# Scan And Cleanup Caches

> scan-and-cleanup-caches

- Skill: `claudiawong522/scan-and-cleanup-caches` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add claudiawong522/scan-and-cleanup-caches`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/claudiawong522/scan-and-cleanup-caches/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: claudiawong522 (https://skillmd.com/u/claudiawong522)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/claudiawong522/scan-and-cleanup-caches

---

# scan-and-cleanup-caches

Systematically locate and safely remove application caches and data across standard system locations before deletion.

## Overview
Before deleting large files or uninstalling applications, scan multiple standard cache and data locations to ensure thorough cleanup and prevent orphaned files consuming disk space.

## Standard Cache & Data Locations to Check

### macOS
- `~/Library/Caches/`
- `~/Library/Application Support/`
- `~/Library/Preferences/`
- `/Library/Caches/`
- `~/Downloads/` (for installer artifacts)

### Linux
- `~/.cache/`
- `~/.config/`
- `~/.local/share/`
- `/var/cache/`
- `/tmp/` and `/var/tmp/`

### Windows
- `%APPDATA%\` (roaming)
- `%LOCALAPPDATA%\` (local)
- `%TEMP%\`
- `%ProgramFiles%\` (application directory)
- `%ProgramData%\`

## Steps

1. **Identify the application** - Note the exact app name and vendor
2. **Search systematically** - Use find/search commands to locate directories and files matching the app name across standard locations
3. **Review before deleting** - List all found items to confirm they belong to the target application
4. **Backup if needed** - Consider archiving important data before deletion
5. **Remove in order** - Delete cache first, then application support/config, then the main application
6. **Verify cleanup** - Search again to confirm no orphaned files remain

## Example Command (macOS/Linux)
```bash
find ~/ -type d -name "*appname*" 2>/dev/null
find ~/.cache -type f -name "*appname*" 2>/dev/null
```

## Tips
- Use case-insensitive searches to catch variations in naming
- Check file modification dates to identify which caches are actually used
- Some applications store data in non-obvious subdirectories
- Run searches with error suppression (`2>/dev/null`) to avoid permission warnings