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Profiles

A profile is a named bundle of section numbers, so a common workflow is one flag instead of a list. --profile NAME selects one; --exclude subtracts from it.

mac-cleanup --profile dev --dry-run
mac-cleanup --profile deep --exclude 14,17 --yes

The five profiles​

ProfileSectionsDeletes permanently?When to use
audit0, 12, 18, 21, 25, 26optional Trash moves and launch-item removal if confirmedFind out where the disk went, before deciding anything
dev1, 2, 3, 4, 23⚠️ yes — section 23Reclaim developer-tool caches and stale node_modules
minimal5, 7, 8, 9noA quick weekly sweep that leaves Trash alone
cache-only3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 19direct log and cache removalCache and log layers
deep0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 17, 19, 23, 26⚠️ yes — sections 17 and 23A big monthly cleanup
"Profile" does not mean "safe"

Two of the five include a section that deletes permanently. Run any profile with --dry-run before you run it with --yes.

audit — look, don't touch​

mac-cleanup --profile audit

Sections 0, 12, 18, 21, 25, 26: system health, orphaned app data, large files, idle apps, the LaunchAgents audit and a disk-usage report. Writes dated .txt files to ~/.mac-cleanup/reports/.

Sections 0, 18 and 26 are pure reports. Sections 12 and 21 can move data to the Trash when confirmed. Section 25 can permanently remove selected launch items. In batch mode it stays report-only unless both --yes and --i-understand-deep are supplied; that combination removes every candidate. Section 21 also needs both flags to run unattended.

Add --dry-run if you want a guaranteed look-only pass:

mac-cleanup --profile audit --dry-run

This is the best first command after installing.

dev — reclaim developer space​

mac-cleanup --profile dev --dry-run

Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 23: Xcode, Gradle/Android, package managers, Docker, and stale build artefacts.

The first three cover developer caches. Section 4 also offers interactive Docker volume pruning, which can permanently delete database data; batch mode skips that offer. Section 23 permanently deletes build directories — node_modules, vendor, dist, .next, target, Pods — that have been untouched for --stale-build-days days. Combine with a tighter threshold and protected paths:

mac-cleanup --profile dev --stale-build-days 120 \
  --exclude-path "$HOME/Code/active-client" --dry-run

Or drop section 23 entirely for a developer maintenance pass without build directory deletion. In interactive mode, section 4 still offers an optional Docker volume prune; decline it if the volumes matter:

mac-cleanup --profile dev --exclude 23 --yes

minimal — the weekly sweep​

mac-cleanup --profile minimal --dry-run

Sections 5, 7, 8, 9: user caches, logs, old top-level temp files and update caches. This profile does not empty Trash. Section 10 requires an explicit selection and both --yes and --i-understand-deep when run unattended.

cache-only — every cache layer​

mac-cleanup --profile cache-only --dry-run

Sections 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 19: package managers, user caches, system caches (sudo), logs, update caches and browser caches.

This profile focuses on caches and logs, but deleted logs and saved window state may be unique. Section 6 needs sudo and is deep-gated, so unattended runs need --i-understand-deep, or skip it:

mac-cleanup --profile cache-only --no-sudo --yes

Expect slower first page loads afterwards while browser caches rebuild.

deep — the monthly clean​

mac-cleanup --profile deep --dry-run

Sections 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 17, 19, 23, 26 — the broadest bundle.

Two members delete permanently:

  • Section 17 — Xcode archives, which hold the dSYMs for symbolicating crashes from already-shipped builds.
  • Section 23 — stale build directories.

A common shape is the deep sweep minus the two you want to keep control of:

mac-cleanup --profile deep --exclude 17,23 --yes

Note that deep does not include section 14 (/private/var/folders), even though the name suggests it might. Section 14 is only reachable from the menu or by --only, and needs a typed yes.

Combining profiles with other flags​

# Subtract sections
mac-cleanup --profile deep --exclude 14,17

# Tune a threshold for the sections in the profile
mac-cleanup --profile dev --cache-age-days 60 --yes

# Unattended, including deep-gated members
mac-cleanup --profile deep --yes --i-understand-deep

# Skip everything that needs sudo
mac-cleanup --profile cache-only --no-sudo --yes

--exclude applies on top of the profile. There is no way to add a section to a profile — use --only with an explicit list instead.

Choosing a profile​

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