# Dev Clean Wsl

> Reclaim disk space on WSL2 by purging dev caches and orphaned build artifacts, then guide the user through compacting the ext4.vhdx from Windows. Use when: (1) the user says 'dev-clean-wsl', 'clean wsl', 'wsl disk full', 'free disk space', 'reclaim space', 'purge caches', or 'disk almost full' on a WSL machine; (2) a build or tool fails with ENOSPC / no space left; (3) the user wants to shrink the WSL virtual disk. Covers cargo target/registry, pnpm/npm caches, node_modules, and the vhdx-compaction step that actually returns space to the Windows C: drive.

- Skill: `takazudo/dev-clean-wsl` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add takazudo/dev-clean-wsl`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/takazudo/dev-clean-wsl/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: takazudo (https://skillmd.com/u/takazudo)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/takazudo/dev-clean-wsl

---


# dev-clean-wsl

Free space on a WSL2 machine, then hand the user the one step they must run
themselves to make that space real.

## The crux (why WSL is different)

On WSL2 the Linux filesystem is a single `ext4.vhdx` file that lives on the
**Windows `C:` drive**. Two consequences drive this whole skill:

1. **`/` looking healthy is not enough.** The disk that actually fills up is

   usually `C:`, not the Linux `/`. The scan reports both — read `C:` first.

2. **Deleting files inside WSL does not shrink the vhdx.** The vhdx only grows; freed

   blocks stay allocated until the vhdx is **compacted from Windows**. So every purge
   below is "banked" inside WSL and becomes real free space on `C:` only after the
   compaction step. Always finish with that step — skipping it makes the cleanup
   look like it did nothing from Windows' side.

`wsl --shutdown` (required for compaction) kills this session, so compaction is
always handed to the user as commands to run in a **Windows** terminal — never run
it from inside WSL.

## Step 1 — Scan (read-only)

```bash
bash $HOME/.claude/skills/dev-clean-wsl/scripts/scan.sh [code-root]
```

`code-root` is optional (defaults to `$HOME/repos`, else `$HOME`) — the directory
searched for `node_modules` and orphaned `target/` dirs. The deep home scan takes
~1 minute. It deletes nothing and prints: `/` vs `C:` usage, the vhdx path + size,
top home consumers, and per-category reclaimable sizes.

## Step 2 — Present findings and confirm

Turn the scan into a short table grouped by safety, then get the user's pick
(AskUserQuestion works well for multi-select). Do not delete large or ambiguous
things silently — these caches are recoverable but rebuilds/re-downloads cost time.

Safety tier, highest-value-and-safest first:

| Tier | Item | Why safe |
|---|---|---|
| Free (zero cost) | **Orphaned in-repo `target/`** when a global `target-dir` redirect is active | Nothing builds there anymore — pure dead weight (often the single biggest win) |
| Free (zero cost) | **Orphaned pnpm `store/vN`** (older than the active version) | `pnpm store prune` never touches old store versions; they are abandoned |
| Safe | cargo `debug/incremental`, `release/incremental` | Pure incremental cache; only slightly slows the next build |
| Safe | cargo `registry/src` + `registry/cache` | Re-fetched on demand (keep `registry/index` — refresh is slow) |
| Safe | `pnpm store prune` on the active store | Drops only unreferenced packages |
| Safe | `npm cache clean --force` (`~/.npm`) | Re-downloaded on demand |
| Costs a rebuild | active cargo `target` `debug/deps` (the big GB) | Only `cargo clean` / `rm` reclaims it; forces a full cold rebuild |
| Reinstallable | idle projects' `node_modules` | `pnpm/npm install` restores them; clear projects you are not actively on |

**Leave alone unless the user explicitly names them:**

- **User data**, not cache — e.g. `~/youtube-dl`, `~/Downloads`, media. Never auto-delete.
- **Published/intentional build outputs** — `dist/`, packaged release tarballs.

  These are project-specific and may be wanted; do not treat a generic `dist/` as cache.

## Step 3 — Purge (only what the user confirmed)

Safety rules:

- **Relative-path deletes only.** `cd` into the parent, then `rm -rf ./name` —

  never `rm -rf /absolute/path`. This is a guardrail against a mistyped absolute path.

