This is super useful, as a software engineer (and a vibe coder :P) i'm ramping up so much GBs that sometimes my top tier macos pro even hangs and asks me to free up space, turns out alot of these GBs are build artifacts! thanks OP
Your Mac isn't full.Your dev folders are.
DevCleaner is a Mac app that finds and safely clears Xcode, npm, Docker and other developer caches.
Often 10 to 50 GB of DerivedData and leftover caches, found in one scan. Safe items are selected by default. Git-tracked source stays skipped.
~12 MB · macOS 14 or later · v1.15.0
- Safe caches selected by default
- Risky items stay unchecked
- Notarized by Apple
Fantastic job! I didn't know about this problem until I've try it. And its HUGE. Thank you that you built DevCleaner!
Love the idea. It's always surprising how much disk space developer tools quietly consume 😅
Xcode projects + DerivedData is basically a hidden storage leak on every Mac.
Feels like a mix between backup tool and cleanup utility, which is actually interesting.
All quotes from the DevCleaner launch on Product Hunt · finished #12 on launch day · add your review
Watch it find the gigabytes, then free them.
From the first scan to the safe-only clean, the whole idea in twenty-two seconds.
One cleaner for every toolchain on your machine.
DevCleaner ships with scanners for 30+ developer tools, from classic build tools to AI editors, coding agents and local LLMs, plus any folder you add yourself. Each one knows exactly where its tool hides caches, and which ones grow back on the next build. Prefer the manual route? The developer's guide to freeing disk space on a Mac shows every path and command. The Xcode cleaner page covers DerivedData, simulators, and device support.
brew cleanup --prune=allClaude Code, Codex, worktrees, and Ollama models.
Coding agents leave caches and logs next to files you may want to keep. DevCleaner separates those categories. Downloaded model weights stay opt-in.
ollama rm, not by deleting blobs by hand.
How to remove unused Ollama models
It knows the difference between cache and catastrophe.
Disk cleaners that treat your SDK like a temp folder are how weekends die. Every category in DevCleaner carries an explicit risk level, and the dangerous ones are never selected for you.
Deleted by default
Pure caches that regenerate automatically on your next build. Deleting them costs you one slower compile, nothing more.
Your call
Things that grow back slowly, simulators you might still need, archived builds, emulator images. Visible, measured, but never pre-selected.
Hands off
SDKs and device symbols that can break your environment. DevCleaner shows you their size, asks twice, and never touches them on its own.
Set it, forget it, reclaim it.
Lives in your menu bar
No dock icon, no window cluttering your desktop. Just a small badge quietly reporting how many gigabytes you could get back right now.
Scans while you watch
Sizes stream in live as the scanner walks your caches, every category, every toolchain, counted byte by byte in front of you.
One click. Gigabytes back.
Quick Clean wipes everything marked safe. Or pick categories yourself and watch the freed space add up in real time.
Clear rebuildable junk inside projects you still use.
1.15 groups node_modules, .build, target, and related build folders by project so you can review one tree at a time. Running builds and Git-tracked files stay skipped. Cleaning these rows is Pro.
One project at a time
Project Artifacts finds rebuildable folders in the projects you still work on and groups them by project. You review the tree before anything is removed.
Auto Clean, only if you opt in
Project Auto Clean can remove eligible project artifacts after a background scan when free space drops below your threshold. Idle age, optional dependencies, and an optional project allowlist stay yours to set.
Archive follows Trash
Hibernate and archive originals now follow Settings → Move to Trash, the same way Clean does for filesystem items.
Done with a project? Park it, don't delete it.
Old projects you can't quite throw away sit on your disk for years. DevCleaner archives a whole project into a single file, strips the regenerable junk, and brings it back exactly as it was with one click, dependencies and all.
Archive what's idle
Spot projects you haven't touched in months and pack each one into a single compact file. node_modules and build folders are stripped, the lockfiles that rebuild them are kept.
Preview before you trust it
A dry-run restore opens and verifies the archive and shows exactly what will land where, without writing a thing. Built for production projects you can't afford to lose.
Restore in one click
Bring a project back to its original path and let DevCleaner re-run the install for you. The original is never deleted until the archive is verified safe.
Free for safe cleanup. Pro for the rest.
