🩷 Built and used daily by the CleanMyMac team on our own Macs🩷
Developer storage builds up across Docker, Xcode, package managers, project folders, and AI tools. CleanMyMac CLI brings those leftovers into one place, shows what can be removed, and leaves the final decision to you.
💡CleanMyMac CLI is currently in public beta. Commands and behavior may evolve as we improve the experience.
- Developer Cleanup: Clears caches, build artifacts, and system junk across common developer tools (see Commands)
- Artifact Purging: Removes old build artifacts using age-based selection
- Disk Analysis: Reports on disk usage to show what is consuming storage
- Interactive Review: Prompts for confirmation before deletion; protected system locations; cleanup logic shared with CleanMyMac
- Terminal-Based: Scriptable commands intended for command-line workflows
- Privacy Controls: No source code or personal files are uploaded; analytics can be disabled via configuration
- Optimization: Runs quick performance tasks from the command line
- macOS 11 or later
- Homebrew
The formula lives in our tap — MacPaw/homebrew-taps
Install it with Homebrew:
brew install --cask macpaw/taps/cleanmymac-cliManual download: Prefer to install without Homebrew? Download the latest build directly: CleanMyMac-CLI-1.0.0.zip
Verify that the installation was successful:
cleanmymac --versionView all available commands and options:
cleanmymac --helpView menu:
cleanmymacCleanMyMac CLI scans first and lets you review detected items before anything is removed. Both
cmmandcleanmymacrun the same tool — this README uses thecleanmymacin examples.
Scan for developer caches, build leftovers, package-manager files, and other removable junk:
cleanmymac cleanReview the results and select what you want to remove.
Find removable artifacts across your common project folders:
cleanmymac purgeYou can also scan a specific directory:
cleanmymac purge ~/ProjectsArtifacts are grouped by project so you can review them before cleanup.
Open an interactive disk usage explorer:
cleanmymac analyzeOr analyze a specific directory:
cleanmymac analyze ~/Projectsanalyze is read-only and does not remove files.
💡 Not sure where to begin? Start with
cleanmymac analyzeto understand what is consuming your storage.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
clean |
Runs all clean categories at once: system junk, dev-tools junk, and trash |
clean ai |
Scans for junk created by AI tools, shows what can be safely removed, and cleans it after your confirmation |
clean dev |
Clears cached packages and build files left by developer tools: Homebrew, npm, Yarn, pnpm, pip, Cargo, Go, CocoaPods, Docker, VS Code, JetBrains, Maven, Gradle, Poetry, uv, Bun, Deno, and mise |
clean junk |
Clears user logs, Xcode DerivedData, Device Support, Module Cache, Documentation Cache, and other Xcode-related junk |
clean trash |
Empties the system trash and mounted-volume trash bins |
clean --force |
Deletes immediately, skipping the confirmation prompt |
purge |
Scans developer folders (~/Projects, ~/Code, ~/dev, ~/GitHub, ~/Workspace) and lists removable build artifacts grouped by project for review. Detects node_modules, .next, .turbo, target, .build, .venv, venv, pycache, Pods, DerivedData, vendor, and cmake-build-*. Artifacts older than 7 days are preselected; newer ones are shown unchecked |
purge <path> |
Scans a specific folder for removable project artifacts |
analyze |
Opens an interactive disk usage explorer |
analyze <path> |
Explores disk usage within a specific folder |
optimize |
Frees RAM and purgeable disk space in one command |
optimize ram |
Releases inactive memory (no sudo required) |
optimize purgeable |
Clears space macOS has marked as purgeable but not yet released |
config |
Opens CLI settings, including the analytics toggle |
ignore add <path> |
Adds a path to the ignore list so it never appears in clean, purge, or analyze results |
CleanMyMac CLI is designed to avoid destructive cleanup actions. By default, every command shows what it will remove and asks for confirmation before deleting. Safety features include:
- Interactive review before deletion (clean, purge)
- Protected system locations are excluded from cleanup.
- An ignore list to permanently protect specific paths from
clean,purge, andanalyze(cleanmymac ignore add <path>) - During
purge, only artifacts older than seven days are preselected. analyzeis read-only and never removes files.- Cleanup detection is based on logic shared with CleanMyMac.
