ElfCleanFind the space AI and code left on your Mac
Coding agents, local models and every project an AI helped you build quietly fill your disk. ElfClean finds that space, explains each item in plain language and moves nothing until you've reviewed it.
Email me when it's outComing soon to the Mac App Store. Free to scan. One purchase, no subscription. macOS 15 or later.
2874132GB
ticked. Free space goes from 42 GB to 70116174 GB once the Trash is emptied.
An example 512 GB Mac with local models and a year of projects. Choose a level to see where the line lands.
What ElfClean looks for
More than 140 kinds of folders, each with a plain explanation of what it is, what changes if it goes and how to get it back. The colour says how careful to be.
| What | Where it usually lives | How careful |
|---|---|---|
| AI tools | ||
| Ollama modelsShared layers counted once, kept until every model using them goes. | ~/.ollama/models | Personal data |
| Hugging Face modelsThe hub cache and Xet caches. | ~/.cache/huggingface | Review first |
| Claude Code and Codex historyArchived before removal, never treated as a cache. | ~/.claude/projects, ~/.codex/sessions | Personal data |
| Git worktrees agents madeThe merged ones are ready to prune. | ~/.codex/worktrees and your projects | Personal data |
| Old agent versionsClaude Code and Cursor Agent keep every release they install. | ~/.local/share/claude/versions | Review first |
| Cursor, Devin and VS Code cachesPlus storage for folders you've deleted and superseded extensions. | ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor | Rebuilds itself |
| Projects and developer tools | ||
node_modules in old projectsAlso .next, build folders, Rust target and virtual environments. | The project folders you choose | Review first |
| Package cachesnpm, pnpm, Yarn, Bun, pip, uv, Poetry, Cargo, Go, Gradle, CocoaPods, Swift packages, Homebrew. | ~/.npm, ~/Library/Caches | Rebuilds itself |
| Xcode DerivedDataBuild files Xcode makes again on the next build. | ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData | Rebuilds itself |
| Simulators and device supportEach device with the runtime it uses. | ~/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator | Personal data |
| Everyday | ||
| App caches and logsIncluding AI apps like ChatGPT and Claude. | ~/Library/Caches, ~/Library/Logs | Rebuilds itself |
| Old downloads and leftoversInstallers you've used and data from apps you deleted. | ~/Downloads, ~/Library | Review first |
It won't delete work you haven't pushed
When an AI wrote most of the code, it's easy to lose track of what's saved. ElfClean reads each project's Git repository on your Mac and shows whether it has changes that aren't committed or pushed anywhere.
Work that exists only on your Mac is marked At risk and never ticked for you, and it's checked again just before anything is removed.
Review everything. Get anything back.
- Nothing moves until you've seen what it is, what removing it changes and how to get it back.
- Items go to the Trash, and History remembers where each came from so it can put it back while it's still there.
- Running apps, Apple and system apps, credentials, cloud drives and anything you mark Never Touch are left alone.
- Honest numbers: measured sizes, no health score, no claim that cleaning speeds up your Mac.
Made for three kinds of full disk
Vibe coders
Every project an AI helped you build keeps its own node_modules, build folders and caches, and agents leave worktrees, logs and old versions behind. Clearing old node_modules
People who run AI on their Mac
Local models are often 5 to 40 GB each. See every Ollama and Hugging Face model, with shared files counted once, and add model folders you keep on other disks. Removing local models
Developers
Xcode DerivedData, archives, device support and simulators, package caches for every major ecosystem, and the Git worktrees your agents made. Clearing Xcode's files
Pay once. Keep your files to yourself.
Free to try, one purchase
Scans, the storage map, previews and History are free, and so are cleaning one item at a time and removing an app. One purchase unlocks cleaning everything you select at once, on your Macs and with Family Sharing. The App Store shows the price in your currency.
Private and sandboxed
No accounts, analytics or telemetry. Nothing about your files leaves your Mac. ElfClean is sold through the Mac App Store and measures your home folder and the folders you add. Privacy policy
Questions
Will ElfClean delete anything without asking?
Is it safe to delete node_modules on a Mac?
node_modules only in projects you haven't touched for a while, leaves recent ones unticked, and marks projects with uncommitted or unpushed work as At risk. More on node_modulesWhich AI tools does it know about?
Does it speed up my Mac?
Does it need Full Disk Access?
Is it a subscription?
Who makes it?
Guides
Where each tool keeps its files, and how to clear them by hand if you'd rather not use an app.
- How to delete old node_modules on a MacFind every one, see what each takes, and remove them safely.
- Where Ollama and Hugging Face keep modelsAnd how to remove the ones you no longer use.
- What Claude Code, Codex and Cursor leave behindTranscripts, worktrees, old versions and caches.
- How to clear Xcode DerivedData and simulatorsWhat's safe, what to keep, and the commands.
- What System Data is on a Mac, and how to make it smallerWhat System Data is, and what you can safely clear.
- How to free up Docker disk space on a MacWhy Docker.raw grows, and which prune commands are safe.
- Clear pip, uv, Homebrew, Cargo and other caches on a Macpip, uv, Homebrew, Cargo, Go, Gradle and more.
- How to find large files and duplicates on a MacWith Finder, Terminal, or an app that checks contents.
- Mac cleaners for developers compared: CleanMyMac alternativesElfClean, CleanMyMac, DaisyDisk, DevCleaner and others, honestly.
See what your Mac is holding
ElfClean is coming soon to the Mac App Store. Scanning is free and removes nothing.