Windows disk cleaner

Windows Disk Cleaner

Use this skill as a Windows disk-space governance workflow: inspect first, classify risk, present a concise plan, execute only the approved cleanup level, verify, and report.

Modes

Map the user's request to one mode:

• scan: inspect drives and produce recommendations only.
• clean: run L1 or L2 cleanup.
• deep-clean: use administrator-safe Windows cleanup and protected-cache handling after confirmation.
• migrate: move high-growth app data to another drive with a rollback path.
• schedule: create recurring low-risk maintenance.

Default mapping:

• "see what is taking space" -> scan, L0.
• "clean my PC/C drive" -> clean, L1.
• "clean as much as possible but keep software working" -> clean, L2.
• "deep clean" or "C drive is critically low" -> deep-clean, L3, confirm first.
• "C drive keeps growing" or "move software data to D" -> migrate, L4, confirm each item.
• "daily/weekly automatic cleanup" -> schedule, L1 with threshold upgrade to L2.

Cleanup Levels

• L0 Scan only: no deletion.
• L1 Conservative: user temp, Windows temp, browser/app caches, logs, error reports, crash dumps, recycle bin.
• L2 Standard: L1 plus old app versions, update/installer leftovers, meeting dynamic resources, package manager caches, Git object compaction.
• L3 Deep: L2 plus official Windows component/update cleanup and protected log/cache cleanup. Require administrator context and confirmation.
• L4 Migration: move high-growth app data to another drive and create a directory junction. Require per-item confirmation and rollback.

For details, read references/cleanup-levels.md.

Required Workflow

1. Preflight

   • Check Windows host, current user, administrator status, target drives, free space, and running processes/services.
   • If the system is enterprise-managed or security software is self-protected, do not force-stop services or change permissions.

2. Scan

   • Run scripts/scan_space.ps1 first unless the user explicitly provided a recent scan.
   • Default to fast scan on the pressure drive, usually C:. Fast scan checks known temp/cache/log targets and writes a reusable JSON cleanup plan.
   • Use -Mode Deep only when the user asks to find large space consumers, when fast scan finds little space, or when the drive is critically low.
   • Treat plan_path from scan output as the handoff artifact for cleanup and later resume.

3. Classify

   • Classify each candidate as SAFE_DELETE, SAFE_IF_CLOSED, ADMIN_SAFE, CONFIRM_REQUIRED, MIGRATE_ONLY, or NEVER_DELETE.
   • Use references/risk-policy.md and references/app-patterns.md.

4. Plan

   • Show a short user-facing summary: expected freeable space by risk class and one recommended action.
   • Do not show long path lists by default. Show top 3 categories and provide "view details" if needed.

5. Execute

   • Use scripts/clean_space.ps1 -PlanPath <plan_path> for L1/L2 cleanup after scanning.
   • If apps are running, skip SAFE_IF_CLOSED items and report which apps to close plus the estimated space.
   • When the user closes apps and says to continue, rerun cleanup with the same plan path and -Only SAFE_IF_CLOSED; do not rescan unless the plan is stale or missing.
   • For L3, prefer official Windows tools. Never manually delete WinSxS, Windows Installer, drivers, or security databases.
   • For L4, use scripts/migrate_app_data.ps1 only after closing the app and getting explicit confirmation.

6. Verify

   • Recheck free space.
   • Report deleted, skipped, protected, and needs-confirmation items.
   • Confirm services remain running when cleaning security software logs.

7. Schedule

   • Use scripts/schedule_cleanup.ps1 for recurring cleanup.
   • Automated cleanup may run L1 daily/weekly and L2 only when a free-space threshold is crossed.
   • Never automate deletion of backups, chat data, user documents, photos/videos, or migration actions.

Safety Rules

Always protect:

• User documents, desktop files, pictures, videos, music, and personal downloads unless the user confirms specific items.
• Chat databases and primary message stores.
• Phone backups, system backups, and restore points unless the user explicitly confirms.
• C:\Windows\WinSxS, C:\Windows\Installer, Program Files software bodies, drivers, security software databases, pagefile.sys, swapfile.sys, and current agent runtime/session data.

Never force:

• git reset, filesystem ownership changes, permission rewrites, driver/service deletion, or security software self-protection bypass.
• Process termination unless the user explicitly approves closing named applications.

Prefer:

• Official Windows cleanup commands for system components.
• Software-native cleanup settings for WeChat/Enterprise WeChat, cloud drives, security products, Docker, WSL, and games.
• Migration or archival over deletion for user-created files.

User Prompts

Keep prompts short. Use:

Found about 12.4 GB that may be cleaned.

Low risk: 5.8 GB
Needs confirmation: 4.1 GB
Do not auto-clean: 2.5 GB

Recommended: Standard cleanup. It should not affect logins, documents, or chat history.

Offer at most three choices: recommended action, safer action, details.

Read references/user-prompts.md when crafting user-facing confirmations.

Scripts

• scripts/scan_space.ps1: read-only scan and JSON/text summary.
• scripts/clean_space.ps1: L1/L2 cleanup with allowlists and audit output.
• scripts/migrate_app_data.ps1: copy, junction, verify, rollback-friendly migration.
• scripts/schedule_cleanup.ps1: create a Windows scheduled task for recurring cleanup.

Run scripts with PowerShell. Use -WhatIf or -DryRun where available before higher-risk cleanup.