Add a path to the ignore list:
cleanmymac ignore add ~/Projects/important-projectReview ignored paths:
cleanmymac ignore list
⚠️ The--forceflag skips the confirmation prompt and deletes detected items immediately. Use it only when you understand exactly what the command will remove.
CleanMyMac CLI can be used either through its interactive menu or by running commands directly.
Run cleanmymac without a subcommand to open the main menu:
__________
/ └─── \ CleanMyMac CLI
/ \ Clean and optimize your Mac safely from the terminal.
└───────────────┘ v1.0.0 beta
▒▒▒▒
────
▸ Clean Scan and review junk before removing it
Purge Find removable artifacts across your projects
Analyze Explore what is taking up disk space
Optimize Free RAM and release purgeable disk space
Config Manage CLI preferences
↑↓ Navigate · Enter Confirm · M More commands · Q Quit
beta · cleanmymac.com · lovingly crafted by MacPaw
```
Prefer direct commands? Use any command without opening the menu:
M
cleanmymac clean Scan and review junk on your Mac
cleanmymac clean junk Scan and review system junk only
cleanmymac clean dev Scan and review developer-tool junk only
cleanmymac clean ai Scan and review ai-tool junk only
cleanmymac clean trash Scan and review items in Trash only
--force Skip confirmation and clean immediately
cleanmymac purge Find project artifacts in common developer folders
cleanmymac purge <path> Scan a specific directory for project artifacts
--force Skip confirmation and clean immediately
cleanmymac analyze Explore storage usage in your home directory
cleanmymac analyze <path> Explore storage usage inside a specific directory
cleanmymac optimize Free RAM and release purgeable disk space
cleanmymac optimize ram Release inactive memory
cleanmymac optimize purgeable Release purgeable disk space
cleanmymac config Manage CLI preferences
cleanmymac ignore list Show ignored paths
cleanmymac ignore add <path> Add a path to the ignore list
cleanmymac ignore remove <path> Remove a path from the ignore list
cleanmymac --help Show all commands and options
cleanmymac --version Show the installed version
cleanmymac cat Summon a friend
Esc Back to menu · Q Quit
beta · cleanmymac.com · lovingly crafted by MacPaw
⚠️ The--forceflag skips interactive confirmation for supported cleanup commands. Use it only after reviewing what the command detects without the flag.
Use clean for leftovers created outside individual project folders: package-manager caches, Xcode files, developer-tool data, AI-tool artifacts, user logs, and Trash.
CleanMyMac CLI scans first and groups the results by category:
$ cleanmymac clean
← Back to menu
23.79 GB of items found
Scan results
Select items you'd like to remove
▸ ■ System Junk 631 KB →
■ Dev Tools 23.43 GB →
□ AI Junk 358.7 MB →
40 items selected (23.43 GB)
↑↓←→ Navigate · Enter Confirm · Space Toggle · A Select all
Esc Back to menu · Q Quit
beta · cleanmymac.com · lovingly crafted by MacPaw
Press → to open a category and inspect its contents. Use Space to select or deselect individual items.
Nothing is removed until you review the selection and confirm the cleanup.
After cleanup, CleanMyMac CLI shows exactly what was removed and how much space was recovered:
Cleanup complete!
Dev Tools
✓ Homebrew 6.61 GB
✓ npm 5.03 GB
✓ Yarn 3.3 GB
✓ pnpm 4.72 GB
✓ pip 3.77 GB
AI Junk
✓ Claude 358.7 MB
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
____________
/ 23.79 GB \
/ cleaned! \
└────────────────┘
▒▒▒▒
────
45 items removed
Run cleanmymac ignore add <path> to protect a path
Run cleanmymac clean --force to clean without confirmation
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Esc Back to menu · Q Quit
beta · cleanmymac.com · lovingly crafted by MacPaw
Run all cleanup categories together:
cleanmymac cleanOr scan only one category:
cleanmymac clean junk
cleanmymac clean dev
cleanmymac clean trash[!TIP] Use
cleanfor shared caches and tool-generated junk. Usepurgefor removable dependencies and build artifacts stored inside your project folders.
Use purge to find generated files that accumulate inside development projects, such as node_modules, build directories, virtual environments, and compiled dependencies.
