirm the collection ID
  2. Check Contents: Review what data will be lost
  3. Backup Data: Export important data before deletion
  4. Consider Alternatives: Consider archiving instead of deleting
  5. Coordinate with Team: Ensure no one is using the collection

Backup Options 

# Export knowledge graph data before deletion
tg-get-kg-core -U alice -c research > research-backup.ttl

# Export document embeddings
tg-save-doc-embeds -U alice -c research -f research-embeddings.json

API Integration

This command uses the Collection Management API with the delete-collection operation.

Notes

  • Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone
  • The operation deletes all data across all TrustGraph storage systems
  • Collection metadata is removed from the system
  • Other users’ collections are not affected
  • The deletion is atomic - either all data is deleted or none

Best Practices

  1. Always Backup: Export important data before deletion
  2. Use Confirmation: Avoid using -y flag unless in automated scripts
  3. Verify First: Double-check collection ID with tg-list-collections
  4. Document Deletion: Keep records of what was deleted and when
  5. Test in Development: Test deletion scripts in development first
  6. Coordinate: Notify team members before deleting shared collections
  7. Consider Archiving: For historical data, consider archiving over deletion
  8. Audit Trail: Maintain logs of collection deletions for compliance