<p align="right"><b>macOS</b> · <a href="https://github.com/tw93/Mole/tree/windows#readme">Windows</a> · <a href="https://github.com/tw93/Mole/tree/linux#readme">Linux</a></p>
<div align="center">
<h1>Mole</h1>
<p><b>Deep clean, uninstall, optimize, analyze disk and monitor your Mac. Free open-source CLI, plus a Mac app.</b></p>
<p>English · <a href="README_CN.md">中文</a> · <a href="README_TW.md">繁體</a> · <a href="README_JA.md">日本語</a> · <a href="README_KR.md">한국어</a> · <a href="README_DE.md">Deutsch</a> · <a href="README_FR.md">Français</a> · <a href="README_UA.md">Українська</a> · <a href="README_RU.md">Русский</a></p>
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</div>
<p align="center">
<img src="./docs/img/big-mole.png" alt="Mole cleanup results" width="1000" />
</p>
> 💡 This repo is the free open-source CLI (`mo`). Prefer a native app? [Mole for Mac](https://mole.fit/) is a separate download with review-before-delete cleanup, tested leftovers for 800+ apps, maintenance, disk drill-downs, live status, and fan controls on supported Macs. On Windows, the native app is [Mole for Windows](https://mole.fit/windows). `brew install mole` installs the CLI only.
## Features
- **All-in-one CLI toolkit**: Combines CleanMyMac, AppCleaner, DaisyDisk, and iStat Menus style workflows in one terminal command
- **Deep clean**: Removes caches, logs, leftovers, and orphaned app data to reclaim disk space
- **Smart uninstaller**: Removes apps together with LaunchAgents, preferences, and leftovers
- **Disk analyzer**: Visualizes disk usage with an interactive TUI, finds large files, and navigates directories
- **System maintenance**: Flushes DNS, refreshes QuickLook/icons, and optimizes system databases
- **Live monitoring**: Shows real-time CPU, memory, disk I/O, network traffic, and process stats
## Quick Start
Mole requires macOS 12 or newer and supports both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. If Homebrew no longer supports your macOS version, use the script install instead.
**Install via Homebrew**
```bash
brew install mole
```
**Or via script**
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/mole/main/install.sh | bash
```
**With an AI agent**
Tell your agent:
> Install Mole for me by reading https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/Mole/main/llms.txt
Or install the skill yourself. With it, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other agents show every cleanup with `--dry-run` before anything is removed, and leave app uninstalls and administrator steps to you. Update with `npx skills update -g -y`.
```bash
npx skills add tw93/Mole -a claude-code codex cursor -g -y
```
As a host plugin: `/plugin marketplace add tw93/Mole` then `/plugin install mole@mole` in Claude Code, or `codex plugin marketplace add tw93/Mole` then `codex plugin add mole@mole` in Codex.
**Run**
```bash
mo # Interactive menu
mo clean # Deep cleanup + already-uninstalled app leftovers
mo uninstall # Remove installed apps + their leftovers
mo optimize # Refresh caches & services
mo analyze # Visual disk explorer (or 'mo analyse')
mo status # Live system health dashboard
mo purge # Clean project build artifacts
mo installer # Find and remove installer files
mo slim # Remove Intel code from universal apps
mo touchid # Configure Touch ID for sudo
mo completion # Set up shell tab completion
mo update # Update Mole
mo update --nightly # Update to latest unreleased main build, script install only
mo remove # Remove Mole from system
mo --help # Show help
mo --version # Show installed version
```
**Preview safely**
```bash
mo clean --dry-run
mo uninstall --dry-run
mo optimize --dry-run
mo purge --dry-run
mo installer --dry-run
mo slim --dry-run
mo history
mo history --json
mo clean --dry-run --debug # Preview + detailed logs
mo optimize --whitelist # Manage protected optimization rules
mo clean --whitelist # Manage protected caches
mo purge --paths # Configure project scan directories
mo analyze /Volumes # Analyze external drives only
mo analyze /private/tmp # Review user-owned temporary directories
```
<details>
<summary><strong>Other install options</strong></summary>
To install a specific release, pass any tag from the [releases page](https://github.com/tw93/mole/releases), with or without its leading `V`. To track the development branch instead, pass `main`:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/mole/main/install.sh | bash -s -- 1.51.0
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/mole/main/install.sh | bash -s -- main
```
`main` installs unreleased code from the default branch, so expect rough edges. `latest` still works as a legacy alias for `main`; despite the name it does not install the newest stable release.
