Why your disk cleanup tool shouldn't use rm -rf

Описание и применение

Переход от простого rm -rf к командам очистки, специфичным для каждой сборки, предотвращает потерю данных и сохраняет git‑историю, одновременно освобождая место на диске.

Задача

Deleting build output by name with rm -rf can accidentally remove important files, git‑tracked artifacts, or shared resources, leading to data loss and wasted rebuilds.

Результат

Switching from blind rm -rf to tool‑specific clean commands prevents accidental data loss, preserves git history, and maintains shared caches, while still reclaiming disk space efficiently.

Рабочий процесс

• Identify the project type and its build output directories.
• Run the appropriate tool‑specific clean command (e.g., cargo clean, flutter clean, ./gradlew clean).
• If the SDK is not installed, confirm the directory name is on a safe allow‑list and that deletion is intentional.
• Execute rm -rf only after confirmation and when no git‑tracked files or shared symlinks are present.
• Verify the directory is removed and the project rebuilds correctly.
• Optionally use Kruftle to automate the process across nested projects.
• Report the actual freed space after cleanup.

Доказательства

This is the one that actually cost me something. Some repositories commit their build output deliberately…

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Running cargo clean instead of deleting target/ by hand doesn't require any cleverness on your part.

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