Tools that clean up after AI coding agents on a Mac
AI coding agents leave old app versions, caches, worktrees and long conversation histories, and most of a conversation folder is pictures. Mole cleans some of it from the terminal, CleanMyMac in a separate command-line tool that is still in beta, and DaisyDisk only shows you where it is. Mint manages storage with one framework built on each file’s life cycle and understands AI agents in depth, so it knows what each file is and whether the agent still uses it: it can remove the pictures inside a Codex or Claude Code conversation and keep every word, gets space back without deleting anything first, organizes your folders, and keeps doing it on its own inside the boundaries you set. We make Mint; the rest was read from each vendor on October 11, 2026.
Where the space goes
Codex keeps every conversation as a JSONL file under ~/.codex, and screenshots are stored inside it as base64 text. In one 22.83 GB Codex store we measured, 71% was pictures. Claude Code keeps sessions under ~/.claude/projects and versioned binaries under ~/.local/share/claude/versions. Agents also leave git worktrees, build output in /tmp, and downloaded models.
Side by side
| Mint | Mole | CleanMyMac | DaisyDisk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent caches and old versions | Yes | Yes, in preview | In its separate command-line tool (beta) | No |
| Agent worktrees | Yes, with uncommitted work stated | Yes | Not stated | No |
| Remove pictures, keep conversation text | Yes (Codex, Claude Code) | No | Not stated | No |
| Delete old conversations | Yes, never pre-ticked | Sessions listed for review | Not stated | Only by deleting files yourself |
| Refuses what an agent is using right now | Yes, checked again at the click | Not stated | Not stated | No |
| Space back without deleting anything | Yes, Optimize | No | No | No |
| Organize folders | Yes, by hand, on a schedule or as files arrive | No | Not found | No |
| Runs on its own | Auto Care, when the Mac is idle | Not built in | Not found in the consumer app | No |
| Leaves alone what you protect | Ignore List | A whitelist of protected caches | Ignore List | Nothing runs on its own |
| Undo | 90 days: Trash moves and organizing put back | Trash for some commands; clean deletes for good | Not stated | No, deletions are permanent |
| Raycast, menu bar, command line, MCP | All four (direct download) | Command line; Raycast via a community extension; no MCP | Menu bar app; command line in beta | Not stated |
| Price | Free tier; $39.99 one-time | CLI free; app $19 | Basic $47.50 a year or $119.95 one-time; CLI free (beta) | $9.99 one-time |
Doing it by hand
- Measure first: du -sh ~/.codex ~/.claude ~/.local/share/claude ~/.cursor 2>/dev/null
- Keep the version the launcher points at: readlink -f "$(command -v claude)" and the same for codex.
- Remove only older version folders, and never a conversation file a running agent has open.
Which to pick
If you like open source and want to read the cleanup rules yourself and run deletions from the terminal, try Mole: its command-line tool is open source. If you want your agents’ data handled the way you would handle it yourself, use Mint: it knows what each file is, whether the agent still uses it and whether it comes back on its own. It takes the pictures out of old conversations while keeping every word, gets space back without deleting anything first, and keeps doing it with Auto Care inside the boundaries you set. Your folders are organized in the same app.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to delete Codex or Claude Code conversations?
Deleting one you no longer need is safe, but it is permanent. Removing only the pictures keeps the text you can scroll back through and resume from.
Can Mint break an agent that is running?
Mint leaves alone any file a running tool holds open and any conversation written in the last few minutes, and checks again at the moment you click. A cache whose app is running waits until the app is closed.
See what your agents are holding
Mint’s scan is free and shows each AI tool’s storage beside the rest of your disk.