The script normally installs to `/usr/local/bin`, which may ask for an administrator password. Install into a user-owned directory if you want future `mo update` runs to stay password-free:
```bash
mkdir -p "$HOME/.local/bin"
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/mole/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --prefix "$HOME/.local/bin"
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
```
Add the same `PATH` export to `~/.zshrc` or your shell profile for new terminals. Mole updates the installation you invoked, so it keeps using this directory. Commands that change system-owned files may still request administrator access.
**Nix**
On macOS, Nix users can install the flake from `main`, which contains unreleased changes:
```bash
nix profile install github:tw93/mole/main#mole
nix profile upgrade mole
nix profile remove mole
```
For a declarative installation, add `github:tw93/mole/main` as a flake input and use its `packages.${system}.mole` package. Update or remove Mole through Nix; `mo update` and `mo remove` leave Nix-managed installations unchanged.
</details>
**On Windows** ([Windows CLI](https://github.com/tw93/Mole/tree/windows#readme))
```powershell
iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/Mole/windows/quick-install.ps1 | iex
```
Mole is only distributed through Homebrew, this repository and [mole.fit](https://mole.fit/). `molemac.com`, `moleapp.net` and `molefit.com` are not Mole, and the Windows app at `mole.bluecatbot.com` is a separate community project.
## Safety
Mole can remove files, so it validates paths, protects shared and system-owned locations, and asks for confirmation when an action needs it. When Mole cannot prove an item is safe to change, it skips or refuses it.
- `clean`, `uninstall`, `purge`, `installer`, `slim`, and `remove` can delete files, so review them with `--dry-run` first and add `--debug` when needed
- Run Mole without `sudo`; it requests administrator access only when needed
- `mo uninstall`, `mo analyze`, and `mo slim` route deletions to Trash by default after confirmation; `clean`, `purge`, and `installer` delete permanently. `mo uninstall --permanent` skips Trash
- Cleanup activity is recorded in `~/Library/Logs/mole/operations.log`; review it with `mo history` or disable it with `MO_NO_OPLOG=1`
- Protect caches with `mo clean --whitelist`, or maintenance items with `mo optimize --whitelist`
- If the whitelist file cannot be read, `clean`, `purge`, and `optimize` stop instead of running without it
Review [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) and [SECURITY_AUDIT.md](SECURITY_AUDIT.md) for reporting guidance, safety boundaries, and current limitations.
## Features in Detail
The examples below are shortened. Available items, sizes, and skip reasons depend on your Mac.
### Clean
`mo clean` reviews known-safe caches, logs, temporary files, developer artifacts, and leftovers from apps that are no longer installed. It empties `~/.Trash` by default; to keep it, select Trash in `mo clean --whitelist`, the same menu that protects caches you want to keep. Volume Trashes such as `/Volumes/*/.Trashes` are not emptied with it. Selections persist in `~/.config/mole/whitelist`. Before adding custom paths, open the menu and press Enter to save the selections, then append one path per line. An existing file replaces the optional defaults; built-in safety protections still apply.
```text
$ mo clean
Clean Your Mac
⚙ Apple Silicon | Free space: 219.0GB
➤ User essentials
✓ User app cache · 18 items, 2.4GB
✓ User app logs · 7 items, 12.8MB
✓ Trash · emptied, 9 items
➤ App caches
✓ App Store cache · 8 items, 248.5MB
➤ Browsers
✓ Safari cache · 24 items, 642.1MB
✓ Chrome cache · 31 items, 1.2GB
➤ Developer tools
✓ npm cache · cleaned
◎ pnpm cache · skipped (pnpm busy)
======================================================================
Cleanup complete
Removed: 4.5GB · 97 items
Free space: 223.5GB (+4.5GB)
======================================================================
```
### Uninstall
`mo uninstall` removes an installed app together with related files that Mole can tie back to that app. It keeps shared data when another installed copy still uses it. If the app is already gone, use `mo clean` to look for leftovers.
Personal data, including settings and plugins, is kept by default. Press `D` in the removal preview to select individual data paths. `mo uninstall --with-data` starts with that data selected, except browser profiles and App Group containers; the preview lists it separately and `D` still lets you keep any path. After removal, references in shell, Hook, or MCP configuration are listed by file and line only; Mole does not edit those configurations.
