Measure on-disk size
Walk the selected root and report actual allocated bytes, not just apparent file length.
v0.3.1
macOS TUI
source-available
Classify disk usage
before you Reclaim it.
macclean scans your Mac, groups each item by Safety Class, shows the evidence behind the label, and waits for an explicit confirm before anything is deleted.
curl -fsSL https://macclean.commaco.tech/install.sh | sh
- Runs locally
- No telemetry
- No sudo
- Explicit confirm
Personal research project, provided as-is. Reclaims space by deleting files. No warranty, no support.
/Users/johnsnow
.
reclaimable now: 30.4G
Selected: 14 Items . 5.8G
v0.3.1
Groups
>[x]Regenerable5.8G total14 Items5.8G reclaimable
[ ]Reinstallable16.0G total7758 Items16.0G reclaimable
[ ]Cache8.6G total4 Items8.6G reclaimable
Browser Cache2.0G total3 Itemsneeds override
Unclassified63.7G total72 Itemsneeds override
Irreplaceable56.0G total4 ItemsProtected
Confirm Selection Reclaim
Reclaim 5.8G from 14 selected Items
After Confirm, reclaim runs one Item at a time. You can stop before the next Item while it runs.
[y] Reclaim selection
[N] cancel
Selected 14 Items . 5.8G . press c to Reclaim the selection.
The path to deletion stays visible.
macclean is built around recoverability. It avoids vague labels like junk, keeps the proof next to the action, and makes batch Reclaim pass through the same Confirm gate.
Assign Safety Class
Rules label each Item by recovery cost. Unknown paths fail safe to Unclassified.
Read Evidence
Each class keeps concrete Evidence and a Recovery Method close to the Item.
Reclaim deliberately
Reclaimable Items are deleted only after Confirm. Protected data is never offered.
Safety Class Hierarchy
macclean sorts disk usage by recoverability before size. Default Reclaim stays limited to classes with a clear Recovery Method, uncertain paths require override, and real data stays Protected.
Regenerable
Build Artifacts
Build output such as Rust target/, Flutter build/, or Next.js .next/. Safely cleared and rebuilt on demand.
Recovery Method
cargo build / make
Reinstallable
Package Data
Dependency trees and managed binaries restored by package managers such as npm, Homebrew, Nix, or Cargo.
Recovery Method
reinstall dependencies
Cache
Transient Data
Application-level caches, tool caches, and temporary buffers that refill automatically on next use.
Recovery Method
automatic background refill
Redundant
Deduplicated Files
A byte-identical duplicate confirmed by checksum, with the surviving original copy preserved elsewhere.
Recovery Method
original copy preserved
Browser Cache
Browser State
Browser cache directories. Rebuildable on next visit, but clearing them has a noticeable browsing cost.
Recovery Method
browser refetch on next visit
Unclassified
Unknown Territory
Large Items the Ruleset cannot prove recoverable. Surfaced for awareness, not auto-offered for reclaim.
Recovery Method
user manual override only
Irreplaceable
Protected Documents
Databases, VM volumes, documents, and other real data. These are never offered for deletion.
Recovery Method
none - immutable state
Get started
Install with one command.
The installer fetches the latest universal macOS binary from GitHub Releases, verifies its SHA-256 checksum, installs to ~/.local/bin, and updates ~/.zshrc when needed.
$ curl -fsSL https://macclean.commaco.tech/install.sh | shCommon questions.
The short version: macclean is local, conservative, and explicit about anything that deletes files.
Does macclean delete anything automatically?
No. Every Reclaim action requires an explicit Confirm step. Protected classes are never offered for deletion.
Does it send data anywhere?
No. macclean runs entirely locally. Normal Scan and TUI runs make zero network calls and collect no telemetry.
Why does it need sudo to install?
It does not. The installer puts the binary in ~/.local/bin and updates ~/.zshrc. No system directories are touched.
Can I add custom rules?
Yes. Add TOML rules at ~/.config/macclean/rules.toml. The ruleset is data-driven.
What happens if a path does not match any rule?
Unknown paths fail safe to Unclassified. They are surfaced for awareness, but an explicit override is required before Reclaim.