CleanSweep

A fast, zero-telemetry disk cleaner, application uninstaller, and system optimizer for macOS.

Installation • Overview • Features • CLI Usage • Menu Bar • Comparison • Safety

Overview

CleanSweep is a native macOS application and command-line utility built for developers and Mac power users. It combines deep cache cleaning across developer toolchains, safe residue-free app uninstallation, and system maintenance routines without background trackers, subscriptions, or analytics.

Design Principles

Zero Telemetry: Completely offline. No analytics, tracking pixels, crash telemetry, or network calls.
Trash-First Deletion: All deletions route through the native macOS Trash (shell.trashItem). Items can be restored instantly via Finder.
Developer Stack Support: Built-in awareness of Xcode caches, package manager stores (npm, pnpm, uv, cargo, pip), Docker virtual disks, and local AI model stores (ollama, huggingface).
Dual Interface: A clean macOS native dark/light desktop app paired with a lightweight terminal companion (sweep).

Installation

Terminal CLI (`sweep`)

Install the sweep CLI globally via the official install script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thecodekaizen/CleanSweep/main/install.sh | bash

Run the interactive terminal interface:

sweep

Desktop Application

Download the precompiled CleanSweep-1.1.0-arm64-mac.zip from GitHub Releases, unpack it, and drag CleanSweep.app into /Applications.

Features

Smart Cache Cleaner

Scans over 25 high-volume cache locations across macOS:

System & User Caches: Application caches (~/Library/Caches), diagnostic reports, spindumps, and QuickLook thumbnail databases.
Browsers: Cache, media, and script storage for Google Chrome, Arc, Safari, Brave, Edge, and Firefox without wiping logins, history, or cookies.
Developer Stores:
- Xcode: DerivedData, iOS DeviceSupport symbols, archives, and simulator caches.
- Package Managers: npm (_cacache), pnpm store, yarn, bun, cocoapods, and Homebrew download caches.
- Languages: uv and pip wheels, Cargo registry and git checkouts, Go build cache, and Gradle daemons.
- IDEs: VS Code extension caches and JetBrains project caches.
Local AI Models: Downloaded weights and checkpoints from Ollama (~/.ollama/models), HuggingFace Hub (~/.cache/huggingface), and LM Studio.
Virtualization & Containers: Reclaimable Docker virtual disks (Docker.raw) and Podman machine storage.

Application Uninstaller & Orphan Finder

Application Explorer: Scans /Applications and ~/Applications with bundle IDs, versions, and true on-disk footprint.
Residual Leftover Discovery: Detects associated files scattered across ~/Library/Application Support, ~/Library/Caches, ~/Library/Preferences, ~/Library/Containers, and ~/Library/Saved Application State.
Orphan Finder: Identifies leftover preferences and support files left behind by applications previously deleted through Finder.

Project Build Artifact Purger (`sweep purge`)

Recursively discovers rebuildable project build directories across your workspace:

node_modules (JavaScript / TypeScript)
.next, .nuxt, .svelte-kit (Frontend builds)
target (Rust Cargo)
.venv, venv, __pycache__ (Python)
.gradle, .dart_tool, .turbo, dist, build

Duplicate File Finder (`sweep duplicates`)

Two-pass duplicate finder:
- Pass 1: Size grouping and fast initial 64KB chunk verification.
- Pass 2: Full SHA-256 cryptographic hash comparison.
Automatically keeps the oldest original file and targets redundant duplicates for safe removal.

Localization Slimmer (`sweep slim`)

Scans installed macOS application bundles for foreign .lproj language packages.
Strips unneeded languages while preserving your active system language and English.

Installer Package Cleaner (`sweep installer`)

Scans Downloads and Desktop for forgotten .dmg, .pkg, and .iso installation files.
Safe batch cleanup to recover space once apps are installed.

Large & Old Files Explorer (`sweep large`)

Identifies multi-gigabyte or aged files across Downloads, Documents, Desktop, Movies, and Music.
Filter by size (>50MB, >500MB, >1GB) and age (>30d, >90d, >1y).
Categorized into Archives, Disk Images, Media, and Documents with one-click Reveal in Finder.

System Maintenance Utilities (`sweep optimize`)

Flush DNS Cache: Flushes system resolver cache and signals mDNSResponder.
Purge Inactive Memory: Triggers macOS memory pressure release to return inactive disk cache to the free memory pool.
Rebuild LaunchServices: Fixes duplicate "Open With" contextual menu entries and broken file associations.
Reset QuickLook: Clears preview thumbnail caches and restarts the QuickLook daemon.
APFS Snapshot Trimming: Inspects and prunes stale local Time Machine snapshots taking up SSD blocks.
Touch ID for Sudo Check: Verifies biometric PAM configuration in /etc/pam.d/sudo_local.

Automated Background Scheduler

Schedules automatic background cleanups on a Daily or Weekly interval.
Configures a native macOS LaunchAgent daemon (~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.thecodekaizen.cleansweep.autoclean.plist).
Configurable via the GUI Preferences or terminal: sweep schedule daily, sweep schedule weekly, or sweep schedule off.

Menu Bar Companion

CleanSweep includes a lightweight macOS status bar helper:

Displays real-time free memory in the top menu bar (e.g. 14.2 GB).
Quick Clean shortcut: Flushes inactive RAM and DNS with one click without opening the window.
Closing the desktop window keeps CleanSweep resident in the menu bar.

