Toolchains leave artifacts
Node.js, Flutter/Dart, Gradle and project-linked Xcode DerivedData create generated artifacts across a Mac.
Available now · Your disk has a story.
Know where your developer disk space went.
ExactDisk maps Node.js, Flutter/Dart, Gradle and project-linked Xcode DerivedData to your projects—and explains reclaim risk.
Get ExactDisk on the Mac App Store Available now on the Mac App Store
Local-firstNo accountNo AI decides what gets removed
Chapter 01 Discover
See exactly where the space went—in the real app.
Inside ExactDisk 1.0.0
See the app in action.
Actual macOS app captures using demo projects. Explore storage, review the reclaim checks, and see how each outcome is explained. Select any screenshot to enlarge it.
Projects
See which project owns the space.
Ecosystems
Compare the developer tools detected on your Mac.
Review before reclaim
Confirm the selected items before moving them to macOS Trash.
Local-first settings
Offline scanning, no account, and folders you choose.
Reclaim History
Review outcomes and observed storage after a matching rescan.
Visible app blockers
Reclaim waits while visible developer tools are open.
More reclaim safety states
Quiet window
A 60-second quiet window is one of the checks before reclaim.
Changed files
Changes after a scan disable reclaim until you rescan.
Used plans
A used plan cannot be replayed. Rescan to build a new one.
Chapter 02 Understand
Know what created it, and what it would cost to remove.
The developer storage problem
Your tools build up more than code.
Build output, package installs, caches and generated files spread across a Mac. A folder and byte count rarely tell you what created them—or whether cleanup is a good idea.
Projects share ecosystems
One development tool can consume space across many repositories. Project totals alone miss that bigger picture.
Cleanup needs context
Some artifacts rebuild easily. Others are shared, active, or authoritative project data. They should not look the same.
Two ways to understand it
Projects show where. Ecosystems show what.
ExactDisk keeps the project as the main view, with an ecosystem lens that aggregates a toolchain's footprint across projects.
01 / Projects
Where does storage belong?
See storage associated with each project.
Desktop appProject
Mobile appProject
Web serviceProject
02 / Ecosystems
What created it?
Current production detector support.
Node.jsSupported in 1.0
Flutter / DartSupported in 1.0
GradleSupported in 1.0
Project-linked Xcode DerivedDataSupported in 1.0
A clear path from scan to reclaim
Understand first. Act only after fresh checks.
Scanning and planning are read-only. Reclaim requires your confirmation and a final validation before anything moves.
Choose scope
You select the folders ExactDisk may inspect.
Scan
Read-only analysis maps projects and developer storage.
Classify
Rules explain risk and storage attribution.
Revalidate
Fresh checks can block an item if conditions changed.
Move to Trash
Approved items go to macOS Trash, never silent permanent deletion.
Chapter 03 Reclaim safely
Only the narrow eligible set moves—to macOS Trash, after fresh checks.
Clear classifications
Know the risk before you reclaim.
Classification is explicit and rule-based. The most protective applicable classification wins.
✓Safe
Disposable output with low recreation cost and a rule showing it is non-authoritative.
↻Rebuildable
Can be recreated from project or tool inputs, though rebuilding may take time or compute.
!Review
Context makes automatic removal too uncertain or potentially disruptive.
×Never touch
Source, credentials, signing assets, repository-critical data and items outside approved scope.
Safety-first reclaim
Conservative by design. Explainable at every step.
ExactDisk uses deterministic rules and documented safety signals. When a required check is unavailable or ambiguous, reclaim is blocked.
Your selected folders
The Mac App Store design uses the App Sandbox and user-selected folder access. Permission denial reduces visibility; it does not make cleanup more permissive.
Active project protection
Visible developer apps, filesystem activity, Git evidence and project protection signals can block reclaim when a project appears active or uncertain.
A bounded quiet window
ExactDisk 1.0 requires 60 seconds without relevant writes as one additional conservative signal—not proof that a project is inactive.
Fresh checks before Trash
ExactDisk checks paths, identity, scope, permissions and protection state again immediately before acting. Changed or stale items are skipped.
Only the narrow eligible set
In ExactDisk 1.0, one-click reclaim is limited to project-local, exclusively attributed Safe or Rebuildable artifacts. Shared, global, unattributed, Review, Never-touch and worktree items are excluded.
