Mac software storage cleanup

Mac Software Storage Cleanup

Overview

Audit installed software and storage usage on macOS, produce prioritized cleanup recommendations, and execute low-risk cleanup only after confirmation. The skill separates app inventory, cache cleanup, simulator data, and medium-risk application data so destructive actions remain explicit and reversible where possible.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user:

• Wants to inspect software installed under /Applications, ~/Applications, Homebrew Formula, or Homebrew Cask
• Wants storage usage ranked by size across apps and common cache locations
• Wants to clean low-risk paths such as ~/Library/Caches and ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator
• Wants reclaim recommendations with low-risk and medium-risk cleanup separated clearly

Do not use

Do not use this skill when:

• The user wants to uninstall one specific app instead of doing storage governance
• The user asks to delete application data directly without explicit confirmation
• The environment is not macOS or the target paths do not apply

Instructions

1. Run scripts/report_sizes.sh first to inventory install sources and major storage consumers.
2. Classify cleanup candidates by priority:
   • Priority 1: caches and simulator data, generally low risk.
   • Priority 2: application data directories, report only and never delete by default.
   • Priority 3: low-yield small caches or logs.
3. Reports must show category totals, counts, and Top N largest entries.
4. To inspect priority-2 candidates, run scripts/list_priority2_candidates.sh [target_dir] [TopN].
5. Only after explicit user confirmation, run scripts/cleanup_priority1.sh or an equivalent low-risk cleanup action.
6. After cleanup, recompute usage and show a before -> after -> reclaimed summary.

Workflow

Inventory install sources and storage usage
  -> identify high-value cleanup targets
  -> present prioritized recommendations
  -> wait for user confirmation
  -> run low-risk cleanup
  -> verify reclaimed space

Run commands

bash scripts/report_sizes.sh
bash scripts/list_priority2_candidates.sh ~/Library/Application\\ Support 20
bash scripts/cleanup_priority1.sh

Output requirements

• Show counts and total size for each path category
• List Top N largest consumers so the user can decide quickly
• Every cleanup action must include before-and-after comparison
• Do not delete priority-2 directories without explicit user approval

Boundaries

• Do not use destructive git commands
• Do not delete unconfirmed application data
• If a script fails, fall back to read-only inspection or the smallest safe cleanup scope