Macos Cleaner
Reclaim disk space and reset stale caches on a Mac dev machine without guessing which paths are safe to delete.
Overview
macos-cleaner is an agent skill for the Operate phase that documents safe macOS cache and package-manager cleanup targets with commands and impact notes for solo builders.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/daymade/claude-code-skills --skill macos-cleanerWhat is this skill?
- Documents safety tiers (safe vs caution) for ~/Library/Caches and /Library/Caches with expected size ranges (often 10–10
- Includes copy-paste cleanup commands such as rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/* and sudo system cache removal.
- Covers Homebrew cache location and brew cleanup -s for package-manager reclaim.
- Explains post-delete impact: slower first app launch and first-visit web loads while caches regenerate.
- Pairs with a passed gitleaks + pattern security scan metadata in the ingested readme.
- Documents typical ~/Library/Caches size of 10–100 GB depending on usage.
- Includes Homebrew cleanup via brew cleanup -s for old package artifacts.
Adoption & trust: 737 installs on skills.sh; 1.2k GitHub stars; 1/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Your Mac dev disk is full and you are unsure which Library/Caches and package-manager directories you can delete without breaking projects or losing real data.
Who is it for?
Indie developers on macOS who need repeatable, agent-guided cache and Homebrew cleanup before buying more storage or reinstalling tooling.
Skip if: Teams on Linux or Windows only, or anyone who needs automated cloud infra cleanup rather than local host maintenance.
When should I use this skill?
User wants to free disk on macOS, asks what Library/Caches or Homebrew caches are safe to delete, or needs cleanup commands with impact explained.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a safety-tiered cleanup map and shell commands so you can reclaim gigabytes while knowing what will feel slower until caches rebuild.
- Safety-tiered cleanup target list
- Copy-paste bash commands for user and system caches
- Impact notes for apps and browsers after deletion
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Local machine hygiene sits in Operate because it keeps your day-to-day shipping environment stable after you are already building and running projects. Infra is the right shelf for host-level cache paths, Homebrew artifacts, and system cleanup commands that affect every repo on the machine.
How it compares
Use instead of random rm -rf advice from threads—this skill is a structured safety reference, not a deploy or monitoring integration.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is macos-cleaner for?
Solo and indie builders on macOS who use Claude Code or similar agents to maintain a crowded dev laptop and want documented safe cleanup paths.
When should I use macos-cleaner?
During Operate when disk pressure hits, before cloning large repos, after heavy browser or Xcode use, or when Homebrew caches have grown for months.
Is macos-cleaner safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page for scan metadata; still treat destructive shell commands as your responsibility and avoid paths not listed as safe.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Macos Cleaner
Security scan passed Scanned at: 2026-06-05T00:05:02.933101 Tool: gitleaks + pattern-based validation Content hash: 28f309886109b9ebe630bff04bfdbe3fb91ddb162218bfd78c36561ba5a0eeb0 # macOS Cleanup Targets Reference Detailed explanations of cleanup targets, their safety levels, and impact. ## System Caches ### ~/Library/Caches **What it is**: Application-level cache storage for user applications. **Contents**: - Browser caches (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) - Application temporary files - Download caches - Thumbnail caches - Font caches **Safety**: 🟢 **Safe to delete** **Impact**: - Apps may be slower on first launch after deletion - Websites may load slower on first visit (need to re-download assets) - No data loss (caches are regenerated) **Size**: Typically 10-100 GB depending on usage **Cleanup command**: ```bash rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/* ``` ### /Library/Caches **What it is**: System-level cache storage (shared across all users). **Safety**: 🟢 **Safe to delete** (requires sudo) **Impact**: Same as user caches, but system-wide **Cleanup command**: ```bash sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches/* ``` ### Package Manager Caches #### Homebrew Cache **Location**: `$(brew --cache)` (typically `~/Library/Caches/Homebrew`) **What it is**: Downloaded package installers and build artifacts **Safety**: 🟢 **Safe to delete** **Impact**: Will need to re-download packages on next install/upgrade **Cleanup**: ```bash brew cleanup -s # Safe cleanup (removes old versions) brew cleanup --prune=all # Aggressive cleanup (removes all cached downloads) ``` #### npm Cache **Location**: `~/.npm` or configured cache directory **Safety**: 🟢 **Safe to delete** **Impact**: Packages will be re-downloaded when needed **Cleanup**: ```bash npm cache clean --force ``` #### pip Cache **Location**: `~/Library/Caches/pip` (macOS) **Safety**: 🟢 **Safe to delete** **Impact**: Packages will be re-downloaded when needed **Cleanup**: ```bash pip cache purge # or for pip3 pip3 cache purge ``` ## Application Logs ### ~/Library/Logs **What it is**: Application log files **Safety**: 🟢 **Safe to delete** **Impact**: Loss of diagnostic information (only matters if debugging) **Typical size**: 1-20 GB **Cleanup**: ```bash rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/* ``` ### /var/log (System Logs) **What it is**: System and service log files **Safety**: 🟢 **Safe to delete old logs** (requires sudo) **Impact**: Loss of system diagnostic history **Note**: macOS automatically rotates logs, manual deletion rarely needed ## Application Data ### ~/Library/Application Support **What it is**: Persistent application data, settings, and databases **Safety**: 🟡 **Caution required** **Contains**: - Application databases - User preferences and settings - Downloaded content - Plugins and extensions - Save games **When safe to delete**: - Application is confirmed uninstalled - Folder belongs to trial software no longer used - Folder is for outdated version of app (check first!) **When to KEEP**: - Active applications - Any folder you're uncertain about **Recommendation**: Use `find_app_remnants.py` to identify orphaned data ### ~/Library/Containers **What it is**: Sandboxed application data (for App Store apps) **Safety**: 🟡 **Caution required** **Same rules** as Application Support - only delete for uninstalled apps ### ~/Library/Preferences **What it is**: Application preference files (.plist) **Safety**: 🟡 **Caution required** **Impact of deletion**: App returns to default settings **When to delete**: - App is confirmed uninstalled - Troubleshooting a misbehaving app (as last resort) ## Development Environment ### Docker **ABSOLUTE RULE**: NEVER use any `prune` command (`docker image prune`, `docker volume prune`, `docker system prune`, `docker container prune`). Always delete by specifying exact object IDs or names. #### Images **What it is**: Container images (base OS + application layers) **Safety**: 🟡 **Requires per-image verific