```text
$ mo uninstall
Select Apps to Remove 1/3 selected
➤ ● Photoshop 2024 4.20GB | 2mo ago
○ IntelliJ IDEA 2.80GB | 3d ago
○ Premiere Pro 3.40GB | 2w ago
Files to be removed:
✓ Photoshop 2024, 4.20GB
✓ /Applications/Adobe Photoshop 2024/Adobe Photoshop 2024.app
Personal data kept:
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop 2024
~/Library/Preferences/com.adobe.Photoshop.plist
D choose personal data
======================================================================
Uninstall complete
Removed 1 app, freed 4.20GB: Photoshop 2024
======================================================================
```
### Optimize
`mo optimize` runs bounded maintenance for supported Finder, network, database, and macOS services. Tasks that are unnecessary, unsafe at the moment, or unavailable are skipped with a reason. Use `mo optimize --whitelist` to exclude tasks or path patterns, such as a long-lived mounted disk image at `/Volumes/mail` that should not show up as a detach candidate.
```text
$ mo optimize
Optimize
⚙ System 18/32 GB RAM | 616/926 GB Disk | Uptime 6d
PERFORMANCE DIAGNOSIS
✓ No sustained high-CPU bottleneck detected
➤ Finder Cache Refresh
✓ QuickLook thumbnails refreshed
✓ Icon services cache rebuilt
➤ Network Cache Refresh
✓ DNS cache refreshed
➤ Database Optimization
◎ Close these apps before database optimization: Safari
➤ Disk Health
✓ Disk verify skipped
======================================================================
Optimization Complete
Applied 2 optimizations
13 unchanged | 3 skipped | 1 unavailable
======================================================================
```
### Analyze
`mo analyze` opens a terminal disk explorer. It supports arrow keys and Vim navigation, filtering, multi-selection, Finder preview, and confirmed moves to Trash. External drives are skipped from the default overview; inspect them with `mo analyze /Volumes` or a specific mount path. Use `mo analyze /private/tmp` to review user-owned temporary files without turning them into automatic cleanup targets. File-by-file scans count APFS clones that share all blocks once; fast folder estimates can still count shared blocks more than once.
A size ending in `+` contains measured bytes from a partial scan; `unknown` means the size could not be measured. Results cut short by temporary failures such as timeouts do not replace complete cached measurements, and a later refresh can recover the missing data. Folders macOS will not let the terminal read stay partial until access changes. The terminal list keeps the 30 largest entries, so an unreadable entry may fall outside that list; the total still indicates a partial scan. Directory JSON output includes all scanned entries.
`mo analyze --json /path` includes `scan_status` on the result and each entry: `complete`, `partial`, or `unavailable`. Numeric sizes contain measured bytes; a zero with `unavailable` does not mean an empty directory. Partial scans still exit successfully, so automation should inspect `scan_status`. Completeness applies within Mole's existing scan exclusions and does not promise an atomic filesystem snapshot.
```text
$ mo analyze
Analyze Disk (302.1GB free)
Select a location to explore:
▶ 1. ████████████████████████ 47.9% | Home 75.4GB
2. ███████████ 22.0% | User Library 34.6GB
3. ███████ 14.2% | Applications 22.4GB
4. █████ 10.7% | System Library 16.9GB
5. ███ 5.2% | Old Downloads (90d+) 8.2GB >3mo
```
### Status
`mo status` is a read-only dashboard for hardware, system pressure, disk activity, network traffic, power, and processes.
When the IPv4 default route uses a tunnel, network graphs use that interface’s rates to avoid counting the same traffic again on its physical carrier. JSON retains per-interface rates, including the routed tunnel; idle non-default tunnels stay hidden.
```text
$ mo status
Mole Status Health ● 92 MacBook Pro · M4 Pro · 32GB · macOS 26
⚙ CPU ▦ Memory
Total ████████████░░░░░░░ 45.2% Used ███████████░░░░░░░ 58.4%
Load 0.82 / 1.05 / 1.23 (8 cores) Total 18.7 / 32.0 GB
Core 1 ███████████████░░░░ 78.3% Free ████████░░░░░░░░░░ 41.6%
Core 2 ████████████░░░░░░░ 62.1% Avail 13.3 GB
▤ Disk ⚡ Power
Used █████████████░░░░░░ 67.2% Level ██████████████████ 100%
Free 156.3 GB Status Charged
Read ▮▯▯▯▯ 2.1 MB/s Health Normal · 423 cycles
Write ▮▮▮▯▯ 18.3 MB/s Temp 58°C · 1200 RPM
⇅ Network ▶ Processes
Down ▁▁█▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▇▆▅▂ 0.54 MB/s Zombies 3 · Chrome (4242) ×3
Up ▄▄▄▃▃▃▄▆▆▇█▁▁▁▁▁ 0.02 MB/s Code ▮▮▮▮▯ 42.1%
Proxy HTTP · 192.168.1.100 Chrome ▮▮▮▯▯ 28.3%
```
The health score combines CPU, memory, disk capacity, SMART status, I/O, thermals, battery state, and uptime, with color-coded ranges. Press `k` to toggle the cat, `c` to cycle the number of CPU cores shown, or `q` to quit; display preferences are saved.
