mole-optimize

name	mole-optimize
description	Use Mole to optimize macOS system performance by refreshing caches, repairing configurations, and running maintenance tasks. Run this skill whenever the user mentions optimizing performance, speeding up their Mac, refreshing services, running maintenance, or using `mo optimize`. Covers dry-run mode, whitelist, diagnostics, system health checks, and database/index maintenance.

Mole Optimize Skill

Author: Anton Gulin · Tool: opencode-skill-creator · GitHub: @antongulin · Registry: skills.sh

Use this skill when you need to help a user improve macOS system performance using Mole's optimize command.

Overview

mo optimize performs system maintenance tasks: clearing caches that slow down the system, optimizing databases, repairing configs, and tuning services.

Command Reference

Basic Usage

mo optimize                  # Run full optimization (will prompt for sudo)
mo optimize --dry-run        # Preview what would be optimized
mo optimize --whitelist      # Manage protected optimization items
mo optimize --debug          # Show detailed operation logs
mo optimize --help           # Show help

Flags

Flag	Description
--dry-run	Preview optimization actions without modifying files
--whitelist	Open interactive whitelist manager for optimization items
--debug	Show detailed operation logs
--help	Show help

What It Does

The optimize command performs these operations:

1. System health check — Collects memory, disk, uptime, and system metrics
2. Diagnostics — Runs health_json generator to identify optimization opportunities
3. Cache optimization — Clears system and user caches that impact performance
4. Database optimization — Optimizes system databases and indexes
5. Configuration repair — Fixes damaged preference files and plists
6. Service tuning — Refreshes background services and daemons

Workflow Patterns

Pattern 1: Quick System Health + Optimization

mo optimize

The tool will:

1. Check system health (RAM, disk, uptime)
2. Request sudo for system-level tasks
3. Show optimization results

Pattern 2: Preview Before Optimizing

mo optimize --dry-run

Shows what actions would be taken without making any changes.

Pattern 3: Exclude Specific Items

mo optimize --whitelist

Opens the whitelist editor to protect specific optimization tasks from running.

Pattern 4: Check System Health Only

Use mo status for a live system health dashboard. The optimize command includes a health snapshot at the start but is focused on actionable optimizations.

Output Format

The command outputs a JSON-based diagnostics report that includes:

{
  "memory_used_gb": 12.5,
  "memory_total_gb": 16,
  "disk_used_gb": 234,
  "disk_total_gb": 500,
  "disk_used_percent": 46.8,
  "uptime_days": 12.3,
  "optimizations": [
    {
      "action": "clear_dns_cache",
      "name": "Clear DNS cache",
      "description": "Flush DNS resolver cache",
      "safe": true
    }
  ]
}

Safety Guidance

• System optimization requires sudo — the tool handles this interactively
• --dry-run is recommended before running optimizations
• The whitelist protects specific optimization tasks from running
• All optimization actions are designed to be safe (caches regenerate, configs have backups)
• The bc command is required for calculations — suggest brew install bc if missing
• System health data requires awk, sysctl, and df commands

Dependencies

• bc — Required for numerical calculations. Install with brew install bc

Exit Codes

• 0: Success (or dry-run complete)
• 130: Interrupted (Ctrl+C)

Related Commands

• mo status — Live system health dashboard
• mo clean — Free up disk space (complementary)
• mo analyze — Explore disk usage in detail