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wtf is mac-clean?

vstorm-co/mac-clean — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

2TypeScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TL;DR

An auditable, open source macOS disk cleaner that scans for wasted space and only deletes files you explicitly approve.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((mac-clean))
    What it does
      Disk space scanner
      Manual approval
      Trash by default
    Tech stack
      TypeScript
      Node.js
    Use cases
      Free up disk space
      Review duplicate files
      Audit cleanup tools
    Audience
      Mac users
      Privacy conscious users

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Scan a Mac for reclaimable disk space grouped into risk-labeled categories

REASON 2

Review exactly which files a cleanup tool would touch before approving anything

REASON 3

Move selected files to the Trash instead of trusting a black-box cleaner to delete them

REASON 4

Find and review duplicate files taking up space using SHA-256 comparison

What's in the stack?

TypeScriptNode.js

How it stacks up

vstorm-co/mac-clean4ssh1/mine-sweeperadun-denton/chinvat
Stars222
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScriptTypeScript
Last pushed2026-01-31
MaintenanceMaintained
Setup difficultyeasymoderatemoderate
Complexity1/52/54/5
Audiencegeneralvibe coderdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Node.js 18 or newer and macOS, some folders need Full Disk Access to scan fully.

Free to use, modify, and distribute, including commercially, as long as the MIT copyright notice is kept.

Wtf does this do

mac-clean is a disk cleanup tool for macOS that scans your Mac for wasted space and lets you review and approve every single deletion yourself, rather than deciding automatically what to remove. It runs as a small local web server with a browser based interface, and it has no runtime dependencies beyond the built in tools that come with Node.js, so the entire codebase is small enough for a technical user to read through and verify what it actually does. The tool never deletes files during scanning. Scanning is strictly read only and only measures how much space things are using. Once the scan finishes, results are grouped into categories like Trash, temporary files, browser caches, developer tool caches, old downloads, large files, installed applications, and duplicate files, each labeled with a rough risk level so a user can tell at a glance what is safe to remove versus what needs a closer look. When you do choose files to remove, the default action moves them to the macOS Trash so mistakes can still be recovered, and a separate, more heavily confirmed action is required to delete something permanently. The tool also refuses to touch any file path that did not come from its own scan results, and it hard blocks system folders like System, usr, and bin from ever being targeted. Everything runs locally: the server binds only to your own machine with a per session security token, makes no outside network calls, and sends no telemetry anywhere. Installation is done through npm, either linking the tool as a global command or running it directly from the project folder. It requires Node.js 18 or newer and only works on macOS. The project is licensed under MIT.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through installing mac-clean with npm and running it on my Mac
Prompt 2
Explain how mac-clean's protected-path rules stop it from touching System or usr folders
Prompt 3
Show me the difference between moving files to Trash and permanently deleting them in mac-clean
Prompt 4
Help me grant Full Disk Access so mac-clean can scan my whole Library folder

Frequently asked questions

wtf is mac-clean?

An auditable, open source macOS disk cleaner that scans for wasted space and only deletes files you explicitly approve.

What language is mac-clean written in?

Mainly TypeScript. The stack also includes TypeScript, Node.js.

What license does mac-clean use?

Free to use, modify, and distribute, including commercially, as long as the MIT copyright notice is kept.

How hard is mac-clean to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is mac-clean for?

Mainly general.

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