The cost next to the gain
Twenty-two gigabytes that rebuild in four minutes are not worth the same as nine that take eleven. Loupe ranks by gigabytes recovered per minute of rebuild, measured on your machine.
Step 01Ready the machineAvailable
Loupe
Your Mac says 42 GB free. Your build says “disk full”.
Loupe maps your projects, separates what can be rebuilt from your real work, and shows the rebuild cost next to every gain.
Loupe — ~/Projects
Disk
0.0 GB freed
- DerivedData · 3 cold projects≈ 12 min38.2 GB
- node_modules · 14 projects≈ 3 min16.4 GB
- target · 6 Rust projects≈ 11 min9.1 GB
- Unavailable simulators—7.6 GB
- Docker build cache≈ 4 min22.0 GB
T1 · T2 · T3Clean T1
Loupe
What it does
Your work is off-limits
Everything Git tracks is excluded, before the catalogue is even read. Loupe never deletes a working folder: only what can be rebuilt.
Three risk tiers
T1 can clean itself, T2 asks for confirmation, T3 is never automatic. Rules decide from an allow-list; the assistant only advises.
Three modes
Manual scans when you ask. Smart warns at a threshold and cleans in one click. Automatic cleans T1 on its own and reports afterwards.
Simulators and snapshots
Unavailable simulators, orphaned iOS versions, Time Machine snapshots holding space: named, measured, explained.
How it works
- 1
Step 1
Point Loupe at your projects folder.
- 2
Step 2
Loupe ranks every artefact by size and rebuild cost.
- 3
Step 3
Clean in one click; the log says what was actually freed.
Safety
How Loupe protects your files.
- 1
Nothing Git tracks
Run git status after a clean: nothing has changed. The rule outranks the whole catalogue and covers tools Loupe doesn't know yet.
- 2
Plan shown, plan run
What you approve is exactly what goes. Nothing is added between the preview and the run.
- 3
A single deletion gate
Every deletion goes through one controlled point, guarded by tests that fail if a protection disappears.
- 4
A measured log
Every clean records the space actually freed, measured before and after on the volume, never estimated.
Free or Pro
Free
$0
- Full scan and rebuild cost
- One T1 clean per month
- 30-day log
Pro
$12/ year
- Unlimited cleans
- Smart and Automatic modes
- Time Machine snapshot removal
- Updated catalogue, assistant, reports
- 3 computers
Fix it by hand
Each guide gives the complete manual fix, with the real commands. Useful whether or not you ever buy Loupe. (in English)
- Why does macOS show free space when the disk is full?10–200 GBFinder says 40 GB available. Your build says no space left on device. Both are right — here is the mechanism, and how to get the space back.
- Can I delete Xcode's DerivedData folder safely?5–60 GBYes. Here is exactly what you lose, how long it takes to come back, and the one folder next to it you should not touch.
- How do I delete old iOS simulators to free disk space?10–80 GBSimulators are the quietest 40 GB on a developer's Mac. Here is how to see what you have, and remove only what you will not miss.
- Why is my Rust target folder so big, and can I delete it?2–20 GB per projectTen projects, ten target directories, forty gigabytes. Here is what is actually in there and how to keep it bounded without giving up incremental builds.
Questions
What happens if I don't renew?
Nothing locks. Loupe keeps working indefinitely at the last version you received, with every Pro feature. Renewal brings new versions and the updated catalogue.
Can Loupe delete code I haven't backed up?
No. Loupe never deletes a working folder, and nothing Git tracks is ever a candidate. Only rebuildable artefacts make it into a plan.
Do I need to grant Full Disk Access?
Only to see paths macOS protects. Without it, everything else works and Loupe tells you which folders it cannot read.
Which tools are recognised?
Node, Rust, Python, Go, Xcode and Swift, CocoaPods, Flutter, Gradle and Android, Maven, .NET, Unity and Docker. An unknown ecosystem is handled conservatively, by the Git rule.