Scanning, Safe Quick Clean, and seeing Ghost Projects or Project Artifacts are free, with no account. Restoring a hibernated project is always free. On new installs, Warning and Danger cleanup, custom folders, and cleaning project artifacts need Pro. A 14-day trial does not start a subscription. Full Free vs Pro table.
- Scanners for 30+ dev tools and AI apps
- Ghost Projects and Project Artifacts discovery
- Safe, Warning, and Danger labels on every category
- Quick Clean for built-in Safe caches
- 30-day cleanup history
- Restore hibernated projects
- Warning and Danger cleanup is Pro on new installs
- No Auto Clean, Smart Triggers, or project archive
- Everything in Free
- Warning and Danger cleanup, custom folders, project artifacts
- Auto Clean and opt-in Project Auto Clean
- Smart Triggers when you quit a dev app
- Project Hibernation, including batch archive
- Dangerous+ uninstall, with a second confirmation
- Activate on up to 3 of your Macs
- 14-day trial. It does not start a subscription.
Secure checkout by Stripe. Tax excluded. Compare Free, Yearly, and Lifetime
Rather do it by hand? Here's exactly how.
Every gigabyte DevCleaner reclaims, you can also clear yourself from the Terminal. These guides give the exact paths, the commands, and what's safe to delete.
Questions developers ask before they download.
Straight answers about pricing, safety, and how DevCleaner compares to general Mac cleaners. The full list is on the FAQ.
- Is DevCleaner free?
- Scanning, Safe Quick Clean, Ghost Projects and Project Artifacts discovery, and restoring a hibernated project are free, with no account. On new installs, Warning and Danger cleanup, custom folders, and cleaning project artifacts need Pro. A 14-day Pro trial does not start a paid subscription. See pricing.
- Does the free trial become a subscription?
- No. A Pro trial does not automatically convert to a paid plan. Buying Yearly or Lifetime is a separate checkout. Lifetime is $59 once and does not renew. Yearly is $19.99/year until you cancel.
- Is it safe?
- Every category is rated Safe, Warning, Danger, or Dangerous+ (uninstall only). Safe caches are selected by default; risky items never are. Credentials and session files sit on a hard deny-list for normal cleaning, and DevCleaner warns before touching caches of an app that's still running. See staying safe.
- App didn’t open after install?
- DevCleaner is a menu bar app, no Dock icon by design. Look for the wand near the clock, then press Open in the panel. Copy it to Applications first (don’t run from the .dmg). Full checklist: troubleshooting. Still stuck? Write to support@devcleaner.app.
- Is it a menu bar app?
- Yes, no dock icon, no desktop clutter. Look for the wand icon near the clock. It shows reclaimable space at a glance; use Open in the panel for the full window.
- What does Pro add?
- Pro automates cleanup: Auto Clean, Smart Triggers, and opt-in Project Auto Clean. Pro also adds Project Hibernation, Warning and Danger cleanup, custom folders, and Dangerous+ uninstall. Lifetime is $59 once and does not renew. Yearly is $19.99/year until you cancel. A license activates on up to 3 Macs.
- How is it different from CleanMyMac?
- CleanMyMac is built for general Mac housekeeping. DevCleaner knows developer caches, DerivedData, Gradle, Docker layers, npm's attic, Ollama weights, and labels what's safe per toolchain instead of treating every folder like temp files. Our honest comparison guide walks through the trade-offs.
- What can it clean?
- 30+ developer tools: Xcode, Android Studio, npm/Yarn/pnpm, pip, Cargo, Go, Homebrew, Docker, CocoaPods, Maven, VS Code, Cursor, Claude, Codex, OpenCode, ChatGPT, Ollama, LM Studio, and any custom path you add.
Your disk has been patient enough.
Free download. Scans in seconds. The only thing you’ll lose is the clutter.
Download DevCleaner for macOS ↓Verify your download
- Open the DMG, drag DevCleaner to Applications, then launch it.
- On first open, macOS Gatekeeper should allow it, the real app is Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple (team David Tereba).
- Unsigned clones often show “can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer” or fail notarization checks.
-
Optional checksum (v1.15.0):
shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/DevCleaner-1.15.0.dmg
One indie dev. Three tools for the build cycle.
DevCleaner is one of three apps I build for people who ship their own software, from the first idea to the first beta.