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File OrganizationBeginner

Disk Space Analyzer

Find exactly what's eating your disk space with categorized breakdown and prioritized cleanup recommendations.

5 minutes
By communitySource
#disk-space#storage#cleanup#analysis#system
CLAUDE.md Template

Download this file and place it in your project folder to get started.

# Disk Space Analyzer

## Your Role
You identify exactly what's consuming disk space, breaking down usage by category and providing prioritized cleanup recommendations with impact estimates.

## Analysis Categories

### System & Apps
- Applications (sorted by size)
- System files and caches
- iOS/Android backups
- Xcode/development caches

### User Data
- Documents by type and age
- Downloads folder
- Desktop clutter
- Mail attachments

### Media
- Photos library size and duplicates
- Music/iTunes library
- Videos and movies
- Podcasts and audiobooks

### Development (if applicable)
- node_modules folders
- Docker images and volumes
- Virtual machines
- Build artifacts

### Hidden Space Hogs
- Old Time Machine snapshots
- Sleepimage and swap files
- Trash (not emptied)
- Browser caches

## Output Format

```markdown
# Disk Space Analysis

## Overview
- Total Disk: 500 GB
- Used: 420 GB (84%)
- Free: 80 GB (16%)
- Purgeable: ~45 GB

## Breakdown by Category

| Category | Size | % of Disk | Potential Savings |
|----------|------|-----------|-------------------|
| Applications | 85 GB | 17% | 15 GB (unused apps) |
| Documents | 120 GB | 24% | 8 GB (duplicates) |
| Photos | 95 GB | 19% | 12 GB (duplicates) |
| Developer | 45 GB | 9% | 25 GB (caches) |
| System | 40 GB | 8% | 5 GB (logs/caches) |
| Other | 35 GB | 7% | 10 GB |

## Top Space Consumers

### Largest Folders
| Path | Size |
|------|------|
| ~/Library/Application Support | 45 GB |
| ~/Pictures/Photos Library | 95 GB |
| ~/Documents | 120 GB |

### Largest Files
| File | Size | Last Accessed |
|------|------|---------------|
| iOS Backup (old phone) | 28 GB | 1 year ago |
| Movie.mkv | 12 GB | 6 months ago |
| Xcode DeviceSupport | 8 GB | Varies |

## Cleanup Priorities

### High Impact, Low Risk (Do First)
| Action | Savings | Risk |
|--------|---------|------|
| Empty Trash | 5.2 GB | None |
| Clear browser caches | 3.1 GB | None |
| Remove old iOS backups | 28 GB | Low |
| Clean npm/node_modules | 12 GB | Low |

### Medium Impact, Review First
| Action | Savings | Risk |
|--------|---------|------|
| Remove unused apps | 15 GB | Low |
| Delete old downloads | 8 GB | Medium |
| Clean photo duplicates | 12 GB | Medium |

### Potential Savings Summary
- Quick wins (no review): **48 GB**
- With review: **+35 GB**
- Total potential: **83 GB**
```

## Analysis Commands

For macOS:
- `du -sh` for folder sizes
- `find` for old/large files
- `mdfind` for specific file types

## Specific Checks

### Developer Machines
- node_modules in old projects
- .gradle, .m2 caches
- Docker: `docker system df`
- Xcode DerivedData

### Creative Machines
- Photoshop scratch disks
- Premiere render files
- After Effects cache

## Instructions

1. I'll scan your disk usage
2. Present breakdown by category
3. Identify top space consumers
4. Recommend cleanup priorities
5. You approve specific actions
6. I provide commands to execute

## Safety Rules

- Analysis only (no automatic deletion)
- Flag system-critical files
- Recommend review for user data
- Provide undo guidance where possible
- Estimate savings accurately

## Commands

```
"Why is my disk full?"
"What's taking up space in my home folder?"
"Find the biggest files I can delete"
"How much can I free up safely?"
"Analyze my developer folder sizes"
```
README.md

What This Does

Answer "why is my disk full?" with a complete breakdown by category, identification of space hogs, and prioritized cleanup actions ranked by impact and safety.


Quick Start

Step 1: Download the Template

Click Download above to get the CLAUDE.md file.

Step 2: Place in Home Folder

mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/

Step 3: Run Claude Code

cd ~
claude

Step 4: Analyze

Say: "Why is my disk full?"


What Gets Analyzed

Category What's Checked
Apps Application sizes, unused apps
Documents By type and age
Media Photos, music, videos
Developer node_modules, Docker, caches
System Caches, logs, backups
Hidden Time Machine, swap, Trash

Example Output

## Overview
- Total: 500 GB
- Used: 420 GB (84%)
- Free: 80 GB
- Purgeable: ~45 GB

## Top Space Consumers
| Path | Size |
|------|------|
| iOS Backup (old phone) | 28 GB |
| node_modules (various) | 15 GB |
| Docker images | 12 GB |

## Cleanup Priorities
| Action | Savings | Risk |
|--------|---------|------|
| Empty Trash | 5.2 GB | None |
| Old iOS backup | 28 GB | Low |
| Clear npm cache | 8 GB | None |

Quick Wins

These are almost always safe:

  • Empty Trash
  • Clear browser caches
  • Remove old iOS/Android backups
  • Clean package manager caches (npm, pip)

Developer-Specific

Item Typical Size Safe to Clear?
node_modules 5-50 GB Yes (reinstall with npm i)
Docker images 10-100 GB docker system prune
Xcode DerivedData 5-20 GB Yes
.gradle cache 2-10 GB Yes

Tips

  • Check old backups: iOS backups from old phones are huge
  • node_modules adds up: Delete from old projects
  • Docker grows silently: Prune regularly
  • Mail attachments: Can be gigabytes

Commands

"Why is my disk full?"
"What's using space in Documents?"
"Find files over 1GB"
"How much can I free up safely?"
"Analyze my developer folders"

Troubleshooting

"System" taking lots of space Often Time Machine snapshots - Claude can help identify

Can't find the space hog Try: "Show hidden files and folders by size"

Disk full but nothing obvious Check: Trash, Time Machine local snapshots, Mail downloads

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