<details>
<summary><strong>JSON, NDJSON, and process alerts</strong></summary>
- `mo analyze --json ~/Documents` returns a one-time disk report as JSON
- `mo status --json` returns a one-time status snapshot as JSON
- `mo status | jq '.health_score'` switches to JSON automatically when output is piped
- `mo status --watch --interval 2s` streams newline-delimited JSON from a warm collector
- `mo history --json` returns cleanup activity as JSON. Sessions include `run_id` (an opaque string, empty when no identity was logged) and `attribution`: `run` for identified runs, `command` for legacy command-based grouping, or `ambiguous` when legacy markers cannot distinguish interruption from overlapping runs. Recorded actions remain available; ambiguous counts cannot be assigned reliably to individual runs. An empty `ended_at` means no end marker was recorded
- `mo uninstall --list` returns installed apps as JSON with `name`, `bundle_id`, `source`, `uninstall_name`, `path` and `size`
```text
$ mo analyze --json ~/Documents
{
"path": "/Users/you/Documents",
"overview": false,
"entries": [
{ "name": "Library", "path": "...", "size": 80939438080, "is_dir": true }
],
"large_files": [
{ "name": "backup.zip", "path": "...", "size": 8796093022 }
],
"total_size": 168393441280,
"total_files": 42187
}
$ mo status --json
{
"host": "MacBook-Pro",
"health_score": 92,
"cpu": { "usage": 45.2, "logical_cpu": 8 },
"memory": { "total": 34359738368, "used": 20078972109, "used_percent": 58.4 },
"disks": [],
"process_collected_at": "2026-08-29T12:30:00Z",
"process_stale": false,
"zombie_count": 3,
"zombie_parents": [
{ "pid": 4242, "name": "Google Chrome for Testing", "count": 3 }
],
"zombie_parents_complete": true,
"uptime": "3d 12h 45m"
}
```
Zombie diagnostics are read-only and do not affect the health score or terminate processes. Before
Mole has a successful process sample, `process_collected_at`, `process_stale`, `zombie_count`, and
`zombie_parents_complete` are omitted and `zombie_parents` is `null`. Later fast/watch snapshots
reuse the latest successful sample with its original `process_collected_at` and set
`process_stale: true`; a live process sample sets it to `false`. A count of `0` means Mole measured
no zombies. Parent summaries contain at most three known owners;
`zombie_parents_complete: false` means attribution was unavailable, incomplete, or truncated.
If one collector fails, `mo status --json` still prints the metrics that were collected, reports the
failure on stderr, and exits successfully, the same way `--watch` keeps streaming. It exits 1
when none of CPU, memory, disk, or process metrics are available, or when JSON output fails.
Status also supports read-only alerts for processes that stay above a CPU threshold. Use `--proc-cpu-threshold`, `--proc-cpu-window`, or `--proc-cpu-alerts=false` to tune or disable them.
</details>
### Purge
`mo purge` finds rebuildable project artifacts such as `node_modules`, `target`, `.build`, `build`, and `dist`. It groups artifacts by project and permanently deletes only the items you confirm. Artifacts with file activity in the last 7 days, or activity Mole cannot verify, are unselected by default. Mole uses `fd` when available and falls back to `find`, and protects directories containing deployment keypair files, nested Git repositories, or Git-tracked files. Non-interactive runs require `mo purge --yes`; use `mo purge --dry-run` to review the candidates first.
Use Page Up/Down or `h`/`l` to move a page, `[`/`]` to jump between projects, and `X` to skip a project and advance. `/` searches project paths and artifact names, `n` finds the next match without changing selections, and Enter opens the final path review. Reported space is an estimate; unmeasured artifacts and incomplete scans are identified explicitly.
<details>
<summary><strong>Purge example output</strong></summary>
```text
$ mo purge
Purge Project Artifacts
Select Artifacts to Purge
6.00GB, 2 selected
➤ ● ┌ ~/Projects/website 3.80GB | node_modules | 28d
○ └ ~/Projects/website 186MB | dist | <1d
● ┌ ~/Projects/rust-app 2.20GB | target | 2mo
○ └ ~/Projects/rust-app 22MB | dist | <7d
======================================================================
Purge complete
Estimated space freed: 6.00GB | Items: 2 | Free: 223.5GB
======================================================================
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Custom Scan Paths</strong></summary>
Run `mo purge --paths` to configure scan directories, or edit `~/.config/mole/purge_paths` directly:
```shell
~/Documents/MyProjects
~/Work/ClientA
~/Work/ClientB
```
When custom paths are configured, Mole scans only those directories. Otherwise, it uses defaults like `~/Projects`, `~/GitHub`, `~/dev`, and supported agent worktree containers. Discovery does not save an incomplete result. Artifact scans reach six levels below each configured root; add a nearer root for deeper projects. Purge removes rebuildable artifacts inside worktrees, never the worktrees themselves.
