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Sitemap

Every page of the macleanup documentation, grouped in the order of the sidebar.

  • sitemap.xml — the same pages as a file search engines read.
  • feed.xml — an RSS feed of macleanup releases; the readable list is the release feed.
  • llms.txt — a plain-text index of these docs for AI assistants.

31 pages.

Start here

  • Introduction

    macleanup is a safe-by-default macOS cleanup CLI that reclaims disk space from caches, logs, stale build artefacts and unused apps — with per-section confirmation and a real dry-run.

    • macleanup
    • macos
    • cleanup
    • cli
    • overview

Before you run

  • Before you run macleanup

    macleanup deletes files. Read these three pages first: what it removes, how to preview a run without deleting anything, and the guarantees the safety model does and does not give you.

    • overview
  • What gets deleted

    A section-by-section inventory of macleanup deletion methods, recovery paths, and limits.

    • safety
    • deletion
    • macos
    • cleanup
    • reference
  • Preview with --dry-run

    How to see exactly which files macleanup would delete, without deleting anything — the flag to use first on every new machine, section and script.

    • safety
    • dry-run
    • preview
    • cli
  • Safety model

    The six design rules that keep macleanup from deleting more than you intended — the two-condition rule, the deep-section gate, sudo handling, and where the guarantees stop.

    • safety
    • design
    • sudo
    • confirmation
    • macos

Getting started

  • Getting started

    Install macleanup — or run it with no install at all — and walk through a first session end to end.

    • overview
  • Installation

    Three ways to run macleanup on macOS — zero-install with npx, a global npm install, or a direct git checkout that needs no Node at all.

    • installation
    • npx
    • npm
    • macos
    • setup
  • Your first run

    A step-by-step first session with macleanup — preview, read the report, run one section, then widen. Nothing is deleted before you choose to run a cleanup.

    • getting-started
    • tutorial
    • dry-run
    • walkthrough
  • Upgrading to 5.0

    macleanup 5.0.0 uses one name everywhere. What changed for the command, data folder, config file and environment variables, and what the first 5.x run does for you.

    • upgrade
    • migration
    • installation
    • configuration

Reference

  • Reference

    Every flag, every section, every profile, the config file, where logs and reports are written, and the JSON event stream.

    • overview
  • CLI reference

    Every macleanup command-line flag — selection, confirmation, thresholds, output, persistence and informational commands — with defaults, examples and exit codes.

    • reference
    • cli
    • flags
    • options
  • The 28 sections

    Every macleanup section from 0 to 27 — what it removes, whether it needs sudo, whether it is reversible, and which flags tune it.

    • reference
    • sections
    • macos
    • cleanup
    • sudo
  • Profiles

    The five named macleanup section bundles — dev, minimal, cache-only, deep and audit — what each one runs, when to use it, and which of them can delete permanently.

    • reference
    • profiles
    • presets
    • cli
  • Configuration

    Set macleanup defaults once in ~/.macleanuprc, point logs and reports elsewhere with environment variables, and understand the precedence order between them.

    • reference
    • configuration
    • config-file
    • environment
  • Reports and logs

    Where macleanup writes its dated session logs and per-section report files, what each one contains, and how to move, skip or prune them.

    • reference
    • logs
    • artefacts
    • output
  • JSON event stream

    The macleanup --json-events schema, version 1 — the newline-delimited JSON events a run writes to stdout, their fields, ordering guarantees and exit codes.

    • reference
    • json
    • events
    • automation
    • scripting

Desktop app

  • The macleanup desktop app

    The macleanup desktop app runs the same script in a window: installing it, what the plans include, what stays on your Mac, and the keyboard shortcuts.

    • overview
  • The macleanup desktop app

    What the macleanup desktop app adds to the command line — the same script underneath, a disk gauge, a dry-run ledger with keep, archive or delete, run receipts, apps and leftovers, and both launchd domains.

    • desktop-app
    • macos
    • overview
  • Install the desktop app

    Install the macleanup desktop app on macOS 11 or later — one disk image for Apple silicon and Intel, the one-time Gatekeeper Open Anyway step, optional Full Disk Access, and in-app updates.

    • desktop-app
    • installation
    • gatekeeper
    • full-disk-access
  • Desktop app plans and allowance

    What the macleanup desktop app's Free, Pro and Team plans include — unlimited previews on every plan, 15 real runs a month per Mac plus 15 signed in, and Pro and Team prices as of 2026-10-30.

    • desktop-app
    • plans
    • pricing
  • Privacy in the desktop app

    What the macleanup desktop app keeps on your Mac and what it syncs — no telemetry, file paths never leave the Mac, and a signed-in sync of section ids, byte counts, statuses and the macOS version only.

    • desktop-app
    • privacy
    • sync
  • Desktop app keyboard shortcuts

    The macleanup desktop app's default keyboard shortcuts — ⌘K command palette, ⌘N new preview, ⌘Y history, ⌘, settings — and the rule that every shortcut is rebindable.

    • desktop-app
    • keyboard
    • shortcuts

When something goes wrong

  • When something goes wrong

    Symptom-to-fix troubleshooting, and how to restore developer tooling removed by the v4.3.0 section 23 bug.

    • overview
  • Troubleshooting

    Symptom, cause and fix for the problems people actually hit with macleanup — install failures, sections that find nothing, permission prompts and slow scans.

    • troubleshooting
    • errors
    • fixes
    • support
  • Recovery

    What to do when a cleanup removed something you needed — including the exact commands to restore global developer tooling broken by the v4.3.0 section 23 bug.

    • recovery
    • incident
    • restore
    • 4.3.0
    • safety

About

  • About and contact

    How to reach the macleanup team — get in touch, report an issue, contribute, or report a security problem privately.

    • about
    • contact
    • contributing
    • security

Recipes, FAQ and releases

  • Recipes

    Copy-paste macleanup commands organised by goal — reclaim developer space, audit before deciding, uninstall an app properly, automate a weekly sweep.

    • recipes
    • examples
    • cookbook
    • cli
  • FAQ

    Straight answers about macleanup — whether it is safe, what it can break, why it ships as one bash file, whether it collects telemetry, and what it deliberately will not do.

    • faq
    • questions
    • safety
    • licence
    • privacy
  • Release history

    What changed in each macleanup release — the safety fixes, the two-condition rule, age-aware cache pruning, and the sections added along the way.

    • changelog
    • releases
    • versions
    • history

Site

  • Home

    The macleanup documentation home page.

    • home
  • Release feed

    Every macleanup release, newest first, with an RSS feed.

    • releases
    • rss