Trash, with no fallback
Approved items move to macOS Trash. If that operation fails, ExactDisk reports it and leaves the item in place.
Activity has limits. The App Store sandbox cannot inspect every process working directory. A headless or read-only process with no observable filesystem writes may not be detectable. ExactDisk does not claim to detect every active process.
Private by default
Your storage map stays on your Mac.
Core scanning and classification are local-first and offline-capable. No account, cloud service or project upload is required.
No analytics
No telemetry
No source-code upload
No external AI API required
No cloud or project upload
History stays local and user-clearable
Made for developer storage
Useful detail, without the junk list.
Project-aware scanning
Understand storage in the context of the projects that use it.
Ecosystem breakdown
See how development technologies add up across projects.
Explainable Reclaim Plan
Review the rule and risk behind each eligible recommendation.
Reclaim History
See what ExactDisk attempted; history never authorizes a later cleanup.
Post-reclaim reconciliation
Compare expected and observed storage after a matching rescan.
Thoughtful interface
Light and dark mode, keyboard accessibility and VoiceOver support.
Safety & privacy FAQ
Good questions deserve clear answers.
Does ExactDisk permanently delete files?
No. The current contract moves approved reclaim items to macOS Trash. If Trash fails, ExactDisk reports the failure and leaves the item in place; there is no silent permanent-delete fallback. Items remain recoverable through normal Trash behavior until you empty it.
Can ExactDisk delete my source code?
Source files and other authoritative project data are classified Never touch. ExactDisk 1.0’s Mac App Store reclaim rules are narrower: only project-local Safe or Rebuildable artifacts are eligible for one-click reclaim. Review and Never-touch items cannot be upgraded by confirmation.
Does AI decide what is safe to remove?
No. Deterministic detectors, attribution rules, risk levels, activity and protection evidence, path checks and fresh pre-execution validation govern reclaim. An LLM does not authorize deletion.
Does scanning remove anything?
No. Scanning and planning are non-destructive. A reclaim action requires explicit confirmation and fresh safety checks immediately before the item moves to Trash.
What happens if files change after I scan?
Reclaim is blocked for the changed item. Relevant filesystem activity after the scan invalidates the clean state and causes the item to be skipped.
Why wait for a quiet period?
ExactDisk 1.0 uses a bounded 60-second write-quiet window. It is an additional conservative signal, not proof that the project is inactive. Relevant writes block reclaim until a fresh valid scan/session.
Can ExactDisk detect every process using a project?
No. The Mac App Store sandbox cannot inspect every process working directory. A headless or read-only process that creates no observable filesystem write may not be detectable. ExactDisk protects against observable and ambiguous sandbox-compatible signals and limits reclaim to project-local Safe or Rebuildable artifacts.
What happens if ExactDisk cannot verify activity?
It blocks reclaim. Unavailable app information, interrupted or incomplete filesystem monitoring, lost folder permission, project or volume mismatch, stale sessions and other failed checks make ExactDisk fail closed.
What about Git worktrees and shared caches?
Git worktrees are Review by default and stay outside the one-click reclaim scope in ExactDisk 1.0. Shared, global or unattributed storage is not treated as belonging exclusively to one project, so it is also excluded from the ExactDisk 1.0 reclaim gate.
Does clicking Confirm override a safety warning?
No. Confirmation is required for an otherwise valid reclaim, but it cannot override a safety block. If an item becomes uncertain or fails revalidation, ExactDisk skips it.
Does ExactDisk require Full Disk Access?
Not for the ExactDisk 1.0 Mac App Store release. ExactDisk uses the App Sandbox with user-selected folder access. You choose what it may inspect; permission denial reduces visibility and does not make cleanup more permissive.
What data leaves my Mac?
Core scanning and classification are local-first and offline-capable. Core operation does not require an account, cloud sync, analytics, telemetry, source-code or inventory upload, or an external AI API. Project paths, tool metadata, measurements and reclaim history are intended to stay on-device.
Does ExactDisk read my source code?
It prefers filesystem and tool metadata over source-file contents and does not need source-code upload for core operation. Source contents are not intended to be persisted.
Built for the Mac you build on
ExactDisk for macOS — available now.
Get ExactDisk for macOS from the Mac App Store today.
Get ExactDisk on the Mac App Store