Claude Log Cleaner

A Claude Code plugin that automatically deletes session log files after a configurable retention period to prevent sensitive data exposure.

The Problem: I watched this YouTube video and freaked out a bit - Claude Code stores a ton of log files locally in ~/.claude/ - files that can contain API keys, tokens, and other secrets from your sessions. That's another attack surface sitting on your laptop. This plugin helps reduce that risk by automatically cleaning up old logs and giving you easy commands to scan for exposed secrets.

Why This Plugin?

Claude Code stores session logs in ~/.claude/ that can contain sensitive information from your chat sessions, including:

• API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, PostHog, etc.)
• Bearer tokens and authentication headers
• Database credentials
• Environment variables
• Other secrets passed through commands

This plugin helps you maintain security hygiene by automatically cleaning up old logs.

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• Optional: trufflehog or detect-secrets for enhanced secret scanning

Enhanced Scanning (Optional)

Install one or both for improved secret detection. All available scanners run together for maximum coverage.

TruffleHog (recommended) - 700+ secret detectors:

brew install trufflehog

detect-secrets - 20+ secret types:

pip install detect-secrets

Without these, the plugin uses built-in regex patterns for common secrets (OpenAI, Anthropic, GitHub, AWS, Slack, PostHog).

Installation

Step 1: Add the marketplace

/plugin marketplace add andrewm4894/claude-log-cleaner

Step 2: Install the plugin

/plugin install log-cleaner@log-cleaner-marketplace

Updating

/plugin update log-cleaner@log-cleaner-marketplace

Uninstalling

# Uninstall the plugin
/plugin uninstall log-cleaner

# Remove the marketplace (optional)
/plugin marketplace remove log-cleaner-marketplace

Reinstalling (fresh install)

If updates aren't working, try a full reinstall:

# Remove everything
/plugin uninstall log-cleaner
/plugin marketplace remove log-cleaner-marketplace

# Reinstall
/plugin marketplace add andrewm4894/claude-log-cleaner
/plugin install log-cleaner@log-cleaner-marketplace

Local Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/andrewm4894/claude-log-cleaner.git

# In Claude Code, load the plugin for testing:
claude --plugin-dir /path/to/claude-log-cleaner/plugins/log-cleaner

Commands

Command	Description
/log-cleaner:clean	Manually run cleanup
/log-cleaner:status	Show directory sizes and config
/log-cleaner:set-retention <hours>	Set retention period
/log-cleaner:scan	Scan logs for exposed secrets

Examples

# Check current status
/log-cleaner:status

# Preview what would be deleted (dry run)
/log-cleaner:clean --dry-run

# Set retention to 48 hours
/log-cleaner:set-retention 48

# Delete files older than 1 hour
/log-cleaner:clean --hours 1

# Scan for secrets in your logs
/log-cleaner:scan

Configuration

The plugin creates a config file at ~/.claude/log-cleaner-config.json:

{
  "retention_hours": 24,
  "clean_on_session_end": true,
  "dry_run": false
}

Options

Option	Default	Description
retention_hours	24	Hours to retain files before deletion
clean_on_session_end	true	Auto-clean when Claude Code session ends
dry_run	false	Preview mode (no actual deletion)

Note: Config values are used as defaults. The --dry-run CLI flag overrides the config value for that run.

What Gets Cleaned

The plugin cleans all Claude Code data directories:

• ~/.claude/debug/ - Session debug logs
• ~/.claude/file-history/ - File edit history
• ~/.claude/projects/ - Project-specific data
• ~/.claude/todos/ - Todo lists
• ~/.claude/plans/ - Planning data
• ~/.claude/shell-snapshots/ - Shell state snapshots

Automatic Cleanup

The plugin hooks into Claude Code's SessionEnd event to automatically clean old logs when you finish a session. This ensures cleanup happens regularly without manual intervention.

To disable automatic cleanup, edit the config:

{
  "clean_on_session_end": false
}

Security Considerations

• Logs may contain sensitive data from your conversations
• This plugin helps but is not a complete security solution
• Consider also:
  • Rotating API keys regularly
  • Using environment variables instead of hardcoded secrets
  • Reviewing what data you paste into Claude Code

License

MIT

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome at https://github.com/andrewm4894/claude-log-cleaner