https://github.com/kkhys/scrub-exif
Losslessly strip Exif/GPS and all other metadata from JPEG & PNG. Zero-dependency, no native binary, runs anywhere.
https://github.com/kkhys/scrub-exif
cli exif gps jpeg lossless metadata nodejs png privacy typescript
Last synced: about 1 month ago
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Losslessly strip Exif/GPS and all other metadata from JPEG & PNG. Zero-dependency, no native binary, runs anywhere.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/kkhys/scrub-exif
- Owner: kkhys
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-05-30T05:12:26.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-05-30T06:19:31.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-05-30T07:14:56.386Z (about 1 month ago)
- Topics: cli, exif, gps, jpeg, lossless, metadata, nodejs, png, privacy, typescript
- Language: TypeScript
- Homepage: https://www.npmjs.com/package/scrub-exif
- Size: 33.2 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# scrub-exif
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/scrub-exif)
[](https://github.com/kkhys/scrub-exif/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](./LICENSE)
Losslessly strip Exif/GPS and all other metadata from JPEG and PNG files, keeping only the color profile.
- **Lossless** — pixel data is never re-encoded. Only metadata segments/chunks are removed; every remaining byte (including color profiles) is preserved.
- **Zero dependencies** — nothing is installed alongside it.
- **No native binaries** — pure TypeScript/JavaScript. No `exiftool`, no `sharp`, no platform builds. Runs anywhere Node does (and in Bun/Deno).
## Why
Photos carry hidden metadata — most importantly **GPS coordinates** that can reveal your home address. Common tools have trade-offs:
| Tool | Strips metadata | Lossless | No native binary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `exiftool` | ✅ everything | ✅ | ❌ (Perl binary) |
| `sharp` | ✅ on re-encode | ❌ recompresses | ❌ (native) |
| **scrub-exif** | ✅ all but ICC profile | ✅ | ✅ |
`scrub-exif` removes every metadata block — Exif/GPS, XMP, IPTC, vendor and
comment segments — while keeping the ICC color profile and leaving the
compressed image data byte-for-byte intact.
## Install
```sh
npm install scrub-exif
# or run without installing:
npx scrub-exif
```
## CLI
```sh
scrub-exif photo.jpg # strip a single file in place
scrub-exif ./images # recurse a directory (.jpg/.jpeg/.png)
scrub-exif ./images --dry-run # show what would be removed, write nothing
scrub-exif . --check # exit 1 if any file still has metadata
scrub-exif ./images --quiet # only print changed files + summary
```
`--check` makes a great CI gate or pre-commit hook: it never writes and fails
when metadata is still present.
```
[strip] images/beach.jpg removed=[APP1, APP13] (-29953 bytes)
[clean] images/logo.png
[skip ] images/notes.txt
1/3 files stripped (-29953 bytes).
```
## Use as a pre-commit hook (lefthook)
Strip metadata automatically every time images are committed. Install
`scrub-exif` as a dev dependency and add a command to your
[lefthook](https://lefthook.dev) config:
```yaml
# lefthook.yml
pre-commit:
commands:
scrub-exif:
glob: "*.{jpg,jpeg,png,JPG,JPEG,PNG}"
run: npx scrub-exif {staged_files}
stage_fixed: true
```
`stage_fixed: true` re-stages the cleaned files, so the commit always lands
without metadata. `{staged_files}` passes only the staged images matching the
glob, keeping the hook fast.
> With pnpm/Yarn you can swap `npx` for `pnpm exec` / `yarn`. The hook activates
> after `lefthook install` runs (e.g. via a `prepare` script on install).
## Programmatic API
```ts
import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
import { stripExif } from "scrub-exif";
const input = new Uint8Array(await readFile("photo.jpg"));
const result = stripExif(input);
result.format; // "jpeg" | "png" | "unknown"
result.removed; // e.g. ["APP1", "APP13"]
result.changed; // true if any metadata was removed
if (result.changed) {
await writeFile("photo.jpg", result.data);
}
```
Lower-level, format-specific functions are also exported:
```ts
import { stripJpeg, stripPng, isJpeg, isPng, detectFormat } from "scrub-exif";
```
## What gets removed
| Format | Removed | Kept |
| --- | --- | --- |
| JPEG | `APP1` (Exif/GPS, XMP), `APP13` (IPTC/Photoshop), every other `APPn` vendor segment, `COM` (comments) | `APP0` (JFIF), `APP2` (ICC profile), `APP14` (Adobe), and all image data |
| PNG | `eXIf`, `tEXt`, `zTXt`, `iTXt` (XMP), `tIME` | `IHDR`, `PLTE`, `iCCP`, `sRGB`, `gAMA`, `cHRM`, `pHYs`, `IDAT`, `IEND`, … |
Unknown formats are returned unchanged.
## License
MIT © kkhys