diff --git a/.circleci/ansible/cleanup_tlis.yml b/.circleci/ansible/clean_timelines.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from .circleci/ansible/cleanup_tlis.yml
rename to .circleci/ansible/clean_timelines.yml
diff --git a/.circleci/ansible/clean_timelines_json.py b/.circleci/ansible/clean_timelines_json.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..b8ea4bfb49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.circleci/ansible/clean_timelines_json.py
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import os
+import shutil
+import sys
+import time
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+
+# Dry run is the default, i.e. not do anything
+act = len(sys.argv) == 2 and sys.argv[1] == '--act'
+print('act=', act)
+
+move_to_deleted = True
+
+# result of GET 'https://console.neon.tech/api/v1/admin/projects?order=asc&sort=id&show_deleted=true'
+with open('projects.json') as f:
+    projects = json.load(f)
+
+projects = projects['data']
+deleted_projects = [p for p in projects if p["deleted"]]
+active_projects = [p for p in projects if not p["deleted"]]
+print(f"deleted {len(deleted_projects)}, active {len(active_projects)}, total {len(projects)}")
+# print(deleted_projects)
+
+for project_to_delete in deleted_projects:
+    tenant_id = project_to_delete['tenant']
+    tenant_dir = Path(f"/storage/safekeeper/data/{tenant_id}")
+    timeline_dir = tenant_dir / project_to_delete['timeline_id']
+     
+    if not os.path.exists(timeline_dir):
+        continue
+
+    if move_to_deleted:
+        # move to deleted/
+        tenant_dir_deleted = (Path(f"/storage/safekeeper/data/deleted/") / tenant_id)
+        tenant_dir_deleted.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        print(f"moving {timeline_dir} to {tenant_dir_deleted}")
+        if act:
+            shutil.move(timeline_dir, tenant_dir_deleted)
+    else:
+        print(f"removing {timeline_dir}")
+        if act:
+            shutil.rmtree(timeline_dir)
+
+    if len(os.listdir(tenant_dir)) == 0:
+        print(f"removing empty tenant directory {tenant_dir}")
+        shutil.rmtree(tenant_dir)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.circleci/ansible/clean_timelines_json.yml b/.circleci/ansible/clean_timelines_json.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1c54d14a1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.circleci/ansible/clean_timelines_json.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+- name: remove timelines listed in projects.json
+  hosts: safekeepers
+  gather_facts: False
+  remote_user: admin
+  tasks:
+    # - name: install acl
+    #   ansible.builtin.apt:
+    #     name: 
+    #       - python3-pip
+    #       - acl
+    #   become: True
+
+    - name: upload projects.json
+      ansible.builtin.copy:
+        src: /home/ars/zenith/projects.json
+        dest: projects.json
+
+    - name: upload script
+      ansible.builtin.copy:
+        src: clean_timelines_json.py
+        dest: clean_timelines_json.py
+    
+    - name: run script
+      ansible.builtin.command: python3 clean_timelines_json.py --act
+      become_user: safekeeper
+      become: True
+      register: hello
+    
+    - debug: var=hello
+
+    - name: remove projects.json
+      ansible.builtin.file:
+        path: projects.json
+        state: absent
+      tags:
+        - rm_file