Mac Purificator

A Mac desktop app (Electron + React + TypeScript) that finds junk, explains why it can go and why it might be better to stay, and asks you when it is not sure.

What it looks like

These pictures use made-up sample files, not a real Mac.

Install it as a Mac app

npm install
npm run package      # builds "Mac Purificator.app" into the release folder
npm run install-app  # copies it to your Applications folder

Then open it from Launchpad or Spotlight. Build it on the Mac you will use it on. The first time, macOS may ask if the app can control Finder (needed to empty the Trash).

Try it in your browser

There is a demo with sample files in the demo/ folder. It is a web page, so nothing on your computer is scanned or deleted. To put it online with Vercel, import this repo and set Root Directory to demo.

Run it

npm install
npm start        # builds and opens the app
npm run dev      # development mode with live reload
npm test         # scanner tests on a fake home folder

Overview and disk map

The first screen shows your Mac at a glance, in a purple look:

• Mac Health (Good / Okay / Needs care) with the reasons.
• Mac security settings: FileVault, System Integrity Protection, Gatekeeper and the Firewall. It reads the macOS settings. It is not a virus scanner.
• Disk, memory, battery (with health and charge cycles), CPU load, Wi-Fi speed (live, plus a Test Speed button that downloads a 25 MB test file from Cloudflare), and plugged-in drives with an eject button.
• Disk map: press the disk card to see a ring chart of Documents, Applications, Desktop, Downloads and Other. Press Measure and everything in Other is listed by size, hidden folders included. Click a folder to look inside it, or press Show to open it in Finder.
• Not shown: chip temperature (macOS only gives it to admin tools) and real-time malware protection.

How it works

• Scan changes nothing. It builds a list.
• Two tabs: Safe to remove (starts ticked) and Not sure. Your call (starts unticked, with reasons).
• Every row has a Why? button: why it can go, why it might stay, what happens after removing it, and a preview (pictures, text files, folder contents).
• App check: before anything is moved, the app looks at which apps and programs are running and which files are open. If an app is using the item, it is blocked and the row says which app. Quit the app, then press Re-check apps.
• Approved items go to the Trash (never permanent delete).
• Empty Trash (top of the window) deletes what is in the Trash for good. It shows how much is in there, lets you look inside, and asks you to confirm in a macOS window first. It also empties the Trash on plugged-in drives. The first time, macOS asks if the app may control Finder. Say OK.
• Always keep this hides an item from every future scan.

Photoshop scratch files and the Library folder

If Photoshop says "scratch disks are full", run a scan. Old Photoshop Temp files, Photoshop caches and crash-recovery files show up under Photoshop scratch. Temp files are only offered when Photoshop is closed.

The Library files tab lets you look through ~/Library folder by folder. Every item has a label (Safe, Careful or Do not delete) and a Why? that says what it is. Folders like Keychains, Mail and Messages cannot be picked. Folders with no matching installed app are marked as a possible leftover. Picked items go to the Trash.

Updating the app

On the Overview there is a Mac Purificator updates card. It looks at GitHub (it changes nothing). If there is a newer version, press Update and reopen. After you confirm, the app pulls the new code, builds it, replaces itself in Applications and reopens. It needs git and Node installed, and the mac-cleaner folder (it looks in Downloads, your home folder and Documents, or you can choose it).

Apps and extensions

The Apps & extensions tab lists the apps you installed yourself with the date you last opened each one. Pick a range of years (or "older than 1 year"), untick anything you want to keep, and move the rest to the Trash. It can also look for updates (it never installs them) and lists VS Code and Cursor extensions by the year you installed them. VS Code does not record when an extension was last used.

Tidy my files

The second button at the top. It looks at loose files in Downloads, Desktop and Documents (and a folder you pick) and suggests folders with names that say what is inside, like PDF Documents, Photos and Pictures, Screenshots and Screen Recordings - 2026-10 or HNU - project files.

• Files that start with the same word are grouped as a project. The rest are grouped by kind. A group needs 3 or more files.
• Each new folder gets _About this folder.txt with what is inside and why.
• Nothing is deleted or overwritten. Files with the same name get (2). Undo last tidy puts everything back.
• Left alone: hidden files, folders, apps, files still downloading, files changed in the last 10 minutes, and code projects (folders with package.json, .git and so on).

What it looks at

Area	Examples
Claude leftovers	Claude Code debug logs, shell snapshots, old task lists, old chat history, Claude app caches and logs
App caches and logs	~/Library/Caches, old logs, VS Code caches
Developer tools	npm / pnpm / Gradle / Maven / Cargo caches, ~/.cache
Xcode	DerivedData, simulator caches, archives, device support
Old project files	node_modules, .next, .venv, target, Pods (checks lockfile and how long since you touched the project)
Installers, big files, duplicates	.dmg / .pkg in Downloads, files over 500 MB, exact copies
Backups and mail	iPhone backups, opened Mail attachments
Unused apps	Apps in /Applications not opened for 180 days. Apps that came with macOS are never shown. App Store apps are "Safe" (free to download again). Others are "Not sure" (you may need the licence key)
Hidden folders	Known ones (.nvm, .npm logs, .expo, .vscode extensions, .adobe, .nuget, old Terminal history), hidden project caches (.angular, .dart_tool, .gradle, .pytest_cache, .mypy_cache, .ruff_cache), hidden folders inside Downloads and Documents, and any other hidden folder over 200 MB in your home folder (always "Not sure")

Safety

• src/main/safety.ts blocks anything it should never touch (Documents, Desktop, Keychains, .ssh, Git history, photo libraries, your Claude settings / skills / commands, .env files). It runs at scan time and again right before moving anything.
• Hidden folders that hold logins, keys or settings (.ssh, .config, .docker, .local, .gnupg, .aws, shell files) are never offered.
• The window can only ask to clean items from the last scan. It cannot send file paths.
• Rules live in src/main/rules.ts. To add one, add an entry with its reasons. Which app owns what is in src/main/apps.ts.
• The logo is assets/icon.svg (the dock icon is assets/icon.png).