matthull /disk-cleanup
Analyze disk usage and clean package/container caches on an Arch Linux workstation.
Trigger: User mentions disk space, storage, cleanup, or "drive is full."
Analysis Phase
Run these commands to build a usage picture. Start broad, drill into the big items.
1. Overall State
df -h /
2. Top-Level Scan
Measure /home/<user>/* and /home/<user>/.* (hidden dirs) separately:
du -sh /home/<user>/* 2>/dev/null > /tmp/du-home.txt
sort -rh /tmp/du-home.txt > /tmp/du-home-sorted.txt
du -sh /home/<user>/.* 2>/dev/null > /tmp/du-hidden.txt
sort -rh /tmp/du-hidden.txt > /tmp/du-hidden-sorted.txt
Then read the sorted files. The usual suspects for hidden dirs:
~/.cache(yay, pip, uv, yarn, npm, Cypress, Playwright, puppeteer, huggingface, browsers)~/.local/share(Steam, vosk, waydroid, whisper models, flatpak)~/.npm,~/.gradle,~/.gem,~/.nvm,~/.rustup,~/.cargo
3. Docker
docker system df # Summary: images, containers, volumes, build cache
docker system df -v # Verbose: per-image and per-volume breakdown
Check for orphaned worktree Docker environments — containers/volumes from worktrees that no longer exist. Compare docker ps -a --format "{{.Names}}" against git worktree list.
4. System Caches
du -sh /var/cache/pacman 2>/dev/null # pacman package cache
du -sh /var/log 2>/dev/null # system logs
du -sh /opt 2>/dev/null # optional packages (DaVinci Resolve, etc.)
Cleanup Commands (Safe)
All of these are safe — they clear caches that will be rebuilt on demand. No data loss risk.
Package Manager Caches
| Cache | Command | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| yay (AUR builds) | yay -Sc --noconfirm |
Often the single biggest hog (100GB+). Clears build source + compiled packages. |
| pacman | paccache -r |
Keeps last 3 versions. Use paccache -rk1 to keep only 1. |
| npm | npm cache clean --force |
|
| yarn | yarn cache clean |
|
| pip | pip cache purge |
|
| uv | uv cache clean |
|
| Go build | go clean -cache |
|
| Gradle | rm -rf ~/.gradle/caches |
Only if not actively building Android |
Docker
| What | Command | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dangling images | docker image prune -f |
Images not tagged or referenced |
| All unused images | docker image prune -a -f |
Images not used by any container. Will require rebuild next time. |
| Orphaned volumes | docker volume prune -f |
Volumes not attached to any container |
| Full cleanup | docker system prune -a --volumes -f |
Nuclear option: images + containers + volumes + networks |
Worktree Docker Cleanup
If your project scopes Docker resources per worktree, tear those down before removing the
worktree — otherwise wtp remove leaves orphaned containers and volumes behind:
cd /path/to/worktree
../../<project>/scripts/wtp-cleanup-env.sh
A per-worktree Docker Compose project is typically named <project>-wt-{ID}. Check your
project's cleanup script for the exact naming.
Known gap: wtp remove does not call any such script automatically. It must be run
manually before worktree removal.
Browser/Test Tool Caches
These are large and safe to clear, but will re-download on next use:
| Cache | Location | Clear command |
|---|---|---|
| Cypress | ~/.cache/Cypress |
rm -rf ~/.cache/Cypress |
| Playwright | ~/.cache/ms-playwright |
rm -rf ~/.cache/ms-playwright |
| Puppeteer | ~/.cache/puppeteer |
rm -rf ~/.cache/puppeteer |
| Selenium | ~/.cache/selenium |
rm -rf ~/.cache/selenium |
Verification
After cleanup, verify with df -h / and compare before/after.
What NOT to Clean Without Asking
~/Videos,~/Pictures,~/docs— personal media, operator decides~/.local/share/Steam— games, operator decides~/.local/share/vosk,~/.cache/huggingface— ML models, may be in active use/var/lib/docker— never rm directly, use Docker CLI- Any git repo or worktree directory