- **Check nothing is using a dir before clearing it.** Before wiping a `target/`,

  build dir, or CI-runner workspace, confirm no live build/process owns it
  (`ps -eo cmd | grep -iE 'cargo|Runner\.Worker'`). Clearing a dir mid-build breaks it.

- **Confirm "orphaned" before claiming zero-cost.** An in-repo `target/` is orphaned

  only if a global `target-dir` redirect (env `CARGO_TARGET_DIR` or
  `~/.cargo/config.toml [build] target-dir`) points elsewhere AND its newest artifact
  predates the switch. The scan prints both signals.

Per-category commands (adapt paths from the scan output):

```bash
# Orphaned in-repo target (zero rebuild cost — redirect is active elsewhere)
cd /path/to/repo && rm -rf ./target

# Orphaned old pnpm store version (active is vN; vN-1 etc. are dead)
cd "$(dirname "$(pnpm store path)")" && rm -rf ./v10        # example: active is v11

# cargo incremental cache (safe; minor next-build slowdown)
cd "$ACTIVE_TARGET/debug" && rm -rf ./incremental

# cargo registry (re-fetched; keep index)
cd "$HOME/.cargo/registry" && rm -rf ./src ./cache

# pnpm + npm caches
pnpm store prune
npm cache clean --force

# idle project's node_modules (reinstallable)
cd /path/to/idle-project && rm -rf ./node_modules
```

For the big active cargo `debug/deps`, only offer `cargo clean` / deleting the whole
target dir if the user accepts a full cold rebuild — call out the tradeoff explicitly.

After purging, re-run a quick `df -h /` and re-measure the touched dirs so the
reported total reflects reality.

## Step 4 — Hand off the vhdx compaction (the step that frees C:)

This is the finale every run must end on. Pull the vhdx path from the scan output and
give the user a ready-to-paste block for a **Windows PowerShell** terminal (not WSL):

```powershell
wsl --shutdown
# Easiest (modern WSL — also keeps it sparse going forward):
wsl --manage <DistroName> --set-sparse true    # DistroName from: wsl -l -v

# …or a reliable one-time compaction via diskpart:
diskpart
  select vdisk file="C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\wsl\{GUID}\ext4.vhdx"
  attach vdisk readonly
  compact vdisk
  detach vdisk
  exit
```

Set expectations honestly: compaction reclaims only the *free* blocks inside the
filesystem (i.e. roughly what was just purged), so the vhdx — and `C:` usage — stays
about as large as the real data still inside WSL. State the rough before/after `C:`
free numbers from the scan so the user knows what to expect.

If the scan could not find the vhdx, have the user locate it on Windows with
`Get-ChildItem -Recurse $env:LOCALAPPDATA -Filter ext4.vhdx`.

## Bonus — stale Codex processes (EMFILE / inotify exhaustion)

Not a disk problem, but the same "WSL slowly rots" family: orphaned codex plugin
brokers pile up (~3 processes each) and each eats inotify instances; at
`fs.inotify.max_user_instances=128` Vite starts failing with EMFILE. Sweep them:

```bash
node $HOME/.claude/scripts/codex-sweep.js
```

(A SessionStart hook runs this automatically once per 6h; the manual run is for
when EMFILE already struck. See /codex-sweep for details.)

Belt and braces — raise the ceiling so accumulation between sweeps can't bite:

```bash
echo 'fs.inotify.max_user_instances=1024' | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/60-inotify.conf
sudo sysctl --system
```

## Notes

- Self-hosted CI runners sometimes show up as large dirs. Their `_work/` is

  ephemeral CI workspace (safe to clear when idle); fully removing a runner means
  stopping + uninstalling its **root-owned** systemd service first
  (`sudo ./svc.sh stop && sudo ./svc.sh uninstall`), which needs the user's sudo
  password — hand them those commands rather than guessing.

- This skill assumes WSL2. On a non-WSL host the scan still reports reclaimable

  caches, but the vhdx/compaction step does not apply — the script flags this.