CLI Usage

The companion CLI binary sweep provides full command parity with the desktop app:

# Interactive menu
sweep

# System metrics (CPU, RAM breakdown, disk space, battery)
sweep status

# Cache cleaner
sweep clean --dry-run
sweep clean --all

# Project artifacts purger
sweep purge
sweep purge ~/Projects --dry-run

# Duplicate file finder
sweep duplicates ~/Documents
sweep duplicates --clean

# Application uninstaller
sweep apps
sweep uninstall "Slack"

# Localization slimming
sweep slim --dry-run

# Installer packages cleaner
sweep installer

# Maintenance tasks
sweep optimize

# Background schedule
sweep schedule daily
sweep schedule off

# Audit history
sweep history

CLI Command Reference

Command	Options	Description
`sweep`	—	Interactive terminal menu
`sweep status`	`--json`	Hardware telemetry (CPU, RAM active/wired/free, disk, battery)
`sweep clean`	`--dry-run`, `--all`, `--json`	Scans and cleans system, browser, dev, and container caches
`sweep purge`	`[dir]`, `--dry-run`	Recursively finds and purges `node_modules`, `target`, `.venv`
`sweep duplicates`	`[dir]`, `--clean`	Identifies duplicate files using SHA-256 matching
`sweep apps`	`--json`	Lists installed applications and on-disk size
`sweep uninstall`	`<name>`	Uninstalls an application and all residual leftover files
`sweep slim`	`[app]`, `--dry-run`	Strips unused language `.lproj` folders from applications
`sweep installer`	`--clean`	Finds and removes leftover `.dmg`, `.pkg`, and `.iso` images
`sweep analyze`	`[dir]`, `--min-size`	Scans directory size breakdown and surfaces large files
`sweep optimize`	—	Runs macOS maintenance routines (DNS flush, RAM purge)
`sweep schedule`	`daily`, `weekly`, `off`	Manages the native macOS LaunchAgent background clean daemon
`sweep history`	`--clear`	Displays lifetime reclaimed storage stats and audit logs
`sweep update`	—	Checks remote releases and updates CleanSweep in place

Comparison

Feature	CleanSweep	tw93/mole	momenbasel/PureMac	CleanMyMac
License	MIT Open Source	Free CLI / Paid App	MIT Open Source	Commercial ($39.95/yr)
Telemetry	0% (None)	0%	0%	Analytics & Telemetry
macOS Native UI	Yes	CLI only / Paid App	Yes	Yes
CLI Companion	Yes (`sweep`)	Yes (`mo`)	Yes (`puremac`)	No
Menu Bar Helper	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Trash-Safe Deletion	Yes (`trashItem`)	Protected paths	Yes (`trashItem`)	Optional
Dry Run Mode	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
App Uninstaller & Leftovers	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Orphaned Leftovers Finder	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Project Purger (`node_modules`)	Yes	Yes	No	No
Duplicate Finder (SHA-256)	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
App Localization Slimmer	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Developer Caches (Xcode, npm)	Yes	Yes	Basic	Minimal
AI Caches (Ollama, HuggingFace)	Yes	No	Yes	No
Containers (Docker Virtual Disk)	Yes	Yes	No	No
Maintenance Routines (DNS, RAM)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
LaunchAgent Background Scheduler	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Directory Whitelist	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Audit History Log	Yes	Yes	No	No

Safety

Trash Integration: All file deletions use shell.trashItem (macOS Finder Trash). Cleaned files can be restored anytime before emptying Trash.
System Protection: CleanSweep adheres to macOS System Integrity Protection (SIP) boundaries and does not modify core system files.
Full Disk Access: To clean protected caches and application containers in ~/Library/Containers, grant Full Disk Access in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.

Building from Source

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/thecodekaizen/CleanSweep.git
cd CleanSweep

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run automated tests
npm test

# Run linter
npm run lint

# Start development app with hot reload
npm run dev

# Package standalone macOS application
npm run build

License

CleanSweep is open source software licensed under the MIT License.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
assets/screenshots		assets/screenshots
bin		bin
build		build
electron		electron
public		public
scripts		scripts
src		src
test		test
.gitignore		.gitignore
.oxlintrc.json		.oxlintrc.json
README.md		README.md
index.html		index.html
install.sh		install.sh
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
vite.config.mjs		vite.config.mjs

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CleanSweep

Overview

Design Principles

Installation

Terminal CLI (`sweep`)

Desktop Application

Features

Smart Cache Cleaner

Application Uninstaller & Orphan Finder

Project Build Artifact Purger (`sweep purge`)

Duplicate File Finder (`sweep duplicates`)

Localization Slimmer (`sweep slim`)

Installer Package Cleaner (`sweep installer`)

Large & Old Files Explorer (`sweep large`)

System Maintenance Utilities (`sweep optimize`)

Automated Background Scheduler

Menu Bar Companion

CLI Usage

CLI Command Reference

Comparison

Safety

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Repository files navigation

CleanSweep

Overview

Design Principles

Installation

Terminal CLI (sweep)

Desktop Application

Features

Smart Cache Cleaner

Application Uninstaller & Orphan Finder

Project Build Artifact Purger (sweep purge)

Duplicate File Finder (sweep duplicates)

Localization Slimmer (sweep slim)

Installer Package Cleaner (sweep installer)

Large & Old Files Explorer (sweep large)

System Maintenance Utilities (sweep optimize)

Automated Background Scheduler

Menu Bar Companion

CLI Usage

CLI Command Reference

Comparison

Safety

Building from Source

License

About

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Terminal CLI (`sweep`)

Project Build Artifact Purger (`sweep purge`)

Duplicate File Finder (`sweep duplicates`)

Localization Slimmer (`sweep slim`)

Installer Package Cleaner (`sweep installer`)

Large & Old Files Explorer (`sweep large`)

System Maintenance Utilities (`sweep optimize`)