</details>
### Installer
`mo installer` finds DMG, PKG, MPKG, ISO, XIP, and installer ZIP files in Downloads, Desktop, Homebrew caches, iCloud, Mail, Telegram, and other supported locations, and shows each item's size and source before removal. Discovery has a cumulative time limit: if a scan or metadata probe fails or times out, Mole discards the list and exits without selecting files. Corrupt and unreadable ZIP archives are skipped, symlinked scan roots are supported but symlinks beneath them are not followed, and selected files are checked again against their confirmed identity at the deletion boundary.
<details>
<summary><strong>Installer example output</strong></summary>
```text
$ mo installer
Select Installers to Remove, 3.83GB, 5 selected
➤ ● Photoshop_2024.dmg 1.20GB | Downloads
● IntelliJ_IDEA.dmg 850.6MB | Downloads
● Illustrator_Setup.pkg 920.4MB | Downloads
● PyCharm_Pro.dmg 640.5MB | Homebrew
● Acrobat_Reader.dmg 220.4MB | Downloads
○ AppCode_Legacy.zip 410.6MB | Downloads
======================================================================
Installers cleaned
Removed 5 installers, freed 3.83GB
======================================================================
```
</details>
### Slim
`mo slim` removes the Intel code that universal apps carry on Apple Silicon Macs. It lists the apps you own that are signed with a Developer ID, with the size of each app's Intel code, and changes only the apps you select. Each app is slimmed on a copy, touching only main executables and nested code that carries its own signature; the copy replaces the app only after it keeps its Apple Silicon code and passes code signing and Gatekeeper checks, and the original moves to the Trash. App Store apps, Apple apps, apps set to open using Rosetta, apps owned by another user, and running apps are left alone. It needs no developer tools, and an app update brings the Intel code back.
## Quick Launchers
<details>
<summary><strong>Raycast and Alfred setup</strong></summary>
Install five launchers for Clean, Uninstall, Optimize, Analyze, and Status:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/Mole/main/scripts/setup-quick-launchers.sh | bash
```
The script adds Raycast commands and, when Alfred preferences are present, matching Alfred workflows with the keywords `clean`, `uninstall`, `optimize`, `analyze`, and `status`.
Raycast needs one manual setup:
1. Open **Raycast Settings > Extensions > Script Commands**.
2. Add `~/Library/Application Support/Raycast/script-commands` as a script directory.
3. Run **Reload Script Directories** in Raycast.
The launchers auto-detect Terminal, iTerm2, Alacritty, kitty, WezTerm, Ghostty, Hyper, WindTerm, and Warp. Set `MO_LAUNCHER_APP=<name>` to choose one; you can also run Mole directly in [Kaku](https://github.com/tw93/Kaku).
</details>
## Community
Thanks to everyone who helped build Mole. Go follow them. ❤️
<a href="https://github.com/tw93/Mole/graphs/contributors">
<img src="./CONTRIBUTORS.svg?v=2" alt="Mole contributors" width="1000" />
</a>
<br/><br/>
Real feedback from users who shared Mole on 𝕏.
<img src="./docs/img/mole-love.png" alt="Community feedback on Mole" width="1000" />
Watch the [Mole tutorial video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEe9-w4CcQ0) by PAPAYA 電腦教室.
## Support
- Getting [Mole for Mac](https://mole.fit) is the most direct way to support Mole's development
- If Mole helped you, give it a star, [share it](https://x.com/intent/tweet?url=https://github.com/tw93/Mole&text=Mole%20-%20Deep%20clean%20and%20optimize%20your%20Mac.), or open an issue or PR
- I have two cats, TangYuan and Coke, and if Mole makes your life a little easier, feel free to treat them to <a href="https://cats.tw93.fun?name=Mole" target="_blank">canned food 🥩</a>
These lovely people already did 🐱
<a href="https://cats.tw93.fun?name=Mole"><img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/sponsors/main/assets/sponsors.svg" alt="Mole supporters" width="1000" loading="lazy" /></a>
## License
Mole is open source under GPL-3.0; see [LICENSE](LICENSE). Any modified version you share must remain under the same license. If you fork Mole, please use a distinct name and credit Mole as the upstream source. [Mole for Mac](https://mole.fit) is a separate proprietary app, and Mole is here for the long run.