Mole Mac Cleaner
Guide a solo builder on macOS through Mole (`mo`) to reclaim disk space, remove app leftovers, analyze usage, optimize the system, and purge dev build artifacts from the terminal.
Overview
Mole Mac Cleaner is an agent skill most often used in Operate (also Build) that walks solo builders through the Mole (`mo`) CLI for deep cleaning, smart app uninstalls, disk analysis, system optimization, live stats, and
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/aradotso/trending-skills --skill mole-mac-cleanerWhat is this skill?
- Documents Mole (`mo`) install via Homebrew, version-pinned install script, or `latest` nightly
- Six command modes: interactive menu (`mo`), `mo clean`, `mo uninstall`, `mo optimize`, `mo analyze`, and `mo status`
- Deep-clean system and browser caches plus dev-tool cruft; smart uninstall removes apps and hidden support files
- `mo analyze` for visual disk exploration; `mo optimize` rebuilds caches and refreshes Finder/Dock and network stacks
- Explicit trigger for purging `node_modules` and other project build artifacts on macOS
- Six core Mole modes: interactive menu plus clean, uninstall, optimize, analyze, and status
- Install supports Homebrew, version-pinned install script, and `latest` nightly main
Adoption & trust: 1.3k installs on skills.sh; 31 GitHub stars; 1/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Your Mac is full of caches, orphaned app files, and bloated `node_modules` folders, so local builds slow down and you keep hunting space before you can ship.
Who is it for?
Solo indie developers on macOS who install many npm projects, browsers, and beta apps and want one CLI for clean, uninstall, analyze, optimize, and status instead of scattered GUI utilities.
Skip if: Linux or Windows workstations, remote cloud VM disk management, or locked-down corporate Macs where third-party maintenance CLIs are prohibited.
When should I use this skill?
User asks to clean up Mac disk space, remove app leftovers on macOS, optimize Mac with Mole, uninstall apps and hidden files, free space via Mac CLI, analyze disk usage in Terminal, purge node_modules and build artifacts
What do I get? / Deliverables
After guided `mo` runs you reclaim disk space, remove hidden leftovers, see where volume is spent, and keep a faster macOS dev environment without ad-hoc manual cleanup.
- Reclaimed disk space from caches and dev-tool cleanup
- Applications removed with associated hidden support files
- Disk usage breakdown from `mo analyze`
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Operate is where the solo builder keeps their workstation reliable under real disk pressure; this skill is shelved there because Mac hygiene and volume limits are ongoing infra work, not a one-off build task. Infra is the right subphase because the Mac is the builder’s local runtime: caches, orphaned installers, and full disks block every other phase until the machine is cleaned and optimized.
Where it fits
Run `mo clean` and `mo optimize` before a major Xcode or Docker upgrade when the boot volume is nearly full.
Use `mo status` to check live system stats when local dev servers feel sluggish and you suspect thermal or memory pressure.
Purge `node_modules` and stale build caches across repos after dependency experiments left multiple giant folders on disk.
Run `mo analyze` to find which monorepo checkouts and artifact directories consume the most space before archiving old branches.
Use `mo uninstall` to remove abandoned beta apps and hidden support files after pivoting to a slimmer local toolchain.
How it compares
Use instead of piecemeal Finder deletes or one-off `du` scripts when you want a single maintained CLI that combines cleanup, uninstall, analysis, and optimization.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is mole-mac-cleaner for?
It is for solo and indie builders on macOS who use AI coding agents and want terminal-first disk hygiene with the Mole (`mo`) tool—especially when dev artifacts and app leftovers eat gigabytes.
When should I use mole-mac-cleaner?
Use it when you need to clean up Mac disk space, remove app leftovers, optimize the system with Mole, uninstall apps and hidden files, free space from the CLI, analyze disk usage in Terminal, purge `node_modules` and build artifacts, or monitor Mac system stats—typically in Opera
Is mole-mac-cleaner safe to install?
The skill is documentation for invoking an external CLI; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page for the package’s recorded audit status, and always confirm destructive `mo clean` or `mo uninstall` steps before the agent runs them on your machine.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Mole Mac Cleaner
# Mole Mac Cleaner > Skill by [ara.so](https://ara.so) — Daily 2026 Skills collection. Mole (`mo`) is an all-in-one macOS maintenance CLI that combines deep cleaning, smart app uninstallation, disk analysis, system optimization, live monitoring, and project artifact purging into a single binary. ## Installation ```bash # Via Homebrew (recommended) brew install mole # Via install script (supports version pinning) curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/mole/main/install.sh | bash # Specific version curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/mole/main/install.sh | bash -s 1.17.0 # Latest main branch (nightly) curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/mole/main/install.sh | bash -s latest ``` ## Core Commands ```bash mo # Interactive menu (arrow keys or vim h/j/k/l) mo clean # Deep system cache + browser + dev tool cleanup mo uninstall # Remove apps plus all hidden remnants mo optimize # Rebuild caches, reset network, refresh Finder/Dock mo analyze # Visual disk space explorer mo status # Live real-time system health dashboard mo purge # Remove project build artifacts (node_modules, target, dist) mo installer # Find and remove installer .dmg/.pkg files mo touchid # Configure Touch ID for sudo mo completion # Set up shell tab completion mo update # Update Mole mo update --nightly # Update to latest unreleased build (script install only) mo remove # Uninstall Mole itself mo --help mo --version ``` ## Safe Preview Before Deleting Always dry-run destructive commands first: ```bash mo clean --dry-run mo uninstall --dry-run mo purge --dry-run # Combine with debug for detailed output mo clean --dry-run --debug mo optimize --dry-run --debug ``` ## Key Command Details ### `mo clean` — Deep Cleanup Cleans user app caches, browser caches (Chrome, Safari, Firefox), developer tool caches (Xcode, Node.js, npm), system logs, temp files, app-specific caches (Spotify, Dropbox, Slack), and Trash. ```bash mo clean # Interactive cleanup mo clean --dry-run # Preview what would be removed mo clean --whitelist # Manage protected caches (exclude from cleanup) ``` Whitelist config lives at `~/.config/mole/`. Edit it to protect paths you want to keep. ### `mo uninstall` — Smart App Removal Finds apps, shows size and last-used date, then removes the app bundle plus all related files: - Application Support, Caches, Preferences - Logs, WebKit storage, Cookies - Extensions, Plugins, Launch Daemons ```bash mo uninstall # Interactive multi-select list mo uninstall --dry-run # Preview removals ``` ### `mo optimize` — System Refresh ```bash mo optimize # Run all optimizations mo optimize --dry-run # Preview mo optimize --whitelist # Exclude specific optimizations ``` Optimizations include: - Rebuild system databases and clear caches - Reset network services - Refresh Finder and Dock - Clean diagnostic and crash logs - Remove swap files and restart dynamic pager - Rebuild launch services and Spotlight index ### `mo analyze` — Disk Explorer ```bash mo analyze # Analyze home directory (skips /Volumes by default) mo analyze ~/Downloads # Analyze specific path mo analyze /Volumes # Include external drives explicitly # Machine-readable output for scripting mo analyze --json ~/Documents ``` **JSON output example:** ```json { "path": "/Users/you/Documents", "entries": [ { "name": "Library", "pat