Feature Request: Projections / Deletion Forecast

[NolleMania]

Hi!

I have an idea for a feature that I think could add a really useful planning dimension to Prunerr: Projections (or perhaps Deletion Forecast).

The basic idea

It would be great if Prunerr could take the user's current library state and existing rules and project them forward in time to show what content is expected to become eligible for deletion in the future.

Instead of only answering:
"What is eligible for deletion now?"

Prunerr could also answer:

"Based on my current library and rules, what is likely to be deleted over the next weeks, months, or years?"

This would essentially be a read-only simulation of the future, without actually changing or deleting anything.

Flexible projection period

I don't think this should necessarily be limited to something like 7 or 30 days.

Different users probably have very different rule sets. Some may have aggressive cleanup rules where content moves in and out quickly, while others may keep media for many months or years before it becomes eligible for deletion.

Ideally, the user could choose a projection horizon such as:

• 7 days
• 30 days
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 1 year
• 2 years
• Custom date/range

If technically practical, it could even be effectively unlimited and simply project as far forward as the current rules allow meaningful predictions.

Example

Imagine I currently have 5 TB free.

Based on my current library and rules, Prunerr might project:

Next 30 days

• 12 items expected to become eligible
• ~180 GB potentially freed

Next 3 months

• 47 items
• ~620 GB potentially freed

Next 6 months

• 93 items
• ~1.2 TB potentially freed

Next 12 months

• 165 items
• ~2.1 TB potentially freed

That would make Prunerr useful not only for automated cleanup, but also for storage capacity planning.

Timeline / calendar view

A timeline could make this especially useful.
It could potentially be grouped by week, month, or year depending on the projection range.

A graph could also show cumulative projected storage reclaimed over time.

For example:

Today → 5.0 TB free
+3 months → projected 5.6 TB free
+6 months → projected 6.2 TB free
+12 months → projected 7.1 TB free

Obviously this would not attempt to predict new media being added. It would simply show the effect of the current library + current rules, unless future versions wanted to become even more ambitious.

Rule visibility

One thing I think would make this particularly valuable is showing why each item is projected for deletion.

For every projected item, it could show:

• Expected eligibility/deletion date
• Rule that causes it to qualify
• Current relevant values
• File size / potential storage reclaimed
• Library
• Watched/unwatched state
• Last watched date, where relevant
• Age, rating, or other values involved in the rule

This would turn Projections into more than a storage forecast.
It would also become a really useful way to understand and validate your rules.
For example, I might discover:
"I didn't realize this rule will cause 400 movies to become eligible next summer."
That gives me a chance to adjust the rule long before anything happens.

Projection vs certainty

Of course, some future deletion dates cannot be guaranteed.

For example, if a rule depends on "days since last watched", somebody watching the movie tomorrow could push its projected deletion date further into the future.

The UI could therefore make it clear that this is a projection based on the current state, not a guaranteed future deletion schedule.

It might even be useful to distinguish between something like:

• Predictable – eligibility is primarily based on fixed/current data
• Conditional – eligibility depends on something that may change, such as future viewing activity

The exact terminology isn't important, but communicating that uncertainty would prevent users from interpreting projections as guaranteed deletion dates.

Filters

It could also be useful to filter the projection by things such as:

• Library
• Rule
• Movies / TV
• Watched / unwatched
• Time period
• Size
• Expected deletion/eligibility date

This could answer questions such as:
"What will this particular rule do over the next year?"

or:

"How much space will my movie cleanup rules potentially reclaim over the next six months?"

Rule simulation

A possible extension of this idea could be to use the projection engine while editing rules.

Before saving a changed rule, Prunerr could potentially show:
"With the current rule: 83 items / 940 GB are projected to become eligible within 12 months."
"With your proposed change: 147 items / 1.8 TB."

That could make rule creation much easier and safer because users could understand the long-term consequences before enabling a rule.

Essentially, it could become a kind of "what-if" simulator for Prunerr.

Storage planning

For me, this is one of the most interesting parts.

Storage management isn't only about how much space I have today. I also want to understand where my library is heading.

If I am getting low on disk space, a projection could tell me:
"You currently have 1.4 TB free, but your existing Prunerr rules are expected to make approximately 900 GB eligible for cleanup over the next four months."

That information could influence whether I actually need to buy another disk now or whether my existing retention strategy is already going to solve the problem.

Thanks for considering it!

[helliott20]

I am working on this at the moment, I will keep you updated :)

[helliott20]

Forecast is merged and is in the next release. It’s a read-only look ahead: nothing is deleted or changed.

What’s in, following your write-up:

Any horizon: 7 days, 30 days, 3/6/12 months, 2 years, or a custom date range.
How much and when: a headline with the total space freed by the end of the period, plus bars showing space freed per day, week, or month. Hover a bar for its items, size, running total and free space by then (your “5.0 TB → 5.6 TB → 6.2 TB” idea). Click it to list the items behind it.
Calendar and list views, with each item’s expected date, the rule that catches it, and the values that matched (age, last watched, rating and so on).
Predictable vs conditional, using your terms: predictable depends only on age or the file; conditional moves if someone watches it. Items already queued are shown separately.
Filters for rule, library, movies/TV, watched state, size and certainty.
Rule what-if: while you edit a rule, it shows what the rule reaches in the next 3 and 12 months, and how your change compares with the saved rule.

As you suggested, it doesn’t try to predict new downloads. I experimented with estimating them from disk usage, but the numbers weren’t reliable enough to show.

Thanks for such a detailed request; it made this easy to build. Feedback welcome once you’ve had a play.

[NolleMania]

Wow, this turned out absolutely fantastic! 😄

I've just installed the new version and spent some time exploring the Forecast feature, and I have to say, I'm genuinely impressed!

You really took the original idea and turned it into something even better than I had imagined. The timeline, storage projections, calendar view with movie posters, filters, and the distinction between predictable and conditional deletions are all incredibly well implemented.

What I especially love is how you've made all that information so easy to understand and visually appealing. It's not just a useful feature — it feels like a natural part of Prunerr.

It's honestly amazing to see an idea I suggested become a fully working feature, especially with so much attention to detail.

A huge thank you for the time and effort you've put into this. You've done an outstanding job, and I really appreciate how seriously you took the suggestion.

Keep up the fantastic work! 👏

[helliott20]

Thanks @NolleMania. Really appreciate it! I worked on it for a while, but I wanted to get it right. I think it is mostly there, but if you think of anything else, please let me know!

Keep the ideas coming! 🫡