By default, it scans common project locations:
- `~/Projects`
- `~/Code`
- `~/dev`
- `~/GitHub`
- `~/Workspace`
Results are grouped by project so you can understand what each artifact belongs to before removing it:
$ cleanmymac purge
Scanning ~/Projects, ~/Code, ~/dev, ~/GitHub, ~/Workspace…
Found 18.5 GB across 8 projects
☑ my-react-app 3.2 GB node_modules
☑ rust-service 4.1 GB target
☑ django-api 2.3 GB .venv
☑ next-blog 1.9 GB node_modules
☐ current-work 856 MB node_modules recent
Artifacts newer than 7 days are shown but left unchecked.
↑↓ Navigate · Enter Confirm · Space Toggle · A Select all
Esc Back to menu · Q Quit
beta · cleanmymac.com · lovingly crafted by MacPaw
Artifacts older than seven days are preselected. More recent artifacts remain visible but unchecked, reducing the risk of removing files from active projects.
Scan the default project folders:
cleanmymac purgeOr provide a specific directory:
cleanmymac purge ~/Work/client-project[!NOTE]
purgeremoves generated artifacts, not project source code. Review every selected path before confirming, especially when scanning custom directories.
Use analyze when you want to understand where your storage has gone before deciding what to clean.
It opens an interactive explorer that sorts directories by size and lets you navigate deeper into the file system:
$ cleanmymac analyze
252.66 GB of 494.38 GB free
▸ □ Users 109.08 GB │ 60.3% ████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ Library 26.36 GB │ 14.6% █████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ System 20.36 GB │ 11.3% ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ Applications 17.35 GB │ 9.6% ███░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ private 6.57 GB │ 3.6% █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ usr 1.05 GB │ 0.6% ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ opt 200.1 MB │ 0.1% ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ bin 4.9 MB │ 0.0% ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ sbin 2.5 MB │ 0.0% ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
□ Other (10 items) Zero KB │ 0.0% ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ →
↑↓←→ Navigate · ⌫ Delete · Space Toggle · A Select all
O Reveal in Finder · Esc Back to menu · Q Quit
beta · cleanmymac.com · lovingly crafted by MacPaw
Use the arrow keys to navigate through folders, or press O to reveal the selected item in Finder.
Removing an item requires an explicit selection and confirmation. Simply browsing through analyze does not modify your files.
Analyze your home directory:
cleanmymac analyzeOr start from a specific path:
cleanmymac analyze ~/Projects[!TIP] Start with
cleanmymac analyzewhen you know your disk is full but are not yet sure what is safe or useful to remove.
Use optimize for lightweight maintenance tasks that do not scan project files or developer caches.
Run all available optimization tasks:
cleanmymac optimizeOr run them separately:
cleanmymac optimize ram
cleanmymac optimize purgeableoptimize ramreleases inactive memory that macOS can make available to running applications.optimize purgeableasks macOS to release disk space already marked as purgeable.
These commands do not remove project source code or personal documents.
Add folders to the ignore list when they should never appear in CleanMyMac CLI scan results:
cleanmymac ignore add ~/Projects/important-projectReview all ignored paths:
cleanmymac ignore listRemove a path when you want it to appear in scans again:
cleanmymac ignore remove ~/Projects/important-projectIgnored paths remain excluded until you remove them from the list.
Open the configuration menu to manage CLI preferences, including analytics and cleanup behavior:
cleanmymac configConfiguration changes persist between sessions.
Some maintenance tasks are better with company:
cleanmymac catCleanMyMac CLI is in public beta and not yet feature-complete — expect commands and behavior to evolve.
CleanMyMac Desktop provides broader whole-Mac cleanup, application management, malware protection, and performance tools through a visual review interface.
CleanMyMac CLI is focused on terminal-first developer cleanup and is not intended to replace the desktop app.
We'd love to hear from you. For bugs and feature requests, open an issue on the issue tracker.
For other questions, contact MacPaw Support.
For security reporting and supported versions, see our Security Policy.
CleanMyMac CLI is proprietary software owned by MacPaw Way Ltd.
© 2026 MacPaw Way Ltd. All rights reserved.
The use of this software is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the End User License Agreement LICENSE attached to this repository and Privacy Policy available at https://macpaw.com/legal/cleanmymac-privacy-policy.
By using this software, you agree to be bound by the terms of that license and the Privacy Policy.