diff --git a/cli/commanddelete.cpp b/cli/commanddelete.cpp
index 5e52f1f..351d613 100644
--- a/cli/commanddelete.cpp
+++ b/cli/commanddelete.cpp
@@ -6,90 +6,68 @@
 #include <QSqlError>
 #include "commanddelete.h"
 
-int CommandDelete::handle(QStringList arguments)
+
+int CommandDelete::removeNonExistent(QSqlDatabase &db, bool verbose, bool dryRun, QString pattern)
 {
-    QCommandLineParser parser;
-    parser.addOptions({
-                          { { "v", "verbose" }, "Print path of the files while deleting them" },
-                          { { "n", "dry-run"}, "Only print which files would be deleted from the database, don't delete them"},
-                          { "pattern", "Only delete files from index matching the pattern, e. g. */.git/*. Only applies to --deleted or standalone.", "pattern" },
-                          { "deleted", "Delete all files from the index that don't exist anymore" }
-                      });
-
-    parser.addHelpOption();
-    parser.addPositionalArgument("delete", "Delete paths from the index", "delete [paths...]");
-
-    parser.process(arguments);
-    bool removeNonExistant = parser.isSet("deleted");
-    bool verbose = parser.isSet("verbose");
-    bool dryRun = parser.isSet("dry-run");
-    QString pattern = parser.value("pattern");
-
-
 
     //TODO: port this to QRegularExpression once >5.12 gets more widespread because of this bug
     //https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-72539?focusedCommentId=439053&page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels%3Acomment-tabpanel
 
-   // QRegularExpression regexPattern = QRegularExpression::wildcardToRegularExpression(pattern);
-
+   // QRegularExpression regexPattern = QRegularExpression::wildcardToRegularExpression(pattern
     bool usePattern = ! pattern.isEmpty();
     QRegExp regexPattern(pattern);
     regexPattern.setPatternSyntax(QRegExp::PatternSyntax::WildcardUnix);
 
 
-
-    QSqlDatabase db = dbConnection();
-
-
-    if(removeNonExistant)
+    //TODO: try to translate pattern to SQL WHERE statement
+    QSqlQuery pathsQuery("SELECT path FROM file", db);
+    if(!pathsQuery.exec())
     {
-        //TODO: try to translate pattern to SQL WHERE statement
-        QSqlQuery pathsQuery("SELECT path FROM file", db);
-        if(!pathsQuery.exec())
+        qDebug() << "Failed to query current paths";
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    while(pathsQuery.next())
+    {
+        QString path = pathsQuery.value(0).toString();
+        bool removeFile = true;
+        if(usePattern)
         {
-            qDebug() << "Failed to query current paths";
-            return 1;
+            removeFile = regexPattern.exactMatch(path);
         }
-
-        while(pathsQuery.next())
+        if(removeFile)
         {
-            QString path = pathsQuery.value(0).toString();
-            bool removeFile = true;
-            if(usePattern)
+            QFile file(path);
+            if(!file.exists())
             {
-                removeFile = regexPattern.exactMatch(path);
-            }
-            if(removeFile)
-            {
-                QFile file(path);
-                if(!file.exists())
+                if(!dryRun)
                 {
-                    if(!dryRun)
+                    QSqlQuery query("DELETE FROM file WHERE path = ?", db);
+                    query.addBindValue(path);
+                    if(!query.exec())
                     {
-                        QSqlQuery query("DELETE FROM file WHERE path = ?", db);
-                        query.addBindValue(path);
-                        if(!query.exec())
-                        {
-                            qDebug() << "Failed to delete " << path << query.lastError();
-                            return 1;
-                        }
-                        if(verbose)
-                        {
-                            qInfo() << "Deleted " << path;
-                        }
+                        qDebug() << "Failed to delete " << path << query.lastError();
+                        return 1;
                     }
-                    else
+                    if(verbose)
                     {
-                        qInfo() << "Would delete " << path;
+                        qInfo() << "Deleted " << path;
                     }
-
                 }
+                else
+                {
+                    qInfo() << "Would delete " << path;
+                }
+
             }
         }
     }
+}
 
-    QStringList files = parser.positionalArguments();
-    for(QString &file : files)
+int CommandDelete::removePaths(const QStringList &paths, QSqlDatabase &db, bool verbose, bool dryRun)
+{
+    int result = 0;
+    for(const QString &file : paths)
     {
         QFileInfo fileInfo(file);
         QString absPath = fileInfo.absoluteFilePath();
@@ -109,6 +87,7 @@ int CommandDelete::handle(QStringList arguments)
                 else
                 {
                     qDebug() << "Failed to delete:" << absPath << deletionQuery.lastError();
+                    result = 1;
                 }
             }
 
@@ -116,9 +95,49 @@ int CommandDelete::handle(QStringList arguments)
         else
         {
             qInfo() << "No such file in database:" << absPath;
+            result = 1;
         }
-
     }
+    return result;
+}
+int CommandDelete::handle(QStringList arguments)
+{
+    QCommandLineParser parser;
+    parser.addOptions({
+                          { { "v", "verbose" }, "Print path of the files while deleting them" },
+                          { { "n", "dry-run"}, "Only print which files would be deleted from the database, don't delete them"},
+                          { "pattern", "Only delete files from index matching the pattern, e. g. */.git/*. Only applies to --deleted or standalone.", "pattern" },
+                          { "deleted", "Delete all files from the index that don't exist anymore" }
+                      });
+
+    parser.addHelpOption();
+    parser.addPositionalArgument("delete", "Delete paths from the index", "delete [paths...]");
+
+    parser.process(arguments);
+    bool verbose = parser.isSet("verbose");
+    bool dryRun = parser.isSet("dry-run");
+    QString pattern = parser.value("pattern");
+    QSqlDatabase db = dbConnection();
+
+
+    if(parser.isSet("deleted"))
+    {
+
+        int result = removeNonExistent(db, verbose, dryRun, pattern);
+        if(result != 0)
+        {
+            return result;
+        }
+    }
+
+    QStringList files = parser.positionalArguments();
+    int result = removePaths(files,db, verbose, dryRun);
+    if(result != 0)
+    {
+        return result;
+    }
+
+
     return 0;
 
 }
diff --git a/cli/commanddelete.h b/cli/commanddelete.h
index 61eadde..c1b3070 100644
--- a/cli/commanddelete.h
+++ b/cli/commanddelete.h
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ public:
     using Command::Command;
 
     int handle(QStringList arguments) override;
+private:
+    int removeNonExistent(QSqlDatabase &db, bool verbose, bool dryRun, QString pattern);
+    int removePaths(const QStringList &paths, QSqlDatabase &db, bool verbose, bool dryRun);
 };
 
 #endif // COMMANDDELETE_H