DevCleanerTwo different problems: caches vs. models
AI tools eat disk in two ways that need different treatment:
- Caches, logs and updater leftovers SAFE ; inspect regenerable cache; pending updater staging is excluded from automatic cleanup.
- Downloaded model weights WARNING ; deletable, but re-downloading 40 GB is a real cost. Delete deliberately, never in a blind sweep.
Desktop AI apps: Claude and ChatGPT
Claude Desktop and ChatGPT have different storage layouts. Inspect installed-version cache and log locations; do not assume the native ChatGPT Mac app uses the same Electron folders as Claude.
| App | Safe to clean | Typical size |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Cache, Code Cache, GPUCache and crash dumps; leave pending ShipIt updates alone | 0.5–3 GB |
| ChatGPT | Version-specific app caches and diagnostics; inspect the scanner evidence | Measure your installation |
What you must not touch: Cookies, Local Storage, Session Storage, IndexedDB, Local State. That's where your login session lives. Deleting them logs you out ; a classic mistake of overly enthusiastic cleanup scripts.
CLI agents: Claude Code, Gemini CLI
CLI tools keep state in dotfolders in your home directory:
- Claude Code ;
~/.claude/holds session transcripts, shell snapshots and per-project state. Old transcripts and shell snapshots are deletable;.claude.json, credentials and state files are not ; they hold your auth and settings. - Gemini CLI ;
~/.gemini/with a similar split: temp/cache files safe,settings.jsonand OAuth credentials not.
AI editors and coding agents: Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, Codex and more
Cursor, Windsurf and Antigravity are VS Code-derived editors, so they inherit VS Code's storage layout under ~/Library/Application Support/<Editor>/:
| Folder | What it is | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Cache, CachedData, GPUCache | Renderer + extension host caches | SAFE |
| CachedExtensionVSIXs | Downloaded extension installers | SAFE |
| Crashpad, logs | Crash dumps and logs | SAFE |
| workspaceStorage | Per-project editor state | WARNING |
| History | Local file history (undo across sessions) | WARNING |
A long-lived Cursor install commonly carries 2–8 GB of the safe stuff. workspaceStorage grows unbounded too (one folder per workspace you've ever opened), but clearing it resets per-project UI state ; your call.
DevCleaner also recognizes Codex, OpenCode, Codebuff, Cline, Aider, Continue, Goose and Copilot CLI. It separates regenerable caches and logs from conversations, credentials and workspace state, so the latter are never silently swept away. See the focused guides for clearing Cursor cache without losing projects and what is safe to delete from Codex.
More AI storage guides
For exact cleanup scope, see Claude Desktop and Claude Code, Hugging Face and PyTorch, Cursor and Codex desktop/CLI. Model downloads are Warning items, not Quick Clean targets.
Local LLM runtimes: Ollama, LM Studio
This is where the tens of gigabytes hide:
du -sh ~/.ollama/models
du -sh ~/.lmstudio/models # older versions: ~/.cache/lm-studioManage models with the tools themselves rather than deleting files:
ollama list
ollama rm llama3:70bIn LM Studio, use the My Models tab. A handful of experiments ; a 7B here, a 70B there ; easily adds up to 50+ GB of weights you tried once.
FAQ
- Where does Ollama store models on a Mac?
~/.ollama/models; blob files, several GB per model. Useollama list/ollama rminstead of deleting files by hand.- Will cleaning AI app caches log me out?
- Not if you stick to cache directories. Sessions live in Cookies, Local Storage and credential files ; a safe cleaner treats those as untouchable.
- Can I delete Claude Code's old session transcripts?
- Yes ; they're records of past sessions, not state the tool needs. Keep
.claude.jsonand anything named like credentials or state.
DevCleaner knows all of these out of the box
Free menu bar app with dedicated scanners for Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, Gemini CLI, Codex, OpenCode, Codebuff, Cline, Aider, Continue, Goose, Copilot CLI, Ollama and LM Studio ; plus Xcode, npm, Homebrew and classic toolchains. Caches are rated Safe; model weights are rated Warning and never pre-selected; credential and session files are protected by a hard deny-list the cleaner cannot cross, no matter what's selected.
Download DevCleaner ; free ↓References and scope
Reviewed for DevCleaner 1.14.5 on October 4, 2026. Paths depend on tool version and configuration. Size ranges are illustrative, not measured savings or a recovery guarantee. Check the installed tool’s version/help before running cleanup commands.