chippytea is an ultra-performant, native macOS app that clears space on your Mac.
Built with SwiftUI and Rust, it helps you find old build folders, project dependencies
and installers you may no longer need. Review their estimated sizes, see what removing
them means, and choose what to keep or remove.
SwiftUI + Rust · macOS 14+ · Free and open source
Build it · How it works · Contribute · Security
An illustrated cleanup, not a live scan. Animation respects reduced motion.
chippytea runs locally from your menu bar. No account, no telemetry, no automatic deletion.
- Find cleanup opportunities. Scan folders you choose, or use the guided home-folder scan for old app caches, logs, Xcode data, build folders, downloads and large personal files.
- Check before you clean. Review the files, estimated size, and consequences. Git and activity checks vary by category; personal files and caches without an identified owning app still need your judgment.
- Choose what to remove. Move files to Trash, or permanently remove eligible build files and dependencies. Review the outcome and any credited space in the cleanup history.
Check duplicate files compares already-indexed old/large personal-file suggestions when you ask. It verifies contents, lets you choose one copy to keep and one to review, and rechecks both before moving the selected copy to Trash. This is a bounded check, not a whole-Mac duplicate search; ordinary scans never hash personal-file contents.
Moving files to Trash does not free storage. App caches, logs, Xcode DerivedData, downloads and personal files are review/Trash-only; they never earn chips. Permanent cleanup is limited to verified, eligible developer build files and dependencies.
This is early software that can permanently delete files. Start with a disposable test folder and keep backups. Full Disk Access is optional.
About the chip counter
The chips are a decorative counter for space saved. Eligible permanent cleanup adds one chip per 100 MB of conservatively credited space. Smaller amounts carry forward.
Chips stay on your Mac and have no monetary value. Moving files to Trash adds no chips; estimated sizes never update the counter.
You'll need an Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 14 or later, Xcode with its command-line tools, Python 3, and a Rust toolchain.
git clone https://github.com/richiemcilroy/chippytea.git
cd chippytea
./scripts/build.sh
open build/chippytea.appLocal builds are ad-hoc signed by default, not notarized releases. Quit the running app before rebuilding.
env -u CARGO_TARGET_DIR -u CARGO_BUILD_TARGET_DIR cargo test --locked
cargo clippy --all-targets --locked -- -D warningsWorking on the landing page? See site/README.md.
| Part | What's inside |
|---|---|
| Rust engine | Bounded discovery, SQLite index, safety checks, cleanup, and a durable reward ledger |
| Native app | SwiftUI interface, menu-bar panel, Finder and Trash integration, hand-drawn fish and chips |
| Landing page | The same drawing paths and chip-shop style, built with Next.js |
| Tests and benchmarks | Disposable fixtures, native integration checks, and reproducible performance tools |
Bug reports, careful safety tests, clearer docs, and small fixes are welcome. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before changing cleanup behaviour. Please keep personal paths, logs, and credentials out of public issues. Security problems belong in a private report.