diff --git a/cmd/pruning/keep_helpers.go b/cmd/pruning/keep_helpers.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a756ce7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pruning/keep_helpers.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package pruning
+
+func filterSnapList(snaps []Snapshot, predicate func(Snapshot) bool) []Snapshot {
+	r := make([]Snapshot, 0, len(snaps))
+	for i := range snaps {
+		if predicate(snaps[i]) {
+			r = append(r, snaps[i])
+		}
+	}
+	return r
+}
+
+func shallowCopySnapList(snaps []Snapshot) []Snapshot {
+	c := make([]Snapshot, len(snaps))
+	copy(c, snaps)
+	return c
+}
diff --git a/cmd/pruning/keep_helpers_test.go b/cmd/pruning/keep_helpers_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf8b399
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pruning/keep_helpers_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package pruning
+
+import (
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestShallowCopySnapList(t *testing.T) {
+
+	l1 := []Snapshot{
+		stubSnap{name: "foo"},
+		stubSnap{name: "bar"},
+	}
+	l2 := shallowCopySnapList(l1)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, l1, l2)
+
+	l1[0] = stubSnap{name: "baz"}
+	assert.Equal(t, "baz", l1[0].Name())
+	assert.Equal(t, "foo", l2[0].Name())
+
+}
diff --git a/cmd/pruning/keep_last_n.go b/cmd/pruning/keep_last_n.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5301141
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pruning/keep_last_n.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package pruning
+
+import (
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+	"sort"
+)
+
+type KeepLastN struct {
+	n int
+}
+
+func NewKeepLastN(n int) (*KeepLastN, error) {
+	if n <= 0 {
+		return nil, errors.Errorf("must specify positive number as 'keep last count', got %d", n)
+	}
+	return &KeepLastN{n}, nil
+}
+
+func (k KeepLastN) KeepRule(snaps []Snapshot) []Snapshot {
+
+	if k.n > len(snaps) {
+		return snaps
+	}
+
+	res := shallowCopySnapList(snaps)
+
+	sort.Slice(res, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return res[i].Date().After(res[j].Date())
+	})
+
+	return res[:k.n]
+}
diff --git a/cmd/pruning/keep_prefix.go b/cmd/pruning/keep_prefix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8a5956
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pruning/keep_prefix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package pruning
+
+import (
+	"regexp"
+)
+
+type KeepRegex struct {
+	expr *regexp.Regexp
+}
+
+var _ KeepRule = &KeepRegex{}
+
+func NewKeepRegex(expr string) (*KeepRegex, error) {
+	re, err := regexp.Compile(expr)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &KeepRegex{re}, nil
+}
+
+func MustKeepRegex(expr string) *KeepRegex {
+	k, err := NewKeepRegex(expr)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	return k
+}
+
+func (k *KeepRegex) KeepRule(snaps []Snapshot) []Snapshot {
+	return filterSnapList(snaps, func(s Snapshot) bool {
+		return k.expr.FindStringIndex(s.Name()) == nil
+	})
+}
diff --git a/cmd/pruning/pruning.go b/cmd/pruning/pruning.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..97b866b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pruning/pruning.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package pruning
+
+import (
+	"time"
+)
+
+type KeepRule interface {
+	KeepRule(snaps []Snapshot) []Snapshot
+}
+
+type Snapshot interface {
+	Name() string
+	Replicated() bool
+	Date() time.Time
+}
+
+func PruneSnapshots(snaps []Snapshot, keepRules []KeepRule) []Snapshot {
+
+	if len(keepRules) == 0 {
+		return snaps
+	}
+
+	remCount := make(map[Snapshot]int, len(snaps))
+	for _, r := range keepRules {
+		ruleRems := r.KeepRule(snaps)
+		for _, ruleRem := range ruleRems {
+			remCount[ruleRem]++
+		}
+	}
+
+	remove := make([]Snapshot, 0, len(snaps))
+	for snap, rc := range remCount {
+		if rc == len(keepRules) {
+			remove = append(remove, snap)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return remove
+}
diff --git a/cmd/pruning/pruning_test.go b/cmd/pruning/pruning_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd97311
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pruning/pruning_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+package pruning
+
+import (
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+type stubSnap struct {
+	name       string
+	replicated bool
+	date       time.Time
+}
+
+func (s stubSnap) Name() string { return s.name }
+
+func (s stubSnap) Replicated() bool { return s.replicated }
+
+func (s stubSnap) Date() time.Time { return s.date }
+
+func TestPruneSnapshots(t *testing.T) {
+
+	type testCase struct {
+		inputs   []Snapshot
+		rules    []KeepRule
+		exp, eff []Snapshot
+	}
+
+	inputs := map[string][]Snapshot{
+		"s1": []Snapshot{
+			stubSnap{name: "foo_123"},
+			stubSnap{name: "foo_456"},
+			stubSnap{name: "bar_123"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	tcs := map[string]testCase{
+		"simple": {
+			inputs: inputs["s1"],
+			rules: []KeepRule{
+				MustKeepRegex("foo_"),
+			},
+			exp: []Snapshot{
+				stubSnap{name: "bar_123"},
+			},
+		},
+		"multipleRules": {
+			inputs: inputs["s1"],
+			rules: []KeepRule{
+				MustKeepRegex("foo_"),
+				MustKeepRegex("bar_"),
+			},
+			exp: []Snapshot{},
+		},
+		"onlyThoseRemovedByAllAreRemoved": {
+			inputs: inputs["s1"],
+			rules: []KeepRule{
+				MustKeepRegex("notInS1"), // would remove all
+				MustKeepRegex("bar_"),    // would remove all but bar_, i.e. foo_.*
+			},
+			exp: []Snapshot{
+				stubSnap{name: "foo_123"},
+				stubSnap{name: "foo_456"},
+			},
+		},
+		"noRulesKeepsAll": {
+			inputs: inputs["s1"],
+			rules:  []KeepRule{},
+			exp:    inputs["s1"],
+		},
+		"noSnaps": {
+			inputs: []Snapshot{},
+			rules: []KeepRule{
+				MustKeepRegex("foo_"),
+			},
+			exp: []Snapshot{},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for name := range tcs {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			tc := tcs[name]
+			tc.eff = PruneSnapshots(tc.inputs, tc.rules)
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.exp, tc.eff)
+		})
+	}
+
+}